The Preparation of Extracts and Beverages from the Leaves of the Coca Plant.
Year: 1885

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
The Preparation of Extracts and Beverages from the Leaves of
the Coca Plant.
I GEORGE BROWNEN, Fellow of the Chemical Society of N° 15 Althorp Road
Upper Tooting in the County of Surrey do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for "THE PREPARATION OF EXTRACTS AND BEVERAGES FROM THE
LEAVES OF THE COCA PLANT" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the preparation of extracts and beverages from
the leaves of the Coca plant.
I take the leaves of the Coca plant (Erythroxylon Coca) and extract them with
a solvent such as alcohol or water by preference I use dilute alcohol so as to obtain
in solution the whole of the active constituents of the leaf.
Or I may take an extract or solution of the Coca leaf as it is to be found in
commerce.
In either case I proceed to purify the extract or solution in such manner as to
get rid of inert and decomposable matter which if not removed would render a
beverage prepared from the extract or solution unstable and liable to decomposition
when stored and which also would cause an unsightly turbidity. I effect this
purification by precipitation preferably by the addition of hydrate or carbonate
of magnesium calcium or aluminium.
After vigorous agitation I allow the precipitate to form and subside.
I then
filter off the purified extract which if desired I concentrate or I dilute it with
water and charge it with carbonic acid gas so forming an aerated beverage which
is bottled for the market in the usual way.

page_text: The Preparation of Extracts and Beverages from the Leaves of
the Coca Plant.
I, GEORGE BROWNEN Fellow of the Chemical Society of No 15 Althorp Road
Upper Tooting in the County of Surrey do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
-
This invention has for its object the preparation of extracts and beverages from
the leaves of the Coca plant.
I take the leaves of the Coca plant (Erythroxylon Coca) and extract them with
a solvent such as alcohol or water by preference I use dilute alcohol so as to obtain
in solution the whole of the active constituents of the leaf.
Or I may take an extract or solution of the Coca leaf as it is to be found in
commerce.
In either case I proceed to purify the extract or solution in such manner as to
get rid of inert or decomposible matter which if not removed would render a
beverage prepared from the extract or solution unstable and liable to decomposition
when stored and which also would cause an unsightly turbidity. I effect this
purification by precipitation preferably by the addition of hydrate or carbonate of
magnesium calcium or aluminium.
After vigorous agitation I allow the precipitate to form and subside. I then
filter off the purified extract which if desired I concentrate or I dilute it with water
and charge it with carbonic acid gas so forming an aerated beverage which is
bottled for the market in the usual way.
I prefer to make my solution direct from the Coca leaf itself as it enables me to
guarantee its strength by a previous assay as some Coca is unsuitable or inert.
I make my fluid extract of Coca as follows. One pound of the Coca leaves is
reduced to powder and moistened with half a pint of spirit of wine and if the
previous assay indicates an exceptionally rich or feebly soluble alkaloidal leaf
I may add (previously dissolved in the spirit of wine) five grains of citric acid-
I allow this mixture to macerate for about 24 hours I then pack it in a percolator
and displace with more spirit of wine until I have obtained sixteen fluid ounces of
percolate, this I remove from the receiver of the percolator and then proceed to
displace the absorbed spirit from the marc by acidulated water-this water is
When the
prepared by dissolving 4 grains of citric acid in a pint of water.
leaves are exhausted by this process I concentrate this second percolate at a low
temperature to a syrupy consistence and then mix it with a pint of water.
this again I add 120 grains or thereabouts of magnesia or 200 grains or there-
abouts of its carbonate or a similar proportion of the hydrates or carbonate of
calcium or aluminium. I prefer to use magnesia (Mg O). To this mixture I add
the first or alcoholic percolate and agitate the mixture violently from time to time
by this method the acid resin and tannin are removed from solution in union with
the precipitant. After a day or so the extract is deprived of its resin &° and the
fluid may be decanted or filtered.
To

page_text: By this process I obtain a bydro-alcoholic solution of the alkaloids and essential
oil of Coca on which its remedial virtues depend and the resinous or inert matters
which would render turbid a dilute or aqueous mixture are separated.
I may assist the removal of the peculiar tannin of Coca (if desirable or it be
found by the assay in unusual proportions) by the use of albumen and for this
purpose I may take from thirty to sixty grains of solid egg or serum albumen or
its equivalent in solution and proceed to dissolve it in water and then add it to
the solution of one pound of Coca extract, this upon agitation will effect the
removal of a large portion of the Coca tannin and I may remove any excess of
albumen left in the extract by raising the temperature to the coagulation point
(about 170° Fahr.)
This in no way interferes with the further purification by lime magnesia or
alumina with this exception-that it accelerates fining and filtration.
Having thus obtained a purified extract I proceed to prepare from it an aerated
beverage in the following manner :-
I mix it with water in definite proportions dependent upon the previous assay
so as to impregnate each bottleful of the water with a medium dose of Coca say
equalling 270 grains of leaf or 1.2 grain of the alkaloid to one gallon of water.
I
may add aromatics or other flavouring agents if it is so desired and then I proceed
to charge the Coca water with carbonic acid gas in the ordinary way of aerated
waters and I bottle it and prepare it for sale in the usual manner.
Such a solution will fairly represent the beverage Coca. It will present it in a
convenient form free from inert or unstable matters and suitable for storage or
immediate use.
By the use of this preparation the crude methods of chewing the leaf, making
an infusion or tea which soon becomes very objectionable or diluting an alcoholic
solution which becomes turbid unsightly and deposits may be dispensed with
and a true beverage obtained containing in full the refreshing and sustaining
properties of the Coca plant.
I assay the Coca leaf by percolating the powdered leaf with spirit of wine
containing one grain of citric acid in every two ounces of the spirit employed and
from the resultant tincture I liberate the alkaloid by magnesia and purify with
ether and crystallization.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The preparation of an improved or purified extract from the leaves of the
Coca plant by precipitating from the crude extract inert or decomposible matter by
means of magnesia or other like precipitant substantially in the manner described.
2. The preparation of a beverage consisting of extract from the leaves of
the Coca plant purified by precipitation and aerated with carbonic acid gas
substantially as described.