376 Dr. Bly th on the Compositiofi of Narcotine. 



The hydrogen is a little too high, arising from the small quan- 

 tity of substance used in the analysis, and from the extreme 

 hygroscopic nature of the base in its precipitated state of pow- 

 der. A repetition of its analysis after crystallization from 

 alcohol gave 562 of hydrogen per cent. 

 Base separated from 

 platinchloride of narcogenin. Narcotine. 

 Carbon =64-33 64-61 



Hydrogen = T'OO 5-62 5-85 



On crystallizing from alcohol, this base presents itself in the 

 same form as narcotine, with which in its other physical proper- 

 ties it is identical. The peculiar metamorphosis which narco- 

 genin had suffered on separation from its platinum double salt 

 made it necessary to investigate the fluid from which the changed 

 base had been separated. This ammoniacal liquid, which on 

 filtration possessed a dark red colour, deposited on cooling a 

 dirty whitish precipitate, from which it was decanted and then 

 acted upon by a stream of sulphuretted hydrogen. On pro- 

 ceeding in the same way as that adopted for separating cotar- 

 nin from its platinum compound, a light greenish-coloured 

 fluid was obtained, from which, on the addition of potash, 

 crystals having the form of cotarnin were precipitated. These, 

 after washing with distilled water, were redissolved in dilute 

 hydrochloric acid and precipitated by bichloride of platinum. 

 From this double salt, after combustion, the quantity of pla- 

 tinum per cent, obtained was 22-42. Platinchloride of cotarnin 

 gave 22-88. The agreement of the physical properties as well 

 as the amount of platinum per cent, prove the identity of the 

 two substances. These analyses of the two bases derived from 

 the decomposition of platinchloride of narcogenin, show that 

 the latter cannot exist in an isolated form, but on separation 

 from its double salt is converted into narcotine and cotarnin. 

 The former remains on the filter, while the latter passes through 

 in solution in ammonia, accompanied by the double compound 

 of platinum and ammonium, which has been reduced to the 

 state of protochloride by the decomposition of water. The 

 dirty looking precipitate which settles on the cooling of the 

 fluid, is perhaps a small portion of the salt of Magnus mingled 

 with foreign matter. The following table shows the decom- 

 position which takes place : — 



2 equiv. of narcogenin =^Ti^3d^^^2o 



2 equiv. of oxygen from water de-"| 



composed in converting 2 equiv. of > = O ^ 



Pt CIg to the state of PtCl . . . J 



C72 Hgg Ng O22 



