296 
Chimaphila  Umbellata. 
f Am.  Jour.  Phaim. 
\      June.  1892. 
The  ether  extracts  of  the  leaves  and  of  the  stems  and  roots  of 
Chimaphila  maculata,  when  treated  with  hot  water,  imparted  an 
acid  reaction  to  that  liquid.  Upon  making  this  solution  alkaline 
with  potassium  hydrate  and  agitating  with  ether,  there  were 
obtained  from  the  roots  and  stems  some  white  acicular  crystals, 
and  from  the  leaves  some  resinous  granular  substance.  That  part 
of  both  extracts  insoluble  in  water  was  soluble  in  alcohol ;  the 
solutions  gave  no  reaction  with  ferric  chloride,  but  were  precipitated 
by  alcoholic  lead  acetate  solution. 
The  corresponding  extracts  from  the  same  parts  of  Chimaphila 
umbellata  were  treated  with  hot  water  and  the  insoluble  part 
filtered  out.  The  aqueous  solutions  gave  green  colors  and  pre- 
cipitates with  ferric  chloride.  The  part  of  the  extracts  insoluble  in 
water  consisted  of  resin  soluble  in  alcohol. 
These  alcoholic  solutions  gave  green  colors  with  ferric  chloride,, 
and  but  slight  precipitates  with  alcoholic  solution  of  lead  acetate. 
The  alcoholic  extracts  were  resinous  in  character  and  contained  the 
ordinary  plant  constituents  found  at  this  stage  of  analysis. 
The  water  extracts  of  all  parts  of  Chimaphila  umbellata  contained 
minute  quantities  of  tannin  ;  the  same  was  absent  from  the  several 
parts  of  Chimaphila  maculata.  All  four  extracts  were  precipitated 
by  lead  acetate ;  the  precipitates  from  the  stems  and  roots  of  both 
species  were  decomposed  by  hydrogen  sulphide.  The  solutions 
thus  obtained  appeared  to  contain  no  vegetable  acids.  Ether 
agitated  with  these  last  solutions  removed  in  both  cases  small 
amounts  of  acicular  crystals.  The  solutions  were  still  precipitable 
by  lead  acetate.  Petroleum  ether  and  chloroform  removed  no 
crystalline  substances  when  agitated  with  these  solutions.  Sugar 
and  mucilage  were  also  present  in  all  four  extracts. 
The  alkaline  water  extracts  consisted  mainly  of  mucilage  and 
albuminoids. 
Calcium  oxalate  and  the  customary  organic  matter  were  present 
in  all  the  acidulated  water  extracts. 
Starch  was  determined  in  separate  portions  of  the  different 
samples  for  analysis. 
The  ashes  consisted  mainly  of  calcium  and  magnesium  phos- 
phates with  small  quantities  of  potassium  and  calcium  sulphates 
and  some  silica. 
Chimaphilin, — This  substance  was  first  investigated  by  Fairbanks, 
