122  Commercial  Resin  of  Scammony.  {AmMa°rch,3i^!m' 
the  alcoholic  extract  with  chloroform.  The  following  is  a  summary 
of  the  more  important  constituents  estimated  by  him  : 
Per  Cent. 
Tannin,  .   3*96 
Fat,   o'6o 
Wax,                                                                                   .  0*16 
Resin,   r88 
Mucilage,   2  00 
Lignin,   10  23 
Incrusting  matter,   17  '43 
Cellulose,   27*92 
Moisture,   9*02 
Ash,  .  .  .                                    .   13*28 
COMMERCIAL  RESIN  OF  SCAMMONY. 
By  Walter  H.  Umstead. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy, 
No.  104. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  February  16. 
Inquiry  among  the  wholesale  drug  dealers  of  Philadelphia, 
developed  the  fact  that  most  of  the  scammony  of  this  market  comes 
from  one  importer.  However,  three  specimens  were  secured,  No. 
1  from  Dr.  Squibb,  and  Nos.  2  and  3  from  dealers  in  this  city. 
No.  1  was  of  a  light  color  with  a  yellowish  green  shade,  a  strong 
sweetish  odor  and  almost  tasteless,  soluble  in  alcohol,  ammonia 
water  (1  part  in  50)  and  oil  of  turpentine,  and  insoluble  in  benzol. 
No.  2  and  No.  3  were  of  -a  yellowish  brown  color,  with  a  strong 
leathery  odor,  almost  tasteless,  soluble  in  alcohol  and  ammonia 
water,  partly  soluble  in  oil  of  turpentine  and  insoluble  in  benzol. 
The  Pharmacopoeia  requires  that  resin  of  scammony  shall  be 
wholly  soluble  in  ether;  and  that  it  dissolve  in  solution  of  potassa, 
the  heated  solution  not  to  be  precipitated  by  the  addition  of  hydro- 
chloric acid  in  excess.  No.  1  fully  complied  with  these  require- 
ments, but  specimens  Nos.  2  and  3  were  not  wholly  soluble  in  ether; 
5  per  cent,  of  No.  2  and  12  per  cent,  of  No.  3  were  found  to  be  insol- 
uble. These  last  two  specimens  were  soluble  in  solution  of  potassa, 
but  on  adding  an  excess  of  hydrochloric  acid  to  the  warm  solution 
precipitation  resulted.  The  insoluble  portion  of  the  last  two  speci- 
mens in  ether  would  indicate  the  presence  of  jalap.  Starch  was  also 
tested  for,  by  adding  some  of  the  resin  to  hot  water,  cooling  and 
adding  a  solution  of  iodine,  but  no  evidence  of  such  was  obtained. 
