An Assay of Stramonium

Abstract

L. D. HAVENHILL and F. I. BLAIR School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence Much work has been completed on Datura stramonium, to determine the factors affecting the amount of alkaloid present, the place of occurrence of the alkaloids in the plant, and the ash and acid-insoluble ash contents of the plant as a whole and the various parts of the plant. Relatively little work has been done to ascertain the percentage of alkaloids present in the various fractions of the ground drug. Therefore, Lot 33A of Datura stramonium, consisting of the dried leaf and flowering tops of the plants, was ground in a Wiley mill and passed through a 2 mm. sieve (?10). 250 gram and 100 gram samples of the ground drug 33A were placed in tared U.S. Bureau of Standards sieves and hand shaken from 10 to 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the sieves were weighed to determine the percentage of the sample contained in each. (See Table I). The percentage of the sample remaining in the $20 sieve varied from 2.0 to 4.1% for eight samples; $40 sieve, 29.8 to 34.2%, eight samples; $60 sieve, 32.1 to 36.4%, eight samples; $80 sieve, 10.3 to 11.6%, eight samples; pan, 16.5 to 20.0%, eight samples. One ten-gram sample was passed through the 1-mm. sieve of the Wiley mill and shaken 15 minutes. The percentages of the powders contained in each sieve totalled from 99.1 to 101.1% for each sample. The powders of the same size were mixed and assayed for ash, acid-insoluble ash, and alkaloidal content. The ash from each fineness of ground drug was determined from samples weighing between two and three grams. These samples were ignited in a muffle furnace at a temperature of 480 to 485 degrees centigrade until no carbon was present. The percentage of ash obtained from the ground drug contained in the number 20 sieve averaged 21.5%; $40 sieve, 18.8%; $60 sieve, 16.0%; $80 sieve, 15.3%; pan, 28.5%. (The United States Pharmacopoeia places no limitation upon stramonium for total ash). The acid-insoluble ash was next determined for each fineness of ground drug by treating the ash obtained under total ash with 25 cc of diluted hydrochloric acid. The percentages of acid-insoluble ash obtained from the ground drug contained in the $20 sieve averaged 0.305%; 440 sieve, 0.403%; W60 sieve, 0.456%; $80 sieve, 0.399%; pan, 11.05%. The Pharmacopoeia sets the acid-insoluble ash limits of Datura stramonium at not more than 4%. This acid-insoluble portion of the ash reveals the relative proportions of sand and dirt in each sample.