ON KINOVIC BITTER. 
203 
hoi, adding gelatine to the solution to precipitate the tannin, 
and evaporating ; or by mixing the alcoholic extract with 
animal charcoal, digesting with ether and evaporating the 
etherial tincture. But the simplest and best plan is to exhaust 
the bark by means of ether, to evaporate the tincture, digest 
the residuum with alcohol, decolourize this solution by means 
of animal charcoal, and to add very diluted liquid ammonia, 
which precipitates the bitter principle of a white colour, and 
removes any traces of the kinovic acid. 
If kinovic bitter be subjected to dry distillation, it melts 
and assumes a yellowish colour; at a higher temperature there 
is an extrication of thick white fumes, and it becomes brown 
and at last is carbonized. The product consists of a slightly 
yellow acid liquid, containing acetic acid, and of a somewhat 
thick, bright brown oil, of an empyreumatic but not disagreea- 
ble smell, and an acrid, camphorated taste. The aqueous fluid 
when saturated with caustic potash, gives no signs of the pre- 
sence of ammonia. 
The kinovic bitter, triturated with quick-lime and a little 
water, and heated in a retort, affords a transparent liquid and 
an oil of a greenish yellow colour, and a penetrating smell, 
resembling that of peppermint, and identical with that pro- 
duced by the distillation of camphoric acid and quick-lime. 
The product of this distillation is neutral, and gives no trace 
of ammonia on the addition of caustic potash. Hence kinovic 
acid contains no azote. 
To determine its chemical composition, it was first dried at 
a temperature of 120° and then burned in the apparatus of 
Leibig, with oxide of copper; I obtained the following re- 
sults: 
Kinovic bitter. Water. Carbonic acid. 
I. 0.20 grammes, 0.151 0.450 
II. 0.25 0.198 0.567 
III. 0.30 0.234 0.680 
IV. 0.30 0.228 0.676 
