226 
ON  THE  PREPARATION  OF  AMYGDALIN. 
ON    THE    PREPARATION     OF    AMYGDALIN    FROM  PEACH 
KERNELS. 
By  Samuel  S.  Garrigues. 
Procter  (Amer.  Jour.  Pharm.  x.  195)  and  Wicke  in  ^Annal.  d. 
Chem.  und  Pharm.  1858)  have  shown,  that  amygdalin  is  more 
generally  diffused  through  the  pomacese  and  amygdalacese  than 
had  formerly  been  supposed  ;  and  they  found  it  more  particularly 
generated  in  the  kernels  of  the  fruits  of  these  species.  This 
suggested  the  idea,  whether  the  kernels  of  the  common  peach 
would  not  be  a  cheaper,  and  a  good  substitute,  for  bitter 
almonds  in  the  preparation  of  amygdalin.  The  process  recom- 
mended by  Wittstein,  was  followed  in  making  my  investigations. 
Thirteen  pounds  of  the  dried  kernels  were  finely  bruised,  slightly 
warmed,  and  then  subjected  to  a  strong  pressure  so  as  to  separate 
as  much  as  possible  the  oil,  which  would  interfere  with  the 
crystallization  of  the  amygdalin.  The  cake  was  then  removed 
from  the  press,  and  rebruised  as  finely  as  possible,  and  treated 
with  three  times  its  weight  of  alcohol  of  80  per  cent,  for  six 
hours,  at  nearly  a  boiling  temperature.  It  was  then  strained, 
whilst  warm,  through  a  linen  bag,  the  remainder  being  again 
treated  with  the  same  quantity  of  alcohol.  The  filtrates  were 
then  mixed  and  allowed  to  stand  for  a  short  time,  so  as  to  admit 
of  the  separation  of  the  oil  which  subsides  at  the  bottom  of  the 
vessel.  A  portion  of  amygdalin  which  also  crystallizes  out  of 
the  solution,  is  separated  from  the  oil  by  filtration  and  pressing 
between  filtering  paper.  The  alcoholic  solution  was  now  dis- 
tilled by  a  slow  fire  to  J-  of  its  original  quantity,  and  then 
filtered  warm  through  paper  previously  wet;  the  filtrate  was 
then  evaporated  by  a  moderate  heat  to  the  consistence  of  thin 
syrup,  and  allowed  to  stand  in  a  cool  place  for  several  days. 
After  the  syrup  had  hardened  to  a  crystalline  mass,  it  was  mixed 
with  one  half  its  volume  of  cold  alcohol,  thrown  on  a  filter  and 
well  washed  with  the  same  liquid.  The  crystals  were  then 
dissolved  in  double  their  volume  of  hot  alcohol,  filtered  whilst  hot, 
and  then  allowed  to  crystallize.    The  mother  liquid  also  produced 
animal  charcoal  are  re-deposited  in  dazzling  white  satiny  crystals.  100  lbs. 
of  coffee  yielded  M.  Yersmann  6  oz.4  scruples^of  caffein,  or  0-57  per  cent. 
He  also  obtained  10  per  cent  of  green  fixed  oil,  and  2  per  cent  of  yellow 
solid  fat,]] 
