^2  Crystalline  Constituent  of  Jafferabad  Aloes.    { ^""Feb^'is^^f™ 
THE  CRYSTALLINE  CONSTITUENT  OF  JAFFERABAD 
ALOES.^ 
By  W.  a.  Shenstone. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  evening  meeting  of  the  Society, 
Iield  in  March,  1881,  Mr.  Holmes  brought  forward  a  specimen  of  aloes 
known  in  the  Bombay  market  as  Jafferabad  aloes,  which  he  had  re- 
ceived from  Dr.  Dymock.  Shortly  afterwards  I  proposed  to  Mr. 
Holmes  that  an  examination  of  its  crystalline  constituent  would,  per- 
haps, be  interesting,  aud  he  very  kindly  obtained  a  supply  of  the  drug 
for  me,  which  I  received  during  the  first  half  of  the  present  year. 
I  found  in  a  preliminary  examination  of  the  substance  that  although 
the  method  employed  for  obtaining  aloin  from  Barbadoes  aloes  was  not 
■without  result  when  applied  to  the  Jafferabad  aloes,  yet  that  a  better 
result  could  be  obtained  by  Histed's  method. 
Accordingly  about  IJ  pounds  of  the  powdered  aloes  was  treated  with 
enough  proof  spirit  to  make  a  thin  paste,  and  after  standing  for  a  few 
hours  was  enveloped  in  folds  of  stout  calico  and  submitted  to  powerful 
pressure,  by  which  means  I  found  that  a  yield  of  about  28  per  cent,  of 
<*rude  aloin  could  be  obtained. 
This  crude  aloin  was  purified  by  twice  crystallizing  from  water,  then 
by  crystallizing  several  times  from  dilute  spirit  and  finally  by  crystal- 
lizing twice  or  thrice  from  rectified  spirit.  Portions  of  the  crops  of 
crystals  thus  obtained  were  burnt  with  the  foUowing  results: — 
I.  -1104  gram  of  aloin  which  had  been  once  crystallized  from  recti- 
fied spirit  and  dried  in  vacuo  over  sulphuric  acid  gave  '2438  gram  of 
CO2  and  -0561  gram  of  H^O. 
II.  "1380  gram  of  aloin  which  had  bec^n  twice  crystallized  from 
rectified  spirit  and  dried  in  vacuo  over  sulpluiric  acid  gave  '3042  gram 
-of  CO2  and  -0(396  gram  of  H^O. 
Corresponding  to — 
Carbon        Hydrogen.  Oxygen. 
1   60-22  5-64  34-14 
11   60-11         5-60  34-29 
The  aloin  was,  therefore,  evidently  in  a  pure  state. 
1-2375  gram  of  pure  air-dried  aloin  dried  over  sulphuric  acid  in  a 
vacuum  lost  -1987  gram  of  water,  corresponding  to  16-0  per  cent. 
When  bromine  water  was  added  in  excess  to  an  aqueous  solution  of 
^  Kead  at  an  Evening  Meeting  of  the  Pliarmaceutical  Society,  December  6,  1882. 
