762 



NOTE ON THE OCCURRENCE OF STRYCHNICINE, 



vacuo, and the residue dissolved in acidulated water. From this 

 solution, containing alkaloids, the colouring matter was removed 

 with ether and chloroform; then, on adding a slight excess of 

 sodium hydroxide, the alkaloids were precipitated, and extracted 

 with chloroform. The extract was shaken with acidulated water, 

 and back into chloroform, a number of times in succession. Finally, 

 the chloroform was distilled off, and the residue converted into 

 sulphates, which were then dissolved in hot water and crystallised. 

 The alkaloids readily separated in this way, and left in the mother- 

 liquor a small amount of brucine, and most of the glucoside loga- 

 nin, which imparted to the solution its characteristic purple tint. 



The sulphates of the combined alkaloids were recrystallised from 

 water and alcohol, and this left a peculiar green fluid, which gra- 

 dually changed to brown on long standing. This point was ob- 

 served also by Hooper* in his examination of S. nux-vomica leaves, 

 and stated by him to be due to an acid resin. 



The white crystallised sulphates were next dissolved in the mini- 

 mum quantity of water, and precipitated by a considerable excess 

 of sodium hydroxide. Van Boorsma states that the strychnicine 

 redissolves under these conditions. The precipitate which was 

 separated by the centrifuge, consisted of strychnine, and the super- 

 natant fluid was examined for strychnicine. On the addition of 

 more alkali to this fluid, further deposition took place of a bulky 

 precipitate, first white, then turning to pink, brown, and dark 

 brown. This precipitate appeared also to be easily soluble on 

 adding a very little water, and was removed by shaking out with 

 chloroform. The remaining aqueous solution, and from which 

 nothing more could be removed by chloroform, still gave a Mayer 

 reaction when tested, and became fluorescent when acidulated; it, 

 however, did not taste bitter. The chloroform-extract then con- 

 tained that portion of the alkaloids which was not permanently 

 precipitated by sodium hydroxide. After removal of the chloro- 

 form, and dissolving in dilute sulphuric acid, to the solution, potas- 



*Pharm. Joum. xxi., 1890, 493. 



