APOCYNACE. 401 
allised. Concentrated sulphuric acid colours it of a brownish 
red with a violet tinge round the edge of the mixture, gra- 
-dually the mixture becomes yellow, passing to brown and 
green. In the presence of sugar strong sulphuric acid pro- 
duces a brownish red colour passing to violet. Heated ina 
-closed tube with 2 per cent. of hydrochloric acid for two hours, 
-neriodorein is decomposed into a yellow resinous substance ; 
it appears to bea glucoside. Neriodorin is a transparent yellow, 
varnish-like substance which cannot be pulverized even after 
drying over sulphuric acid under the air pump; it is very 
soluble in chloroform, scarcely soluble in cold water, but much 
more so in hot water; its watery solution is bitter. Itis in- 
| soluble in petroleum spirit, benzol and bisulphide of carbon; 
ether only dissolves a trace. It is very soluble in alcohol, 
contains no nitrogen, and is uncrystallisable. In other respects 
it closely resembles Neriodorein. (Phar. Jour., April 23rd, 
1881.) 
Toxicology.—The leaves of Nerium Oleander weve examined 
‘by Leukowsky (N. J. Pharm. 46, 397), who announced the 
presence in them of two alkaloids, Oleandrine and Pseudocu- 
rarine. Schmiedeberg (1883), who considers oleandrine to bea 
glucoside, found in the leaves two other glucosides, Nertine and 
oe: he considers neriine to be identical with digitaleine. 
. EB. Pieszezek (Archiv. d. Pharm. (3), xxviii., 352, 1890,) 
Ghisinea from the bark a glucoside having the composition 
62-324 per cent. Carbon, 8°066 per cent. Hydrogen, and 
-29°610 per cent. Oxygen, which he found to be very poison- 
ous, having an action similar to that of strychnine: 4 cgr. 
proved fatal to a rabbit in three-quarters of an hour. He has 
named this glucoside Rosaginine from Cortew Rosaginis, the 
German name for oleander bark. M. Picszczek also obtained 
from the bark the neriine of Schmiedeberg, the composition of 
z which he found to be 54°252 per cent. Carbon, 7°570 per cent. 
, and 38°178 per cent. Oxygen. If a portion of 
neriine is dissolved in strong sulphuric acid, and the vapour of 
) 6 colour i is produced. The bark ten ohne fen Sade 
is made to pass over the mixture, a splendid riolet- “8 
