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The Chemical Constituents of Piper Methysticum / Or, The Chemical Constituents of the Active Principle of the Ava Root cover

The Chemical Constituents of Piper Methysticum / Or, The Chemical Constituents of the Active Principle of the Ava Root

Chapter 5: METHOD OF EXTRACTION.
By Alice A. Ball
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About This Book

The thesis presents a systematic chemical investigation of the active principles of the ava root (Piper methysticum), beginning with historical uses and continuing through detailed laboratory methods for extraction and resin separation. It identifies distinct resin fractions and characterizes their metallic salts, oxidation products, and associated acidic components, and isolates neutral crystalline methysticin and related methysticinic acid. Analytical sections examine alcohol radicals and oxidative transformations, and a physiological chapter summarizes observed pharmacological effects. The conclusion synthesizes chemical findings and their relation to the root's narcotic and toxic properties.

METHOD OF EXTRACTION.

The fresh rhizome was chopped up and then ground up by means of a meat chopper. In the preliminary work the material was dried in a vacuum oven at a temperature not exceeding forty degrees Centigrade. In the later work the material was rapidly dried in the sun. This operation required about two days time. After being thoroughly dried, the material was finely powdered, and then extracted with ether. The following continuous extraction apparatus was used. Due to the extreme rapidity with which the ether evaporated, it was necessary to surround the coils with ice so as to keep the condensers cold.