DICTIONARY OF THE ACTIVE PRINCIPLES OP PLANTS. 



Reactions : [Not precipitated by lead acetate neutral or basic] 

 Pp. Tauuic acid. 



§ '.14. ECHUGIN poison, from Adenium Boehmianum ; Apoci/nacea' ; 

 Africa. Investigator : R. Boehm, 1889. 



ECHUGIN G. (about 10 per cent, of the poison) ; crys. silky rhombic 

 plates ; bitter, cardiac poison. 



Soluble in water and alcohol ; not in ether. 



§ 9.'). ELEMI resins (from Canarium, Icica, etc.) ; Ami/r/ddcec: (The 

 two following substances are included here for convenience of reference, 

 but do not belong to the groups under treatment.) 



(a) AMYRIN, ■2(C,„H,j)H.,0 (Fliickiger) ; crystalline; M.P. 177° with 

 sublimate. 



Soluble in alcohol (27 parts), and in ether, chloroform, carbon- 

 bisulphide. 



(/j) BRYOIDIN (Baups' Breidin ; distinct from Bryonin, see Bryonia). 

 2(C,„H,„):')H;0 (Fliickiger); prismatic crystals; M.P. 1.35°, with subli 

 mate. 



Soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, acetic acid, and glycerine. 



Dry hydrochloric acid gas gives red~vviolet->n.green. 



§ 9li. EPHEDRA monostachia and E. vulgaris, var. Helvetica ; (hie,- 

 tdcni'. Investigators : Nagai, Spehr. 



(ii.) EPHEDRINE A. (the alkaloids so named, by Nagai and Spehr respec- 

 tively, do not agree in properties ; they are here described together, Ng. 

 referring to Xagai's base, and Sp. to that of Spehr), Ci„H,5N0 (Ng.), or 

 CijHi^N'O (Sp.) ; taste bitter (Ng.), burning (Sp.) ; M.P. 210° (Ng.), 

 ll-J°(Sp.). 



Soluble with difficulty in water, Ng. (very soluble, Sp.) ; readily in 

 alcohol, Xg., Sp. ; in chloroform easily, Ng., Sp. (1 in 11, Sp.) ; in ether 

 easily. Ng. (I in 98, Sp.) ; in benzene easily, Ng. (1 in 1,180, Sp.). 



(h) PSEUDO-EPHEDRINE A., C,„Hi5N0 (Nagai) ; M.P. 115=; bitter. 



Soluble readily in alcohol, in 15 parts ether, 2G benzene ; with difficulty 

 in water. 



§ 97. ERGOT of rye (Secale cornutum ; Claviceps purpurea, Tulasne ; 

 Scierotium clavus, D.C. ; Spermoeiia clavus, Fries) ; Fuiirji. Investigators, 

 numerous. 



In addition to the alkaloids described below, the following substances 

 have been found in Ergot : Scleromucio (2 to J! per cent.). Sclerotic 

 Acid (1 to 4 per cent.), Cholesterin, Jlycose, Mannite, Leucine, Methyl-, 

 and Trimetliyl-amine. Several colouring matters have been isolated by 

 Dragendorff (Dm-pat. Natui-f. GeselL, 4, ^9;!), viz. : Scler-erythrin, Picro- 

 sclerotin, Fusco-sclerotic Acid, Sclero-xanthin, and Sclero-crystallin. For 

 Vernine, also present, see Vicia sativa. 



(a) ERGOTINE A., C5„H,„N,0;i (VVenzell, Amer. J. Phann., 3S, 193); 

 amorphous, alkaline, feebly bitter ; salts amorphous. 



Soluble in water and alcohol ; not in ether or chloroform. 

 Precipitants : 



[Not lead acetate, neutral.] 



Tannic acid. 



[Platinum chloride, in an alcoholic-)- ether solution.] 



Gold chloride. 



[Not potass, cyanide.] 



Phospho-molybdic acid, separated by this means from trimethylamine, 



which is not precipitated. 

 Mercuric chloride, but not in acid solutions (see Ecboline). 

 (h) ECBOLINE A. ; amorphous, alkaline, slightly bitter. Salts amorphous. 

 Soluble HI water and alcohol ; not in ether or chloroform. 

 Precipitants : 



Potass, cyanide, «hite. 

 Phospho-molj'bdic acid. 

 Mercuric chloride, in acid solu- 

 tion (see Ergotine above). 



[Not lead acetate, neutral.] 

 Tannic acid. 



Platinum chloride, yellow. 

 Gold chloride. 

 Colour tests : Concentrated sulphuric acid, dark red. 

 ((■) ERGOTININE A. (Tanret's), C,5H,„N,0„ ; fluorescent, crystalline, 

 slightly bitter. Salts readily decompose. Acid solutions gradually redden. 

 Alkalies evolve Metbylamine. 



Soluble in alcohol (becoming green, then brown), also in chloroform and 

 ether (but with difficulty in the latter after exposure) ; not in water. 

 It is removed from aciil solutions by ether and chloroform. 

 Precipitants : 



Tannic acid. 

 Platinum chloride. 

 Gold chloride. 

 Phospho-molybdic acid. 



lodo-potassic iodide. 

 Mercuric-potassic iodide. 

 [Not mercuric chloride.] 

 Bromine water. 



