VALM^. 531 



easily separated by treatment with methyl-alcoliol and hydro- 

 chloric acid, whereby arecaidine is converted into its methyl 

 ester, arecoline, and arecaine into the hydrochloride. 



Herr Jahns [Berichte^ xxiv., 2615) describes a fourth crys- 

 talline alkaloid in areca nuts, to which he gives the name 

 Guvacine^ from giivdka, a Sanskrit name for the areca palm. 

 Guvacine is less soluble in water or dilate alcohol than the 

 other alkaloids, crystallizes in small shining crystals that 

 darken at 265®C. and melt at 271-272° with decomposition. 

 The crystals contain no water of crystallization^ and upon 

 analysis yield results corresponding to the formula C''H''NO*. 

 Of the salts, the hydrochloride, sulphate, nitrate, platino- 

 chloride (C«H9NO*-HCl}'-PtCl*-j-4H*0, and auro-chloride, 

 C^H^NO'-HCl-AuCP, have heeu prepared and crystallize 

 well. It therefore appears that a series of bases occur in the 

 areca nut, which, with the exception of choline, stand in near 

 relation to each other 



Choline C^H'^NO' 

 Guvafiine C^H^NO' 



+H 



+H 



Arecoline C«H^^NO 



t 



Probably other members of the series may be found by exa- 

 mination of a larger quantity of material. {Pkarm. Ztg., 1891, 

 516 ; Pharm. Jmcm., Oct. 3, 1891.) 



Toxicology, — Cases of poisoning from eating fresh betel-nuts 

 or the poisonous nuts by mistake, not unfrequently occur, but 

 we have not heard of any fatal termination after such acci- 

 dents. The remedies used are acid pickles and copious draughts 

 of cold water. The sufferers complain of great oppression in 

 the chest, with a sense of faintness and suffocation, sometimes 

 followed by vomitin". According to Maume, arecoline separates 

 unaltered with the secretions and excretions, from which it 

 can be recovered. In the absence of a characteristic colour 

 reaction, arecoline separated from urine can only be identified 

 chemically by its behaviour with potassium-bismuth iodide, 



h 



■og. 



