"""sS^sso""'}  Viburnum  Pruuifolium  439 
The  hitter  principle  was  found  deposited  as  an  amorphous  yellow 
powder. 
An  aqueous  solution  of  the  bitter  principle  gave  reactions  with  the 
following  reagents  : 
Perchloride  of  platinum  gave  a  dark  red  precipitate,  becoming  brown 
on  boiling. 
Nitrate  of  silver  gave  a  white  precipitate,  changing  on  boiling  to  red 
and  on  cooling  to  a  chocolate  color. 
Protochloride  of  tin  gave  a  white  precipitate,  changing  to.  brown  on 
boiling. 
Bichloride  of  mercury  gave  a  white  precipitate,  becoming  reddish-brown 
on  boiling. 
Antimoniate  of  potassa^  heavy  white  precipitate,  changing  yellowish- 
brown  on  boiling. 
Concentrated  mineral  adds  produced  heavy  a  white  precipitate. 
Caustic  alkalieSy  cinnamon-brown  coloration 
The  bark,  which  had  previously  been  exhausted  with  alcohol,  was 
percolated  with  water ;  this  percolate,  on  boiling  a  short  time  and 
allowed  to  cool,  threw  down  a  flocculent  precipitate,  showing  the  pres- 
ence of  vegetable  albumen. 
This  was  filtered  out  and  the  filtrate  precipitated  with  alcohol,  which 
oroved  to  be  gum. 
A  decoction  of  the  exhausted  bark  was  made  ;  on  being  treated  with 
solution  of  iodine  produced  blue  coloration,  which  disappeared  on  boil- 
ing ;  this  indicated  the  presence  of  starch. 
VIBURNUM  PRUNIFOLIUM. 
By  Herman  Van  Allen,  Ph.G. 
From  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
Viburnum  prunifolium,  natural  order  of  Caprifoliaceae,  indigenous  to 
North  America.  The  bark  of  the  root  is  found  in  pieces  about  two 
inches  long  and  one  inch  wide  externally,  reddish-brown,  lighter  inter- 
nally, breaks  with  a  short  fracture,  is  without  odor,  and  of  a  very  bit- 
ter taste. 
Of  the  bark  collected  in  June  four  ounces,  in  moderately  fine  pow- 
der, were  percolated  with  stronger  alcohol  ;  the  tincture  evaporated  to 
a  syrupy  consistence  gave  a  dark  green  residue,  of  a  very  bitter  taste  ; 
treatment  with  benzin  removed  a  small  portion  of  fatty  matter,  of  a 
