DICTIONARY OF THE ACTIVE PRINCIPLES OF PLANTS. 



21 



Hydrastis Canadensis, the 'Goldenseal' (the alkaloids («),(/), (9), including 

 4 per cent, of Beiberine) ; Cocculus palmatus. ' ColumlDO root ' (see also 

 Ciilumba) ; Xanthoxylum Clava Herculis, Podophyllum peltatum (see 

 also Podophyllum), etc. 



[For Artarine resembling Berberine, see Xanthoxylon.] 



(a) BERBERINE A. (Xanthopicrit), C.^.H^NOj, and with .5H,0 ; crystal- 

 lizes in yellow prisms or needles ; M.P. VIO" C. (Fleitman), or browns at 

 110° and blackens at 160° (Perkiu) ; faint quinone odour on warming ; 

 neutral to litmus ; bitter ; feebly toxic to man, poisonous to dogs and 

 other animals. Medicinal dose, "J to o grains. 



Solubility ; It dissolves in .'>00 parts of cold water, in alcohol, in 

 benzene with difficulty. Insoluble in ether and petroleum ether ; chloro- 

 form removes traces from acid solution. Boiling alkalies convert to a 

 resinous s-ubstance, and ammonia dissolves to a reddish-brown solution. 

 The salts (excepting acetate and pyrophosphate) are difficultly soluble. 

 Precipitants, etc. : 



Tannic acid, cloud at 1 in .%000, increased by hydrochloric acid and 



dis.solved on warming. 

 Picric acid, pp. amorphous, becoming crystalline at 1 in 3,000. 

 Platinum chloride. 

 Gold chloride, immediate orange pp. at 1 in 3,000; part soluble in cold 



HCl. 

 Ferro-cyanide potassium, yellow. 

 Pot:isaio-argentic cyanide, amorphous at 1 in 0,000. 

 Potassium bichromate, amorphous, 

 lodo-potassic iodide, kermes colour (or green plates in warm alcoholic 



solution. 

 Bismutho-potassic iodide, orange-red. 

 Cadmium-potassic iodide, complete precipitation. 

 Zinc-potassic iodide, amorphous at 1 in 6,000. 

 Mayer's reagent (mercuric-potassic iodide). 

 Mercuric chloride, amorphous, insoluble in HCl even warm. 

 Bromine water, a yellow pp. 



Iodine, green crystals if excess of iodine be avoided. 

 Tincture of iodine, yellowish-brown crystalline pp. 

 Colour Reactions : 



Chlorine water, poured gently on to surface of Beberine solution, 



gives a red ring distinguishable even at 1 in 250,000. 

 Concentrated sulphuric acid, yellow (olive-green, Muter). 



Oxidizers, such as manganese dioxide, when added to the sulphuric 

 acid solution, give colours resembling those with strychnine. 



Potassic nitrate, added after 10 to 15 hours solution in sulphuric 

 acid, changes the olive-green solution to dark brown or orange. 



Nitric acid, brown. 



Concentrated hydrochloric acid, insoluble. 



Fruhde's reagent, brownish-green, becoming gradually lighter. 



(&) OXYACANTHINE A. (Vinetine, from Vliwtiei; the French name for 

 Berberis vulg. ; not the Oxyacanthine from Cratcegus oxyacanthus), 

 C]8H,,,N0.,. or Cj5,H.,iN03 (Riidel) ; crystalline ; dextro-rotatory 

 [a]D= +131-6 for chloroform solution; M.P. of the dried ammonia 

 pp. = 138°- 100°, or the crystals from alcohol li08°-214° ; alkaline reaction ; 

 bitter. 



Solubility : Water dissolves it with difficulty ; alcohol, 30 parts cold, 

 4 boiJHit; ; soluble in ether (which removes it from alkaline solution), 

 slightly in petroleum ether ; miscible with chlorof.^rm in all proportions. 



Precipitants : 



Alkaline hydrates and ammonia, soluble in excess. 



[Not by neutral or basic lead acetate.] 



Tannic acid, white. 



Hicrio acid, yellow. 



[No pp. ferric chloride.] 



Platinum chloride, yellow, soluble in hydrochloric acid. 



Gold chloride. 



Silver nitrate, white. 



[Not by copper sulphate.] 



Phospho-molybdic acid, yellowish-white. 



Mercuric chloride. 



Bromine solution. 



Iodine, reddi.sh-brown. 



Tartar emetic. 



Stannous chloride. 



[No pp. mercurous nitrate.] 



Colour Reactions ; 



Concentrated sulphuric acid, reddish-brown (colourless to yellow— O. 



Hesse). 

 Nitric acid, brownish-yellow, becoming resinous with formation of 



oxalic acid. 

 Per-iodic acid, reduced. 



