468 EOGANIACEA. 
uine and brucine. Strychnine, C?'H?*N?O%, was first met 
with in 1818 by Pelletier and Caventou in ‘St. Ignatius Beans, 
and immediately afterwards iti nux-vomica. It crystallises 
from an alcoholic solution in large anhydrous prisms: of the 
orthorhombic system. It requires for solution about 6,700 parts 
of cold or 2,500 of boiling water ; the solution is of decidedly 
alkaline reaction, and an aeenwely bitter taste, which may be 
distinctly perceived, though it contains no more than gy7oo5 
of the alkaloid. The best solvents for strychnine are spirits of 
wine or chloroform ; it is but very sparingly soluble in absolute 
alcohol, benzol, amylic alcohol or ether. ‘Che alcoholic solution 
deviates the ray of polarized light to the left. The discovery 
of Brucine was made in 1819 by the same chemists, in nux- 
vomica bark, then supposed to be derived from Brucea ferru- 
ginea. Its presence in nux-vomica and St. Ignatius Bean was 
pointed out by them in 1824. Brucine, dried over sulphuric 
acid, has the formula C?5H?°N*O%, but it crystallises from its 
alcoholic solution with 4H°O. It readily neutralises acids, 
forming crystalline salts. In bitterness and poisonous proper- 
ties, as wellas in rotatory power, it closely resembles strych- 
nine, differing, however, in the following particulars :—it is 
soluble in about 150 parts of boiling water, melts without 
alteration a little above 180° C. In common with its salts, it 
acquires a dark red colour when moistened with concentrated 
nitric acid, 
Tn nux-vomica as rel asin St. Ignatius’ beans the alka- 
 joids, according to their discoverers, are combined with 
_ strychnic or igasuric acid; Ludwig (1873), who prepared this 
body from the latter drug, describes it as a yellowish brown 
amorphous mass, having a strongly acid reaction and a sour 
astringent taste; and striking a dark green with ferric salts. 
_ Nux-vomica dried at 100° C. yields when burnt with soda 
lime 1-822 per cent. of nitrogen, indicating about 11-3 per cent, 
of protein substances. _ The seeds contain 4°14 per cent. of fat. 
Meyer found it to yield butyric, capronic, caprylic, caprinic 
‘and other acids of the series of the common fatty acids, and 
an stearic acid, 
also one acid richer i i 
