Cascarillin — Comparative  Experiments  with  the  Products  of  Alessandri
and  Duval, — W.  A.  H.  Naylor  and  R.  D.  Littlefield  review  the  characters
assigned  to  cascarillin  by  M.  Duval  (1845)  ^^^  ^7  ^r-  P-  ^«  AUesandri
(1882),  the  processes  for  its  preparation  employed  by  them,  as  well  as  the
simple  process  of  C.  and  E.  Mylius  (1873),  w*th  the  two-fold  object  of
determining:  i,  whether  Allesahdri's  principle  is  chiefly  cascarillin,  or  a
base  contaminated  with  sufficient  cascarillin  to  give  the  characteristic  color
reactions  described  by  Duval,  and  2,  how  far  cascarillin,  isolated  by  either
Allesandri's  or  Duval's  method,  and  purified,  corresponds  in  composition
with  the  formula  assigned  to  it  by  C.  and  E.  Mylius.  For  these  purposes
the  author  prepared  a  quantity  of  cascarillin  by  both  methods,  adopting
that  of  AUesandri  without  modification,  while  in  working  by  Duval's
method  evaporation  was  in  part  conducted  in  vacuo.  As  a  result  of  their
inquiry,  they  find,  in  the  first  place,  that  when  the  cascarillins  obtained  by
either  method  were  completely  purified  by  repeated  crystallizations  from
alcohol  until  the  product  had  a  constant  melting  point,  they  were  abso-
lutely identical.  The  melting  point  proved  in  both  cases  to  be  203.5°  C,
and  both  products  corresponded  to  the  characters  and  tests  given  by
Duval,  and  negatived  those  reactions  given  by  AUesandri,  and  in  conflict
with  Duval's,  that  depend  upon  the  presence  of  a  nitrogenous  and  alka-
loidal  substance.  The  inference  drawn  by  the  authors  from  these  results  is
to  the  effect  that  Allesandri's  process  yields  a  mixed  product,  from  which
pure  cascarillin  is  obtained  after  much  labor  and  considerable  waste  of
material.  On  the  other  hand,  Allesandri's  process,  in  so  far  as  his  impure
cascarillin  is  concerned,  is  far  more  speedy  than  that  demanded  by
Duval's  oft-repeated  operations.
