Examination of the proximate principles of the lichens

Abstract

The author, after adverting to the labours of Robiquet, Heeren, Dumas, and Kane in the investigation of the proximate principles of the lichens, especially of those which yield red colouring matter with ammonia, and also of the more recent inquirers on this subject, such as Schunck, Rochleder, Heldt and Knop, who have greatly extended our knowledge of this interesting but difficult department of organic research, proceeds to state that nearly two years ago his attention was directed by Dr. Pereira to a kind of Orcella weed, which had been recently imported into London from the Cape of Good Hope, but which had been rejected by the London archil manufacturers as being unfit for their use, from the small quantity of colouring matter it yields when subjected to the usual process. With a view to ascertain whether or not the red dyes obtained from the various lichens result from the action of ammonia on a certain crystalline principle, described by Schunck under the name of lecanorine , the author procured quantities of the several lichens usually employed by the archil makers, and subjected them to investigation; the minute details of which, together with the results, are given at length in the present paper. The specimens examined are the following:- I. South American variety of Roccella tinctoria. The lichen was cut into small pieces and macerated with a large quantity of water for some hours, then quick-lime was added. A yellow solution was obtained, from which muriatic acid precipitated the colouring matter, as a bulky gelatinous mass; this was washed, dried on a plate of gypsum, and dissolved in hot spirits of wine (not boiling). The solution on cooling deposited the colouring principle in small white prismatic needles arranged in stars.