met with in many other leaves, without any peculiar feature. The leaves belong to that class provided with but one layer of "palissade cells" within the epidermis of the upper surface; in catha

that layer is built up of a double row of those vertical, elongated palissade cells."*

66

There is no evidence of catha having been used in ancient times; no mention of the leaves is met with in the great Cyclopædia of Ibn Baitâr, written about A.D. 1240. We are informed by Professor Nöldeke, that, according to S. de Sacy's "Chrestomathie arabe," 2nd edition, i. 462, Abdalkâdir, an author of the sixteenth century, stated that in Yemen they used "kafta" long before they indulged in coffee. The latter was resorted to in Aden when, in the time of Dhabhânî, in the fifteenth century, kafta had become a rare article, kafta, says Abdalkâdir, being the same as kât, a stimulating, not inebriating drink, which is consequently permitted, like coffee. Kât would appear to mean the leaves, kafta the drink.

Similar statements will be found in D'Herbelot, "Bibliothèque orientale," i. (La Haye, 1777), 461, under the article "Cahnah." All the above statements concur in attributing eminent powers to kât, which would seem to be possibly due to caffeine.

Attfield failed in discovering caffeine in the leaves of catha (Pharm. Journ., vi. 1865, p. 400), and one of ust likewise ascertained that they do not contain that substance. The absence of caffeine was again proved, Pharm. Journ., xvii. (1887), 1009, by Dr. Paul.

Professor C. Schorlemmer, F.R.S., also devoted an interesting note to the leaves of caffea, thea, and catha, as grown in the temperate house at Kew Gardens. He ascertained the presence of caffeine in the cultivated leaves of Caffea arabica, Caffea laurina (none in those of Caffea liberica), Thea viridis, and Thea assamica, but failed in discovering caffeine, both in the fresh leaves, as well as in old ones from the museum, of Catha edulis. Professor Schorlemmer only isolated from catha a minute quantity of a kind of sugar, apparently mannite.

Our friend, Professor Schar, Zürich, afforded us the opportunity of examining some bundles of kât twigs of the best quality obtainable at Aden. They were about from 15 to 20 centimetres (4 to 6 inches) in length, each of them provided with about twenty leaves of average size. The leaves alone were powdered, and the powder, 1,300 grams (nearly 3 lbs.), gently warmed with 5 litres (1 gallon) of water containing 10 grams of oxalic acid (nearly one

1885, pages 162 (fig. 96), 183 (fig. 127), 184 (fig. 128), 185 (fig. 129); or English translation, by Power; New York, William Wood & Co., 1887, pages 186, 210, 211, 212, the figures just alluded to.

*

Abstracted by the late Daniel Hanbury in his notes to Vaughan's paper, Pharm. Journ., xii. (1852), 270.

Flückiger, Archiv der Pharmacie., vol. cxli. (1870), 72.

Chemical News, vol. xlviii. (Nov. 9, 1883), 225.

third of an ounce). After a few hours the whole was packed into a percolator, and the liquid drawn off the next day. The washings and the percolate were concentrated to the volume of 2 litres, and mixed with half the amount of quicklime which would have been required for saturating the oxalic acid employed. Then the brownish green liquid was allowed to stand for some hours; it then became clear, and was evaporated to half its volume. On saturating it with caustic lye in a good excess, it turned dark brown. We immediately exhausted it by shaking it repeatedly with light petroleum, boiling point from 30° to 65° C. (86° to 149° F.). The petroleum was distilled off for the most part, and the remaining liquid, about 100 c.c., shaken with five consecutive portions of dilute hydrochloric acid. On saturating the clear acid solution with an excess of caustic lye it became milky. By repeatedly shaking the turbid liquid with ether it at last became clear.

The ether, allowed to evaporate in the cold, afforded a trifling quantity, say 05 gram, of a thickish, oily, yellowish matter, which readily dissolved in dilute acetic acid, this solution giving, with iodated iodide of potassium or iodohydrargyrate of potassium, precipitates which are characteristic for alkaloids.

No trace of crystallization appeared in the residue from the ethereal solution, even after several days' standing at a low temperature. This alkaloid, the small amount of which did not allow of any further purification, readily dissolved in water, and this solution reddened test-paper impregnated with phenolphthalein. The red colour soon disappeared from the paper, probably due to the evaporation of the alkaloid. When the alkaloid, which might be termed katine, was treated with dilute acetic acid, a very trifling residue remained undissolved. The clear filtrate, carefully evaporated over concentrated sulphuric acid, yielded a decidedly crystalline acetate of katine. Its aqueous solution was not precipitated by tannic or picric acid, nor by chloride of platinum.

