350 
Assay  of  Nux  Vomica. 
Am.  Jour.  Pliarm. 
July,  1892. 
Table  IX. 
Xo.  i.  Xo.  2.  Xo.  3. 
Chloroform 
Crude  Dry  Extract  from 
Alkaloid  Extract  5  cc.  Alkaloid 
from  5  cc.  from  5  cc.  and  Fat. 
Per  Cent.  Per  Cent.  Per  Cent. 
.  .  .     2-56  15-15  4-34 
•  •  •     2-47  12*05  4"35 
C,   2-09  990  3*10 
D,   i-86  9-90  2-74 
B,   i-86  9-45  2-40 
F,   1-70  io-oo  322 
%   I '63  II -20  3-44 
H,                                  .....  1*62  8-70  2-36 
I,   i*6o  13*04  2-96 
J,   i-02  6-90  2-38 
K,  :  .  .  .  0-93  5-70  i-8o 
L,   0-72  5*60  1-46 
M,   o-6o  I4'Q7  2 -.28 
Average,   1-59  10-13  2'$7 
Alkaloidal  Valuation. — From  the  foregoing  residues  (column 
No.  3)  the  alkaloid  was  abstracted  according  to  the  second  part  of 
the  formula  (p.  339),  and  the  alkaloidal  residues  obtained  therefrom 
exposed  six  hours  to  a  temperature  of  1400  F.  in  the  drying  room, 
and  weighed  after  they  had  been  cooled  in  a  desiccator.  These 
weights  multiplied  by  20  gave  the  total  alkaloidal  percentages  as 
shown  by  column  No  1. 
Remarks. — The  most  striking  lessons  that  may  be  learned  from 
this  table,  is,  perhaps,  the  fact  that,  so  far  as  the  commercial  fluid 
extracts  of  nux  vomica  are  concerned,  there  is  no  apparent  rela- 
tionship between  alkaloidal  and  total  extractive  proportions.  If 
the  basis  of  energy  of  fluid  extract  of  nux  vomica  is  to  be  esti- 
mated from  its  proportion  of  natural  alkaloid,  it  is  useless  to  attempt 
to  affiliate  total  extractives,  for  they  do  not  correspond  at  all.  In 
this  line  of  examinations  the  extremes  in  alkaloidal  valuation  were 
first  and  second  in  the  extractive  column.  Scarcely  nearer  relation- 
ships seem  to  exist  in  the  proportions  between  the  chloroformic 
extracts  (column  3),  and  their  respective  alkaloids.  However,  both 
the  members  of  column  2  and  column  3,  considered  respectively, 
vary  less  among  themselves  than  those  of  column  1,  for  in  neither 
is  the  difference  between  the  extremes  much  more  than  3  to  i( 
while  in  column  I  (alkaloids)  the  difference  is  more  than  4  to  I. 
