Purs  hia  Trident  at  a. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pliarm. 
t       Feb.,  1892. 
An  additional  quantity  of  the  seeds  has  since  been  received  from 
Dr.  Havard,  and  examined  with  the  following  results : 
The  dry  husk-like  coverings  of  the  seeds  were  removed  and  the 
latter  powdered.  Moisture  was  found  to  be  11-17  percent.,  and  ash 
2-41  per  cent. 
Petroleum  ether  dissolved  6-83  per  cent,  of  an  oily  substance  of  a 
pale  amber  color  and  oily  taste.  It  was  soluble  in  hot  absolute 
alcohol,  and  this  solution  deposited  granular  wax  on  cooling.  The 
cold  alcoholic  solution  contained  a  saponifiable  fat. 
Stronger  ether  removed  1-43  per  cent,  of  a  yellow,  granular,  bitter 
substance  from  the  seeds.  The  bitter  principle  was  removed  by 
dissolving  as  much  as  possible  of  this  ether  extract  in  water,  acidu- 
lated with  sulphuric  acid  and  agitating  this  aqueous  solution  with 
ether.  On  evaporation  of  this  latter  solvent  the  bitter  principle  was 
left  in  a  crystalline  condition  in  fern-like  forms  on  the  bottom  and  in 
needles  on  the  sides  of  the  vessel.  It  is  evidently  a  neutral  princi- 
ple, since  it  gave  no  reactions  for  alkaloids  with  Mayer's  reagent, 
potassium  tri-iodide,  gold  chloride,  picric  or  tannic  acid  ;  an  aqueous 
solution  gave  a  dark  green  color  with  ferric  chloride,  no  precipitate 
with  lead  acetate  and  a  yellow  precipitate  with  lead  oxy-acetate 
soluble  in  acetic  acid. 
That  portion  of  the  ether  extract  insoluble  in  water  was  soluble  in 
95  per  cent,  alcohol  and  consisted  of  resin. 
After  the  action  of  the  two  preceding  solvents,  absolute  alcohol 
extracted  31-14  per  cent.  The  solution  was  red  in  color,  and  upon 
distilling  off  the  solvent  a  porous  brown  residue  remained.  On 
treating  this  residue  with  water,  a  solution  was  obtained  which  had 
a  reddish  color,  acid  reaction,  bitter  taste,  and  a  peculiar  odor. 
This  aqueous  solution  contained  12-03  Per  cent,  of  tannin  (esti- 
mated by  gelatin  and  alum),  and  1-08  per  cent,  of  glucose.  The  tan- 
nin was  ironbluing.  That  portion  of  the  alcoholic  extract  insolu- 
ble in  water  was  red  in  color,  soluble  in  95  per  cent,  alcohol,  giving 
a  blood-red  colored  solution,  which  was  precipitated  by  pouring 
into  water,  gave  a  brown  precipitate  with  alcoholic  lead  acetate  and 
a  purple  color  with  alcoholic  ferric  chloride. 
Water  removed  from  the  residual  seeds  15-43  per  cent,  of  a  faintly 
bitter  substance.  972  per  cent,  were  found  to  be  tannin,  1-43  per 
cent,  mucilage,  and  1*62  per  cent,  glucose. 
Dilute  alkali  extracted  16  00  per  cent,  of  pectin  and  albuminoids 
and  0-43  per  cent  of  extractin. 
