42 ACTION OF HALOGEN COMPOUNDS OF ETHYL AND AMYL 
These numbers agree closely with those corresponding to a formula containing an 
atom of water less than the preceding, 
C,, Hy, N, 0, 0, HO + 2 aq; 
and it is just possible that the errors occasioned by the presence of carbonic acid 
and the basic product of decomposition, both of which, after all, bear but a small 
proportion to the whole substance, may counterbalance each other; I leave 
the fact of the analysis, since it is some sort of control over that immediately 
preceding. 
A freshly prepared solution of the base, by action of oxide of silver on the 
iodide, has a red purple colour and an extremely bitter taste; its reaction is highly 
alkaline. It yields no immediate precipitate with solutions of barium and cal- 
cium chlorides, but causes partial precipitation on application of heat; it throws 
down from sulphate of magnesia, in the cold, a flocky precipitate, and also gives 
with solutions of the heavy metallic oxides, and with alumina, immediate deposits ; 
but I had not material sufficient to determine its solvent power in particular 
cases. On being boiled, it evolves the odour of a volatile base. With chlorine, 
bromine, and iodine, it yields products. When it, or its carbonate, is treated with 
hydrosulphuric acid, and suffered to stand, a hyposulphite is found to result, 
which may be obtained crystalline by evaporation, and is soluble in alcohol. This 
base gives the same reaction as strychnine with sulphuric acid and chromate of 
potass. 
When iodide of ethylostrychnine is heated in a retort with excess of soda-lime, ° 
a heavy oil distills over which is partly basic and partly insoluble in acids; the 
hydrochloric solution of the soluble portion gave with bichloride of platinum an 
uncrystalline salt, but I had not sufficient to determine if, in this decomposition, the 
ethyl molecule attaches itself to the volatile base, which is no doubt either leu- 
coline or ethyloleucoline. 
Action of Iodide of Ethyl on Ethylostrychnine.—This reaction appears to result 
in the formation of iodide of ethylostrychnine and some other product. I em- 
ployed for the experiment the mother liquor of the hydrate which was analysed ; 
this alcoholic fluid was sealed up in a tube with iodide of ethyl, and the whole 
was heated for half-an-hour in boiling water. The liquid remained clear while 
hot, but soon became turbid on cooling, and finally deposited some rounded trans- 
parent yellowish grains. These proved, when separated from the mother liquor 
by decantation, to be completely soluble in hot water; their solution deposited a 
little flocky matter, and when filtered from this and evaporated, groups of stellate 
crystals. These crystals agreed in characters with iodide of ethylostrychnine, and 
furnished with oxide of silver a caustic yellow liquor, which became filled with 
prismatic crystals on the addition of a little nitric acid. The alkaline solution 
