Am.  Jour.  Pharm,  1 
Oct.,  1875.  ; 
Jervia — Its  History,  etc. 
449 
JERVIA.— ITS  HISTORY,  OCCURRENCE  IN  VERATRUM  FIRIDE, 
METHOD  OF  PREPARATION  AND  PROPERTIES. 
BY   CHARLES  BULLOCK,  PHILADELPHIA. 
The  alkaloid  jervia  or  jervine  was  discovered  by  E.  Simon,  in  1837, 
in  the  root  of  Veratrum  album.  It  was  obtained  by  mixing  the  alcoholic 
extract  of  the  root  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  and  precipitating  by 
carbonate  of  soda.  The  precipitate  was  dissolved  in  alcohol,  de- 
colorized with  charcoal,  and  the  alcohol  removed  by  distillation.  The 
greater  part  of  the  residue  then  solidified  in  a  crystalline  mass,  from 
which  the  veratrine,  being  uncrystallizable,  may  be  almost  entirely 
removed  by  submitting  it  to  pressure,  moistening  with  alcohol  and  again 
pressing  ;  in  this  manner  jervia  is  obtained  almost  pure.  Jervia  is  color- 
less and  crystalline,  gives  off  69  per  cent,  of  water  at  100°  C,  melts  at 
a  higher  temperature  to  a  colorless  oil  which  decomposes  when  heated 
above  200°  C.  It  is  insoluble  in  water,  soluble  in  alcohol,  and  very 
sparingly  soluble  in  ammonia.  The  acetate  of  jervia  is  soluble  in  water ; 
the  sulphate,  nitrate  and  hydrochlorate  are  very  sparingly  soluble  in 
water  and  in  mineral  acids.  When  fused,  jervia  gives  off  ammonia.* 
Will's  analysis  of  jervia  gives : 
  7473- 
H.,     .         .  .  .  9-62. 
N.,  5-38. 
O.,     .....  10*27. 
100-00 
from  which  he  deduced  the  formula  CgoH5N205. 
In  the  September  number  of  the  "  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy," 
for  1865,  I  published  an  examination  of  the  root  of  the  Veratrum  v'lride., 
showing  that  two  alkaloids  were  contained  in  the  root,  one  of  which 
was  soluble  and  the  other  insoluble  in  ether,  and  that  neither  of  these 
alkaloids  answered  to  the  characteristic  tests  for  veratria  obtained  from 
the  seed  of  Veratrum  sabadilla. 
To  these  alkaloids  I  gave  no  name  ;  on]revision  of  the  U.  S.  Dispen- 
satory for  the  13th  edition,  1870,  Prof.  George  B.  Wood,  M.D.,  gave  to 
them  the  names  of  "  Viridia,"  for  the  product  insoluble  in  ether,  and 
"  Veratroidia,"  for  the  product  soluble  in  that  menstruum. 
Prof.  DragendorfF,  in  his  work  "  Die  gerichtlich-chemische  Ermitte- 
^'  "  Poggendorff's  Annalen,"  vol,  xli,  p.  569. 
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