Sanguinaria  Canadensis. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
\      May,  1875. 
acidulated  with  HCl,  ammonia  added,  the  precipitate  washed  with  water, 
dried  and  agitated  with  ether.  On  passing  hydrochloric  acid  gas  through 
this  solution,  hydrochlorate  of  sanguinarina  was  precipitated,  of  a  crim- 
son color.  The  portion  that  was  not  taken  up  by  the  ether  was  found 
to  consist  of  resin  and  coloring  matter,  which  substance  it  is  that  gave 
a  purplish  color  to  the  ammonia  precipitate  and  to  its  solution  in  chlo- 
roform. Puccina  is  nothing  more  than  sanguinarina,  with  some  resin 
and  coloring  matter  persistently  adhering  to  it. 
The  resinous  substance  obtained  by  the  precipitation  of  the  concen- 
trated tincture  in  water  was  treated  with  alcohol,  the  solution  acidulated 
with  hydrochloric  acid  and  poured  into  a  large  quantity  of  water  with 
constant  stirring  ;  after  twenty-four  hours  the  liquid  portion  was  filtered 
and  evaporated  to  half  its  bulk  and  set  aside  to  crystallize,  when  a  sub- 
stance similar  to  the  supposed  puccina,  but  of  a  lighter  color,  was  de- 
posited. It  was  dissolved  in  acidulated  water,  precipitated  by  ammonia 
of  a  purplish-brown  color,  collected  on  a  filter,  washed  with  water, 
then  dried  and  agitated  with  ether,  which  did  not  take  it  up  entirely. 
Hydrochloric  acid  gas  was  passed  through  it,  and  the  sanguinarina  was 
thrown  out  of  solution  \  the  portion  that  was  not  taken  up  by  the  ether 
consisted  of  resin  and  coloring  matter. 
Supposing  that  the  resin  that  was  precipitated  from  the  above  acidu- 
lated alcoholic  solution  by  pouring  it  into  water  was  not  entirely  free 
from  sanguinarina,  it  was  treated  with  acidulated  water,  precipitated  by 
ammonia  and  treated  with  ether,  and  HCl  gas  passed  into  it ;  the  same 
result  was  obtained  as  with  the  supposed  puccina.  The  residue,  in- 
soluble in  acidulated  water,  was  dissolved  in  alcohol,  ammonia  added  in 
slight  excess,  and  then  three  times  its  bulk  of  ether  was  added  to  it  ;  the 
alkaloid  taken  up  by  the  ether  proved  to  be  sanguinarina,  while  the 
resin  remained  behind  of  a  brownish  appearance,  tasteless  and  inodorous. 
The  residue  left,  after  exhausting  the  first  ammonia  precipitate  with 
ether,  was  treated  with  dilute  acetic  acid,  and  the  solution  evaporated 
by  means  of  a  sand-bath  to  the  consistence  of  a  soft  extract.  This  was 
then  repeatedly  boiled  in  water  acidulated  with  HCl,  and  the  solution 
treated,  as  described  above,  with  ammonia,  ether  and  hydrochloric  acid 
gas,  when  the  sanguinarina  salt  was  obtained.  The  portion  insoluble 
in  the  acidulated  water  was  of  a  yellowish-brown  color.  A  mixture 
made  of  it  with  some  sanguinarina  and  resin  was  boiled  in  acidulated 
water,  and  on  the  addition  of  iodohydrargyrate  of  potassium  a  precip- 
itate of  a  yellowish-red  color  was  produced  ;  while  ammonia  yielded  a 
purplish-brown  precipitate,  which  dissolved  with  a  purplish  color  in 
