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Concentrated nitric acid dissolves echitamine to give an intense, red color 
which, in the course of a minute passes through yellow into a brillant green,. 
which persists. Evaporation of the nitric acid leaves an intense green, micro- 
crystalline residue, which dissolves easily in water to a yellow solution. A drop 
of nitric acid again turns this solution green. Concentrated sulphuric acid gives 
a red color, which becomes more purple on standing. Heating brings out the 
color more intensely. Addition of water to the acid destroys the color. These 
color tests for echitamine with concentrated nitric and sulphuric acids can readily 
be obtained from a fragment of the dita bark, which can thus be identified. With 
Froehde’s reagent, echitamine instantly gives. a most intense crimson, which 
gradually passes into green. Concentrated sulphuric acid, to which a little cane 
sugar has been added, at once developes a brilliant, persistent crimson; both of 
these last color reactions are much stronger than they are with sulphuric acid 
alone (a difference from ditamine) . 
Kchitamine is a monoacid base which can be quantitatively titrated 
with acids, using methyl orange as an indicator. 
Hesse assigns the formula C,,H,.N.O, to this base, whereas Harnack 
obtained figures agreeing for C,,H,,N,0, As it is very difficult to 
decide these formule by analysis, I have decided to leave this question 
for settlement when a study of the derivatives of this alkaloid is under- 
taken. 
The air dry alkaloid contains four molecules of water. 
0.5149 gram echitamine heated to 105°-110° in vacuo lost 
0.0803 gram water. 
Required for C,,H,,N,0,, 4 H,O Found 
Per cent, Per cent. 
4H,0 15.76 15.51 
By drying in vacuo at 75° three molecules of water only are 
lost. 
0.2416 gram alkaloid gave a loss of 0.0293 gram H,O at 75°. 
Required tor 3 H,O Found 
Per cent. Per cent. 
11.84 12.1 
Hesse obtained results similar to mine, and from them he concluded 
that the alkaloid was really echitammonium hydroxide, the last molecule 
of water being one of constitution. He was further led to this view by 
the fact that the alkaloid behaves as a fairly strong base. Not only is 
its aqueous solution strongly basic to test papers, but it readily precip- 
itates copper, iron, and aluminum salts without redissolving the precip- 
itates when in excess. The alkaloid liberates ammonia from a solution 
of ammonium chloride and sets free the alkaline hydroxide from sodium 
or calcium chloride, echitammonium chloride separating in crystals. 
Hesse considered echitammonium hydroxide to be the most pronouncedly 
basic of all the alkaloids. 
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