We also expressly ascertained that no caffeine was present in our "katine," which, in all probability, will prove to be a liquid when perfectly pure.

The PRESIDENT, in proposing a vote of thanks to the authors, said that doubtless these catha leaves were used, as coca leaves, for the purpose of preventing exhaustion.

The vote of thanks to the authors was carried unanimously.

The next paper read was on

A NEW PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF

ACONITINE.

BY JOHN WILLIAMS, F.I.C., F.C.S.

At the meeting of the British Pharmaceutical Conference held last year in Birmingham, I read a short note upon the best mode of preparing crystallized aconitine, and gave the process generally adopted, and by which it can be made without much difficulty.

During the past year I have continued my experiments upon this matter, and have succeeded in preparing the alkaloid by a process which yields, I think, better results than the one I laid before the Conference on the last occasion, and which, as far as I can discover, is new, and has not yet been described. I have now great pleasure in being permitted to bring it before this meeting.

The new process for the preparation of aconitine is very simple in outline, but some practical details must be attended to if a successful result is to be obtained. The process is as follows:

Aconite root (the root of the Aconitum Napellus), dried at a very moderate temperature and coarsely ground, is thoroughly exhausted with amyl alcohol (fusel oil); the amylic solution so obtained is shaken with dilute acid and water, this acid liquid precipitated with carbonate of soda, and the rough alkaloid produced, dissolved either in ether or alcohol, and allowed to crystallize, when the pure alkaloid is obtained.

To carry out this process, however, so as to obtain a satisfactory result, I find several precautions must be taken. The first difficulty is with regard to the aconite root, which should be carefully chosen, and if possible the root verified botanically as that of the A. Napellus. We have now every reason to believe that other species of aconite, although yielding alkaloids, some of them probably of great medicinal importance, do not yield alkaloids identical with that obtained from the A. Napellus, and as the British Pharmacopoeia (very properly I think) gives that plant as the officinal one, great care should of course be taken to avoid the admixture of other varieties. The matter is one of great difficulty, but so important is it considered that, as most of you are doubtless aware, a small sum of money has been granted from the funds of this Conference to enable Mr. Holmes to, if possible, grow some napellus roots, about the species of which there can be no doubt,

and in this way it is hoped we may arrive at more certain conclusions than have hitherto been possible; and I trust we shall be able to establish beyond doubt the real nature of the alkaloid contained in the A. Napellus. Of course the experiments I am about to detail have been made upon a sample of root which I believe to be napellus, but it is impossible for me to say so with certainty.

The fusel oil used should be of fairly good quality, and free from ordinary spirit. This oil as sent out by distillers frequently contains a considerable quantity of ordinary spirit; if this is found to be the case it should be carefully got rid of by washing the oil with water several times, and, if the sample is a very bad one, distilling it in a current of steam.

For extracting the root I find maceration for a few days with frequent stirring, and then percolation, the most effective. I do not advise the use of any acid, such as tartaric, and have come to the conclusion that such addition is quite unnecessary. I also think that the maceration and percolation should be done in the cold. I think heating the materials, however gently, very undesirable and, indeed, injurious; in fact, I think heat should be avoided as far as possible throughout the whole process.

The fusel oil after percolation is of a pale straw colour, and is not contaminated with the dark oleoresin, which is extracted from the root by ordinary alcohol; this, I need hardly remark is a very great advantage.

In washing out the alkaloid from the fusel oil by weak acid and water, I prefer sulphuric acid (about one fluid drachm to, say, four pints of water). The oil should be shaken with small but successive portions of the dilute acid, and the aqueous liquid tested with litmus paper, so as to be quite certain that the acid is in excess. I prefer the use of sulphuric acid for this purpose to such acids as hydrochloric or tartaric. The sulphate of aconitine appears to be less soluble in fusel oil than the hydrochlorate or the tartrate, and therefore is more readily extracted. It frequently happens that some hours are necessary for the complete separation of the liquors from the oily liquid, but the time may frequently be much shortened by slight agitation in a rotatory direction. The completion of the washing is known when the aqueous liquid no longer gives any, or only a slight, precipitate with such reagents as double iodide of mercury and potassium, etc.; if this is not attended to, considerable loss may occur.

The weak acid liquid separated from the fusel oil smells strongly of that body, which is to a slight extent soluble in water. To get