264 
IVhich  is  the  best  Sarsaparilla? 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t        June,  1875. 
e.  After  the  removal  of  the  ether  the  syrupy  liquid  should  be  almost 
destitute  of  bitter  taste  ;  if  decidedly  bitter,  it  may  contain  gentiopicrin^ 
menyanthin  or  quassiin.  It  is  diluted  with  water,  and  to  a  portion  of  the 
filtrate  some  ammoniacal  solution  of  silver  is  added  and  heat  applied. 
Ouassiin,  if  present,  does  not  disturb  the  clear  solution  ;  the  other  two 
principles  separate  a  mirror  of  metallic  silver.  The  remaining  liquid 
is  evaporated  to  dryness,  and  to  a  portion  of  the  cold  residue  concen- 
trated sulphuric  acid  is  added,  which  occasions  no  coloration  in  the 
cold,  but,  on  heating,  a  carmine-red  color  if  gentiopicrin  is  present,  and 
at  once  a  yellowish-brown  color,  gradually  changing  to  violet,  if  meny- 
anthin is  present. 
WHICH  IS  THE  BEST  SARSAPARILLA  } 
BY   EDWARD  MARQUIS. 
The  "Achiv  der  Pharmacie,"  1875,  April,  pp.  331-352,  contains  an 
essay  on  this  subject,  detailing  the  results  of  an  exhaustive  investigation, 
such  as  have  been  made  for  some  years  past  in  the  Pharmaceutical  In- 
stitute of  the  University  of  Dorpart,  Russia,  under  the  supervision  of 
Prof.  Dragendorff.  We  can  give  only  a  brief  abstract  of  this  interest- 
ing paper. 
The  air-dry  substance,  in  coarse  powder,  was  dried  at  110°  C.  (230° 
F.)  ;  the  loss  indicated  the  moisture.  The  powdered  root  was  exhausted 
by  digestion  with  30  per  cent,  alcohol,  and  the  resulting  dry  extract 
weighed.  The  extract  was  exhausted  with  cold  distilled  water,  and  its 
sugar  determined  in  the  filtrate  \  the  residue  was  exhausted  with  boiling 
alcohol,  which  left  a  minute  flocculent  residue  of  a  brown  color.  Af- 
ter the  evaporation  of  the  alcohol  and  drying,  the  brownish-yellow  mass 
was  weighed  as  smilacin.  The  residuarv  root  powder  from  the  previous 
experiment  was  exhausted  with  cold  distilled  water,  and  the  resulting  dry 
extract  weighed.  This  extract  was  again  dissolved  in  water  and  the 
solution  mixed  with  five  times  its  volume  of  alcohol;  the  precipitate, 
after  drying,  was  weighed  as  mucilage  ;  it  was  found  to  contain  but  a 
trace  of  albumen.  The  mucilage  was  incinerated  and  the  ashes  weighed. 
The  starch  was  estimated  by  Fehling's  solution  after  converting  it  into 
glucose  by  continued  boiling  with  diluted  sulphuric  acid.  The  total 
percentage  of  ashes  was  determined  by  incinerating  fresh  portions  of 
the  root.  The  following  table  gives  the  results  obtained  for  100  parts 
of  the  air-dry  roots  : 
