UMBELLIFERA. 113 
. ciate’ in ether, are phetiiaaied : in @ white crystalline form ; 
both are very soluble in water and alcohol, are not deliquescent 
_ and may be dried at 190° C. without decomposition. 
4 Coniine is accompanied by Conhydrine (C8H!? NO) and often 
by Methyl-coniine (C°H'7’N), the former of which is left in the 
retort on the careful distillation of crude coniine. Hemlock 
fruit contains also a fixed oil, a minute portion of non-poison- 
ous volatile oil having the odour of cumin, and probably 
malic acid in combination with the alkaloids. The fully grown 
green fruit yields about 0°8 per cent. of coniine, conhydrine is 
always present in a very small proportion. According to 
Wernecke the fruit yields 6°69 per cent. of ash. 
a ah a 
Coniine has been made synthetically by Ladenburg and its 
nature and derivation clearly shown. It is the dextro-rotatory 
anormal propyl-piperidine. In obtaining it, pyridine is first 
converted into a allyl-pyridine, which reduced by sodium in 
alcoholic solution yields an optically inactive a normal propyl- 
_ piperidine. The tartrate of this base is made and crystallized, 
_ when, following the analogy of the splitting of racemic acid 
into dextro-rotatory and levo-rotatory tartaric acid, we get a 
- dextro and a levo coniine, of which the first is the true alkaloid 
of hemlock. 
Toxtcology.—No cases of hemlock poisoning appear to have 
been recorded in India. For white mice the lethal dose is 
_ -0758 grm. per kilo body weight; whilst 075 grm. does not 
cause death. (Ladenburg.) 
Commerce.—The Persian seed is sold for Re. 3 per !b. 
CUMINUM CYMINUM, finn. 
Fig.—Bentl. and Trim., t. 134. Cumin (Eng., Fr.). 
Hab.—Africa. Cultivated in India. The fruit. 
Vernacular.—Jirva, Safed-jira (Hind., Beng.), Shi 
(am ), Jilakara, Jiraka, Jirana (Tel.), Jirakam (Mal. 
Can.), Jivé (Mar. )§ Gated nip (Guz.). ; 
“Ths ~ BN ee 
