86 APPENDIX. 



identifying aconitine. The alkaloid may be readily recovered from 

 them iu a pure state. 



Aconitine is not appreciably affected by heating at a temperature 

 below its melting point, but at this temperature it is gradually con- 

 verted into the uncrystallizable base aconine. Prolonged boilino'in 



O .-"^^^ij^ 



aqueous solution induces a similar change, but not to the same 

 extent, imless an alkali is present. Boiling with water acidulated 

 with hydrochloric acid also produces decomposition of the alkaloid; 



Vehydr aconitine or apoaconitine is a base differing from aconitine 

 by the absence of a molecular proportion of water, which was first 



W 



Its 



Iliz 



existence has, however, been questioned by later workers. The 

 authors find that such a substance may be readily procured by 

 heating aconitine with saturated aqueous tartaric acid in closed, 

 tubes, as recommended by Wright and Luff. The crystals of this 

 substance melt at 186-5^ (coit.). It forms crystalline salts, and in 

 other respects closely resembles the parent alkaloid. The results 

 of analyses agree well with the formula C^^H*"NO'\ Three auro- 



chlorides jvere obtained. One (C-^H^^NO^niAuOP) melts at 14P 

 (coi-r.) . 



a hydrate 



(C^"H*'NO^iHAuCl*H^O), 



melting at 129^ (corr.), isomeric with aconitine aurochloride, into 

 which, indeed, it very readily changes. The third aurochloride is 

 a direct compound of the alkaloid with auric chloride (C^^H*3N0'^ 

 AuCP) ; it melts at 147-5° (corr.). 



An amorphous base was obtained from aconitine, together with 

 benzoic acid, by prolonged heating with water in a closed tube. It 

 appears to be identical with the aconine of Wright and Luff. The 

 same substance is formed together with a resinous substance when 

 aconitine is heated with an alkali. Neither aconine nor its salts 

 could be crystallized. The amorphous base, after purification, and 

 its amorphous aurochloride, afforded analytical data agreeing 

 respectively with the fonnulse C»*H*iNO'^ and C"H"NO^'HAnOP 



Alkaloids of True Aconitum 



Professor Dunstan and Mr. John C. Umney have examined 

 the alkaloids of true Aconitum Napellus plants grown by Mr. E. M. 

 Holmes, at the instance of the British Pharmaceutical Conference.' 



