176 THE VITAMINES 



with the same reagent. The powdery, brick to scarlet red precipitate 

 is quickly filtered off by suction, thoroughly drained, carefully rubbed 

 up in a mortar with silver carbonate, and immediately filtered. 

 The weakly alkaline solution, containing silver, is acidified at once 

 with hydrochloric acid, filtered free from silver chloride and evapo- 

 rated in vacuum almost to dryness. The residue crystallizes in weakly 

 colored, radiating deliquescent crystals. From the crude hydro- 

 chloride, of which 5 to 10 mgm. was sufficient to cure a pigeon 

 in 24 hours, and which retained its activity for 8 to 10 days, a yellow 

 precipitate was obtained with gold chloride, which was amorphous 

 at first and then crystalline, and which crystallized from water in 

 plates and flat prisms. The quantity of aurate obtained corresponded 

 evidently to the amount of hydrochloride used (m. p. 273.5C., 

 which on further recry^tallization rose to 277 C., uncorrected). 

 This aurate was not yet entirely pure and was, therefore, converted 

 back to the hydrochloride and recrystallized from water; from the 

 purer crystals, a preparation was obtained, poor in ash, which melted 

 at 240C. and gave the formula C 5 HuNO 2 . HC1. From this prepara- 

 tion, the pure chlor-aurate was then prepared and analyzed. The 

 free base, called "Oridin," is a white, powdery, hygroscopic substance, 

 ea ily soluble in water with a slight acid reaction; it is slightly soluble 

 in cold absolute alcohol but quite so in hot. From the latter, the 

 base may be obtained in crystals with ether. When these are heated, 

 pyridine-like vapors are given off. In water, precipitates were 

 obtained with phosphotungstic and phosphomolybdic acid, bismuth 

 potassium iodide and gold chloride, but not with bromine water, 

 platinic chloride or sublimate. The phosphotungstic acid precipitate 

 is soluble in acetone, but not very soluble in water. The watery 

 solution does not dissolve any copper carbonate and gives no color 

 reaction with iron salts. Isonitrile and mustard oil reactions were 

 negative. On boiling with hydriodic acid and phosphorus, alkaline 

 vapors are evolved, but not with sodium hydroxide. With calcium 

 hydrate a pyridine odor is obtained. The purest preparation gave 

 only a very faint pine splinter reaction. No color was obtained with 

 formaldehyde and sulphuric acid, or on heating with nitric acid and 

 on addition of alkali. The formula is isomeric with betaine, and the 

 substance is perhaps a dioxypiperidine. The pure substance was 

 inactive, and Hofmeister seemed uncertain as to whether the active 

 substance had been destroyed or had passed into the filtrate. We 



