432  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {A^^^J^SSSS' 
fied  water,  an  aqueous  liquid  was  obtained  in  which  neither  Mayer's 
nor  Wagner's  reagent  gave  any  indication  of  the  presence  of  alka- 
loids. Hence  the  alkaloids  in  the  drug  are  most  probably  in  the 
form  of  salts,  not  in  the  free  condition. 
An  assay  of  the  drug  by  means  of  Prollius's  fluid,  using  chloro- 
form for  the  final  shaking  out,  showed  that  the  drug  contained  3 
per  cent,  of  crude  dark-colored  alkaloids  which  are  completely  sol- 
uble in  chloroform,  but  only  partly  soluble  in  ether.  By  extracting 
the  crude  alkaloids  with  ether  it  was  found  that  the  3  per  cent,  con- 
sisted of  1.2  per  cent,  of  ether-soluble  alkaloidal  matter,  and  1.8 
per  cent,  of  alkaloidal  matter  soluble  in  chloroform,  but  insoluble  in 
ether. 
Both  alkaloidal  substances  are  difficultly  soluble  in  water,  and 
still  less  in  presence  of  sodium  carbonate.  They  are  quite  soluble 
in  excess  of  ammonia,  and  extremely  easily  soluble  in  excess  of 
potassium  hydroxide.  This  accounts  for  the  very  small  yield 
obtained  by  previous  investigators  who  used  alkali  instead  of  alkali 
carbonate  for  precipitating  the  alkaloids. 
From  acid  solution  the  alkaloids  are  not  extracted  by  chloroform, 
showing  that  their  basicity  is  not  very  feeble. 
Several  experiments  were  made  with  a  view  of  finding  the  best 
menstruum  for  extracting  the  alkaloids.  It  was  found  that  cold 
alcohol  extracts  about  50  per  cent.,  while  hot  alcohol  extracts  about 
80  per  cent,  of  total  alkaloids. 
Ox  the  Crystalline  Alkaloid  of  Calycaxthus  Glaucus. 
By  H.  M.  Gordin. 
This  is  the  third  paper  by  the  author  on  this  subject  (see  this 
Journal,  1908,  page  483).  The  present  paper  deals  with  the  exami- 
nation of  the  alkaloid  obtained  by  him  from  a  new  batch  of  caly- 
canthus  seeds.  While  having  the  same  formula  as  the  calycanthine 
obtained  from  the  first  batch  of  seeds,  it  had  a  different  melting- 
point  and  refused  to  give  off  its  water  of  crystallization,  when 
heated,  without  undergoing  decomposition.  When  kept  in  vacuo 
over  sulphuric  acid  it  lost  its  water  of  crystallization  so  slowly 
that  even  after  several  months'  drying  all  the  water  did  not  go  away. 
The  new  alkaloid  was  named  isocalycanthine  and  was  analyzed  in 
form  of  some  of  its  salts.  Having  failed  to  obtain  anhydrous  iso- 
calycanthine by  drying  it  in  vacuo  over  sulphuric  acid  at  ordinary 
