Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
July,  1883.  / 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
371 
tion  of  the  ferment  or  of  the  myrosin,  the  author  is  still  engaged 
in  determining. — Jour.  Chem.  Soc,  1883,  p.  245,  246.  Landw.  Vers, 
Stat,  xxviii,  179-200. 
Ivy  berries, — The  fleshy  part  of  the  fruit  contains,  according  to  A. 
Jandous,  70  per  cent,  of  water ;  a  dark  red  coloring  matter  soluble  in 
alcohol  and  water,  turned  greenish  by  ammonia  and  light  red  by 
hydrochloric  acid  ;  a  greenish-yellow  resinous  matter,  sweet  at  first,  but 
afterwards  sharp  and  bitter;  also  grape  sugar,  gum,  albumin  and 
mineral  matters.  The  seeds  contain  albumin,  inorganic  matter  and  a 
fat  oil  with  a  characteristic  herbaceous  and  irritating  taste,  j)recipitated 
by  lead  acetate,  and  slightly  by  ]ime  water,  and  colored  green  by  ferric 
chloride.  The  poisonous  properties  of  the  fruit  are  neither  due  to  the 
resinous  matter  in  the  pulp,  nor  to  the  oil  in  the  seeds. — Ibid,,  499. 
Chem,  Centr.,  1882,  p.  806. 
The  leaves  of  Fraxinus  excelsior,  Lin. — W.  Gintl  and  F.  Eeinitzer 
found  in  the  aqueous  decoction  of  these  leaves  calcium  malate  and  tan- 
nin, with  smaller  quantities  of  mannite  and  inosite,  and  still  smaller 
quantities  of  quercitrin,  dextrose,  gum,  and  free  malic  acid.  Fraxitan- 
nic  acid  is  amorphous,  yellow-brown,  brittle,  in  powder  golden  yellow, 
deliquescent  to  a  yellow-brown  shining  mass.  It  is  insoluble  in  ben- 
zene, chloroform,  and  anhydrous  ether,  readily  soluble  in  alcohol,  acetic 
acid,  ethyl  acetate,  and  water,  and  precipitated  from  the  latter  solution, 
like  other  tannins,  on  saturation  with  common  salt,  but  not  by  tartar 
emetic.  Lead  acetate  gives  a  fine  golden  yellow  precipitate  easily  solu- 
ble in  acetic  acid,  becoming  brown-green  on  exposure  to  the  air  and  at 
the  same  time  less  soluble  in  acetic  acid.  Ferric  chloride  causes  a  brown- 
green  color  and  precipitate,  changing  to  blood-red  by  alkaline  hydrox- 
ide, carbonate,  or  acid  carbonate,  the  colors  becoming  dingy  on  exposure. 
Mercuric  chloride  causes  a  slight  precipitate  of  calomel ;  warming  it 
with  alkaline  cupric  solution  throws  down  cuprous  oxide;  heated  with 
dilute  acids  or  baryta  water,  no  glucose  is  yielded.  Dried  in  a  vacuum 
at  ordinary  temperature  its  composition  is  Q^^^^O^,  and  after  heating 
to  lOO^C.  in  a  stream  of  carbonic  anhydride  CgeHg^Oja,  this  anhydride 
being  only  slighty  soluble  in  hot  water. 
A  minute  quantity  of  volatile  oil  was  obtained,  which  had  a  strong 
and  very  pleasant  odor  like  that  of  syringa  flowers ;  it  boiled  at  175°C. 
and  had  the  composition  C\qH2o02. — Jour,  Chem.  Soc,  1883,  p.  216- 
219.    Monatsh.  Chem.  in,  746-762. 
Constituents  of  Turmeric. — Jackson  and  Menke  have  continued  their 
