890 
ANALYSIS  OF  HYOSCYAMIN,  ETC. 
of  water  having  been  previously  added  to  it ;  the  loss  of  alcohol 
caused  a  separation  of  a  dark  green  fatty  substance,  chlorophyl. 
A  few  drops  of  dilute  sulphuric  acid  were  now  added  to  it,  and 
boiled  and  filtered  to  separate  the  insoluble  green  matter,  and 
(having  detected  one  fraud,  suspected  another)  examined  it  for  the 
presence  of  morphia,  without  obtaining  any  indication  of  its  being 
present. 
The  analysis  of  this  substance  proves  it  to  be,  not  as  it  is 
represented,  a  resinous  product,  obtained  from  the  Hyoscyamus 
niger,  but  to  be  carbonate  of  magnesia,  upon  which  tincture  of 
hyoscyamus  has  been  poured,  the  alcohol  evaporated,  and  the 
resulting  mass  reduced  to  a  powder,  the  bright  green  color  of 
which  is  due  to  the  chlorophyl  taken  up  from  the  leaves  by  the  al- 
cohol. It  contains  little  or  no  resin,  the  fatty  greenish  substance 
chlorophyl  alone  being  separated  upon  the  evaporation  of  the  tinc- 
ture obtained  in  the  first  experiment. 
Hydrastin. — This  substance  is  in  the  form  of  a  powder, 
of  a  yellow  color,  and  like  the  former  is  said  to  be  a  resin,  ob- 
tained from  the  Hydrastis  Canadensis.  It  was  treated  like 
the  hyoscyamin,  and  found  to  contain  20.25  grains  of  carbonate  of 
magnesia  out  of  25  grains  used  in  the  experiment.  The  alcoholic 
tincture  obtained  was  evaporated  so  as  to  expel  the  greater 
portion  of  the  alcohol,  a  small  portion  of  resin  separated,  which 
was  removed  by  filtration  ;  to  the  filtrate  a  few  drops  of  hydro- 
chloric acid  was  added,  which  precipitated  in  crystalline  form  the 
hydrastine,  which  was  dried,  and  weighed  1.25  grains. 
This  resinoid,  like  the  former,  the  analysis  proves  to  be 
nothing  more  than  carbonate  of  magnesia,  upon  which  tincture 
of  hydrastis  has  been  poured,  the  alcohol  allowed  to  evaporate, 
and  the  mass  then  powdered. 
Gfelsemin — Said  to  be  the  resinoid  of  the  Gelseminum  semper- 
virens.  It  was  treated  as  the  two  former  substances,  and  proved 
to  be  like  them,  carbonate  of  magnesia,  upon  which  a  tincture  had 
been  poured.  1  presume  it  must  have  been  the  tincture  gelse- 
minum, because  the  tincture  obtained  by  digesting  the  powder 
in  alcohol,  exhibits  the  same  peculiar  bluish  tint  by  reflected 
light,  observed  in  the  tincture  of  the  root  of  that  plant.  The 
weight  of  carb.  magnesia  obtained  from  25  grains  was  21.25 
grains. 
