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NOTE ON THE OCCURRENCE OF STRYCHNICINE. 



By James M. Petrie, D.Sc, F.I.C., Linnean Macleay Fellow 

 of the Society in Biochemistry. 



(From the Physiological Laboratory of the University of Sydney.) 



Strychnos psilosperma is a small tree, endemic in northern New 

 South Wales, and Queensland. Its leaves possess a bitter taste, and 

 are found to contain the little-known alkaloid strychnicine, accom- 

 panying strychnine and brucine. 



Occurrence. — Strychnicine was discovered by Dr. van Boorsma r 

 in 1902.* He isolated this alkaloid from the leaves of Strychnos nux- 

 vomica, detecting it even in their earliest stages. He also found it 

 in the pulp of the ripe fruit, in the hard shell, and in the thin 

 orange-coloured skin of the fruit. The seeds contained a trace, and 

 sometimes none. It was also identified in the leaves of Strychnos 

 tieute of Java; and was shown to be absent from the bark and 

 wood of both these species. In the former it is associated, in the 

 leaves, with both strychnine and brucine, while in the latter species 

 with strychnine only. 



Van Boorsma likewise tested Strychnos laurina and S. mono- 

 sperma (E. Indies), leaves and branches, both young and old, but 

 found no strychnicine. 



Since its discovery, in 1902, this alkaloid has apparently been 

 entirely neglected. The original paper, occurring in a botanical 

 journal, published in the Dutch East Indies, has probably not been 

 available to all workers; and perhaps for this reason, the Strych- 

 nos species which have been examined, other than those mentioned, 

 have not been tested for strychnicine. 



Separation of Strychnicine. — The leaves of Strychnos psilo- 

 sperma were extracted with alcohol, the solvent distilled off in 



* Bull, de l'instit. bot. de Buitenzorg, xiv., 1902, 3. 

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