70 ACID IN THE LEAVES OF ILEX PARAGUAYENSIS. 
ART. XVI. — ON THE ACID CONTAINED IN THE LEAVES OF 
ILEX PARAGUAYENSIS. 
By Dr. F. Rochleder. 
The leaves of this plant, known under the name of Para- 
guay tea, are used in South America in the same manner as 
tea in Europe and several countries in Asia. Stenhouse has 
found that the crystalline substance contained in it is iden- 
tical in its composition and properties with caffeine. To 
ascertain the nature of the acid which accompanies the caf- 
feine, in Paraguay tea, and furnishes the material for its 
formation, I examined a small quantity of the tea in the 
following manner: — The tea was rubbed to a powder, and 
exhausted in a stoppered vessel with alcohol of 0.951 spec, 
grav., which after some hours was replaced by a fresh 
quantity as long as it acquired a yellow colour. The yel- 
low solution was precipitated with an alcoholic solution of 
acetate of lead, as long as the precipitate exhibited a some- 
what dirty-yellow colour. This, separated by nitration, 
dries to a dark greenish brown mass. The yellow filtered 
solution is now entirely precipitated with an alcoholic so- 
lution of acetate of lead, and the beautiful yellow precipi- 
tate washed with alcohol upon the filter, suspended in al- 
cohol, and decomposed with sulphuretted hydrogen. After 
expelling the excess of sulphuretted hydrogen, the liquid 
was poured into a large quantity of a solution of acetate of 
lead in alcohol, the precipitate washed with alcohol, and 
dried at 212°. This lead salt afforded on analysis the fol- 
lowing numbers : — 
Carbon - - - - 
- 22.84 
14 = 
1050 
22.63 
Hydrogen - - - 
2.20 
8 
100 
2.15 
7 
700 
15.10 
Oxide of lead 
- - 59.3 
32 
27S9 
60.12 
