ON KINOVIC BITTER. 207 
upon the time. If we wait till the red liquid begins to lose its 
colour, the precipitate is not completely white, it also has 
very little bitter taste and consists, for the most part, of altered 
kinovic bitter. But if the solution be diluted with water 
when it assumes the violet tint, the kinovic bitter is precipi- 
tated of a white colour, and almost without alteration. 
Concentrated nitric acid acts with this substance precisely 
as it does with salseparine; it dissolves it, giving rise to a brown- 
ish liquid. The addition of water causes a yellowish white 
precipitate formed principally of unaltered kinovic bitter. 
There is no formation of oxalic acid. 
As to the action of the preceding acids in a diluted state, 
as well as, that of hydrochloric, acetic,&c, they all dissolve more 
or less of this substance with the assistance of heat, and on 
being carefully concentrated, deposit it in different forms ac- 
cording to the nature of the acid employed. The solution in 
hydrochloric acid affords the finest crystals; these are small 
prisms, having a silky lustre. If these solutions are neutralized 
with ammonia or any other alkali, the greater part of the ki- 
novic bitter is precipitated in the form of a white powder. 
The same phenomenon takes place with salseparine, and 
we cannot believe, as has already been remarked by M. Pog- 
giale, and as I have satisfied myself by numerous experi- 
ments, that a true chemical combination takes place between 
the acid and the bitter principle; if this latter is precipitated 
on the addition of an alkali, it is only because the salt com- 
bines with the acid which holds the bitter principle in solu- 
tion, whilst it is almost insoluble in the alkaline solution. 
Both salseparine and kinovic bitter retain a small portion of 
acid in crystallizing from one of these solutions, which might 
lead to the supposition that a chemical combination really takes 
place. But if these crystals be redissolved in water or alco- 
hol, or well washed, all the acid disappears. 
I trust that I have shown that kinovic bitter has not only 
the same composition as salseparine, but also that these two 
substances are identical in all their properties, and are conse- 
quently one and the same body. But, it is evident, on the 
