Am.  .Tour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1892. 
Liatris  Spicata. 
603 
Nitrogen  monoxide  is  used  in  the  same  way  for  inhalation,  but 
when  used  as  an  anaesthetic  of  course  the  face  piece  as  used  by- 
dentists  should  be  employed. 
LIATRIS  SPICATA. 
By  William  F.  Henry,  Ph.  G. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 
No.  117. 
This  plant  is  an  indigenous  perennial,  growing  in  meadows  and 
other  moist  grounds  throughout  the  Middle  and  Southern  States. 
The  rhizome  is  a  half  inch  or  more  in  diameter,  slightly  wrinkled, 
of  a  brown  color,  externally  and  internally  of  a  dingy  white  with 
streaks  of  brown.  Its  odor  is  somewhat  balsamic  and  its  taste  warm 
and  bitterish. 
A  proximate  analysis  of  this  rhizome  yielded  8- 1 3  per  cent,  of 
moisture  and  5-35  per  cent,  of  ash. 
Petroleum  ether  extracted  from  the  finely  powdered  drug  2  80 
per  cent.  This  extract  consisted  of  volatile  oil  009  per  cent., 
fat  054  per  cent.,  wax  070  per  cent.,  and  a  substance  resem- 
bling caoutchouc  1-48  percent.  This  substance  was  insoluble  in 
hot  absolute  alcohol,  but  dissolved  in  chloroform.  It  was  amorphous 
and  of  a  light-yellow  color,  which  became  dark-brown  on  the 
addition  of  concentrated  sulphuric  acid.  Nitric  acid  produced  no 
change  of  color,  but  sulphuric  acid  and  potassium  bichromate  caused 
first  a  dark-brown  and  then  an  olive-green  color. 
The  residual  drug  yielded  3-15  per  cent,  to  stronger  ether.  This 
extract  consisted  mainly  of  resin,  with  the  exception  of  088  per 
cent,  of  the  same  caoutchouc-like  body  that  was  extracted  by 
petroleum  ether.  Absolute  alcohol  extracted  from  the  remaining 
drug  2-29 -per  cent.  This  consisted  of  resin  with  some  coloring 
matter.  Tests  for  alkaloids  and  glucosides  were  applied  to  this  as 
well  as  to  the  ethereal  extract  of  the  drug  with  negative  results. 
After  the  action  of  the  previous  solvents,  water  removed  26-53 
per  cent,  of  the  drug.  Of  this  603  per  cent,  were  mucilage,  8  65 
per  cent,  glucose,  5-98  per  cent,  saccharose,  and  2  65  per  cent,  dextrin. 
The  character  of  the  remaining  portion  dissolved  by  water  was  not 
determined.  To  other  solvents  the  remainder  of  the  drug  yielded 
4*86  per  cent,  of  albuminoids,  and  16  00  per  cent,  of  inulin. 
