Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.  1875. 
Jervia — Its  History^  etc. 
453 
potassium,  affords  a  ready  method  of  separating  this  alkaloid  from  the 
veratroidia  associated  with  it.  After  precipitation  and  separation  of  the 
jervia,  the  veratroidia  can  be  thrown  down  by  caustic  soda. 
Nitrate  of  jervia  is  precipitated  from  dilute  acetic  solutions  in  a 
crystalline  form  ;  it  is  soluble  in  266  parts  of  water,  and  247  parts  of 
alcohol,  at  70°  F.;  it  is  more  soluble  in  dilute  alcohol.  From  its 
solution  in  dilute  alcohol  it  readily  crystallizes  in  small  prismatic 
crystals.  When  viewed  in  water,  under  a  magnifying  power  of  500 
diameters,  the  crystals  present  the  appearance  shown  in  fig.  2. 
Muriate  of  jervia  appears  amorphous  immediately  after  precipitation ; 
after  standing  it  assumes  a  crystalline  formation.  The  precipitate 
occasioned  by  hydrochloric  acid  is  more  disposed  towards  distinct 
crystallization  than  that  produced  by  the  neutral  chlorides. 
Muriate  of  jervia  requires  121  parts  of  water  and  205  parts  of  alcohol 
for  solution. 
Sulphate  of  jervia. — The  precipitate  produced  by  sulphuric  acid  is  a 
granular  amorphous  powder ;  neutral  sulphates  also  precipitate  jervia  in  a 
granular  condition,  but  after  standing  the  precipitate  has  a  disposition 
to  crystallize  in  wheel  forms. 
Sulphate  of  jervia  requires  427  parts  of  water  and  182  parts  of  alcohol 
at  70°  F.  for  solution. 
From  solution  in  hot  alcohol  it  crystallizes  in  prismatic  crystals. 
Tests  for  jervia. — The  color  reactions  of  jervia  with  reagents  give 
results  which  are  rather  negative  in  character.*  The  insolubility  of  the 
nitrate  in  a  solution  of  nitrate  of  potassium  appears  to  be  the  most  dis- 
tinguishing feature  of  this  alkaloid.  A  solution  of  the  acetate  contain- 
ing one  part  of  the  alkaloid  in  400  parts  of  water,  gives  a  precipitate  in 
a  few  minutes  after  addition  of  potassium  nitrate  in  excess.  One  part 
m  600  parts  of  water  becomes  turbid  in  three  hours  after  adding  the 
reagent.  One  part  in  1,200  parts  of  w^ater  remains  clear;  after  stand- 
ing four  hours,  minute  crystal  floating  in  the  solution  can  be  seen  with 
a  pocket  lens.  Under  a  high  magnifying  power  they  present  well 
marked  forms  of  nitrate  of  jervia  crystals. 
The  physiological  properties  of  jervia  have  been  investigated  by  H.  C. 
Wood,  Jr.,  M.D.,  and  described  by  hirri  as  "producing  general  weak- 
ness, absence  of  vomiting  or  purging,  lowering  of  arterial  pressure,  and 
■^Sulphuric  acid  affords  the  only  color  reaction  of  importance  5  the  color  is  at  first 
yellow,  changing  in  a  few  minutes  to  green  5  at  the  end  of  an  iiour  it  becomes  a 
turbid  yellow. 
