314         ON  THE  BERRIES  AND  LEAVES  OF  ILEX  OPACA. 
peatedly  agitated  with  ether,  the  ether  rising  to  the  top  upon 
resting,  was  decanted,  and  allowed  spontaneously  to  evaporate. 
The  result  was  a  minute  colorless  deposit  of  crystalline  scales, 
tasteless  and  inodorous. 
Eight  ounces  of  the  contused  hemes  were  boiled  in  a  pint 
and  a  half  of  water  down  to  twelve  fluid  ounces  ;  the  resulting 
decoction  was  of  a  dark  brown  color,  extremely  bitter,  and 
nauseous  to  the  taste  ;  it  was  then  strained,  filtered,  and  passed 
repeatedly  through  a  column  of  purified  bone  charcoal ;  by  this 
process  it  was  deprived  of  much  of  its  bitterness  and  color.  The 
charcoal  was  then  washed,  dried,  and  treated  with  boiling  alcohol ; 
this  was  evaporated  to  a  syrupy  consistence  ;  diluted  with  dis- 
tilled water,  and  boiled  with  a  much  smaller  amount  of  bone  coal 
than  was  before  used ;  this  was  then  drained,  washed,  dried,  and 
treated  with  boiling  alcohol  as  before,  succeeded  by  a  treatment 
with  boiling  ether ;  the  resulting  liquids  were  then  mixed,  evapo- 
rated to  the  consistence  of  a  thin  syrup,  placed  in  a  bottle,  a 
little  pure  carbonate  of  potassa  added,  after  which  ether  in  small 
quantities  was  repeatedly  poured  in,  violently  shaking  upon  each 
addition  ;  this  upon  reposing  formed  a  supernatant  liquid,  which 
was  decanted  and  allowed  to  evaporate. 
The  result  of  this  treatment  was  a  deposit  of  minute  acicular 
crystals,  having  an  intensely  bitter  taste  with  slight  acridity ; 
freely  soluble  in  ether,  soluble  also  in  water  and  alcohol.  Sul- 
phuric acid  added  to  a  portion  of  it  dissolved  in  water,  caused 
slight  turbidness,  and,  upon  standing,  a  white  crystalline  deposit. 
Solution  of  bichloride  of  platinum  produced  no  change.  Tartaric 
acid  caused  a  slight  bluish  opalescence  or  "  quinescence,"  but 
no  deposit.  Nitric  acid  and  tr.  iodine  no  change.  Solution  of 
tannic  acid  gave  a  white  precipitate.  This  principle  appears  to 
be  the  one  upon  which  the  bitterness  of  the  fruit  is  dependent. 
Investigation  of  the  Leaves. 
A  strong  alcoholic  tincture  was  of  a  dark  green  color,  and 
upon  evaporating  to  dryness  left  a  dull  green,  insipid  powder, 
without  any  marked  peculiarities. 
An  ethereal  one,  made  as  the  above,  from  the  half-dried,  sliced 
leaves, — their  dense  and  coriaceous  nature  preventing  a  satis- 
factory contusing  of  them, — was  similar  to  it  in  appearance,  and 
