392  Eupatorium  Perfoliatum.  {^'^'2Z:I%o^' 
EUPATORIUM  PERFOLIATUM. 
By  George  Latin,  Ph.G. 
From  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
Eupatorium  P.  has  been  analyzed  by  Peterson  (185 1)  and  Bickley 
(1854);  but,  as  they  found  nothing  but  the  usual  constituents  of  herbs, 
the  writer  thought  it  would  be  of  some  importance  to  make  still  further 
investigations. 
The  leaves  and  tops  of  the  plant,  reduced  to  a  moderately  fine  powder, 
and  packed  in  a  percolator,  were  treated  with  95  per  cent,  alcohol  until 
exhausted.  The  alcohol  was  distilled  ofF,  and  the  residue  evaporated 
to  the  consistence  of  an  extract  by  a  very  gentle  heat.  This  extract 
was  then  treated  with  ether,  which  dissolved  out  the  bitter  principle 
and  coloring  matter,  leaving  a  grayish,  gummy-like  mass,  entirely  solu- 
ble in  water,  and  proved,  by  Trommer's  test,  to  be  sugar. 
The  ethereal  tincture  was  then  placed  in  a  flask,  and  the  ether  care- 
fully distilled  off  by  means  of  a  water-bath,  and  evaporated  to  a  semi- 
solid consistence,  which  was  then  treated  with  petroleum  benzin,  by 
means  of  which  a  large  amount  of  coloring  matter,  fat,  etc.,  was 
removed.  The  benzin  solution,  upon  being  permitted  to  evaporate 
spontaneously,  yielded  a  number  of  small  crystals  in  an  impure  condi- 
tion, which  adhered  to  the  sides  of  the  vessel.  These  were  washed 
very  rapidly  with  petroleum  benzin  and  then  with  ether,  which  left 
them  in  the  form  of  pure  white  needle-shaped  tasteless  crystals,  and 
were  insoluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  water  and  alkaline  solutions.  When 
treated  with  sulphuric  and  nitric  acids  separately  no  change  was  pro- 
duced, but  subjected  first  to  the  action  of  nitric  and  then  with  sul- 
phuric acid  a  beautiful  carmine-red  was  produced,  changing  after  a 
short  time  to  an  orange-yellow;  with  hydrochloric  acid  a  beautiful 
emerald-green,  and  with  potassium  bichromate  with  sulphuric  acid  a 
greenish-violet  was  developed.  Heated  to  redness  on  platinum  foil,  no 
residue  is  left  and  no  odor  given  off.  The  crystals  have  a  compara- 
tively low  fusing  point;  on  placing  a  few  of  them  on  a  piece  of  note- 
paper,  and  holding  them  over  the  flame  of  a  Bunsen  burner,  they  melt, 
leaving  a  greasy  stain,  but  not  sufliciently  strong  to  render  the  paper 
transparent. 
This  being,  so  far  as  the  writer  is  aware,  the  first  crystalline  princi- 
ple obtained  from  Eupatorium  P.,  it  was  a  diflicult  matter  to  decide 
exactly  what  was  the  nature  of  the  crystals,  as  the  quantity  was  very 
