THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
MAT,  1875. 
ON  THE  ALKALOIDS  AND  ACIDS  OF  SANGUINARIA  CANADENSIS. 
BY  LEWIS  C.  HOPP,  PH.  G. 
From  the  Author's  Inaugural  Essa}^ 
In  preparing  the  alkaloids,  the  powdered  root  was  exhausted  with 
alcohol  by  precolation,  and  the  resulting  tincture  evaporated  by  means 
of  a  water-bath  to  the  consistency  of  a  thin  extract  ;  this  was  digested 
with  sufficient  hydrochloric  acid  for  three  days,  and  then  poured  into 
water  with  constant  stirring  until  it  was  thoroughly  diffused,  then  per- 
mitted to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours,  to  allow  the  resin  to  settle  to  the 
bottom.  It  was  then  filtered  and  the  filtrate  evaporated  to  half  its 
bulk,  ammonia  water  was  added,  and  the  purplish-brown  precipitate 
collected  on  a  filter  and  washed  well  with  water,  dried  and  repeatedly 
agitated  with  ether  until  completely  exhausted.  The  sanguinarina  sul- 
phate was  obtained  by  adding  a  mixture  of  sulphuric  acid  and  ether  to 
the  ethereal  solution  ;  this  crystalline  crimson  precipitate  was  then  pur- 
ified by  recrystallizing  from  a  hot  alcoholic  solution. 
lodohydrargyrate  of  potassium  produced,  in  its  solution,  a  bright 
red,  and  ammonia  a  white  precipitate. 
The  supposed  puccina  was  obtained  according  to  Mr.  Wayne's  pro- 
cess. The  ethereal  solution,  from  which  the  sanguinarina  sulphate  had 
been  separated,  was  of  a  light  straw  color  ;  the  ether  was  slowly  distilled 
off  nearly  to  dryness,  and  a  residue  of  a  reddish-brown  color  remained 
in  the  retort,  dissolving  in  alcohol  with  a  red  color.  Hydrochloric  acid 
was  added  in  very  slight  excess  and  the  solution  set  aside  to  evaporate 
spontaneously  ;  the  first  crop  of  crystals  was  of  a  granular  form,  similar 
to  sanguinarina  sulphate,  and  of  a  light  reddish-brown  color  ;  the  second 
crop  was  of  a  darker  color.  lodohydrargyrate  of  potassium  produced  a 
precipitate  of  a  yellowish-red  color,  and  ammonia  one  of  a  purplish-brown, 
this  last  furnishing  a  purple  solution  with  chloroform. 
Supposing  that  it  still  contained  sanguinarina,  it  was  dissolved  in  water 
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