OF THE MORINDA CITRIFOLIA. 439 



cohol, aud totally insoluble in ether. Water dissolves morindine in the cold very 

 slightly, although sufficiently to communicate a yeUow colour to the fluid ; at the 

 boiling temperature, however, it is readily taken up, and again deposited, on cool- 

 ing, as a gelatinous mass, destitute of all traces of crystallization, which stops up 

 the pores of the filter, and prevents the separation of the mother liquor. It dis- 

 solves in solutions of the alkalies, with a fine orange-red colour. With concen- 

 trated sulphuric acid it gives a deep purple, which is violet in thin layers. After 

 twenty-four hours' contact, the solution, on being diluted, deposited yellow flocks 

 of the colouring matter in an altered condition, as it was now totally insoluble in 

 cold water, and gave, with ammonia, a violet and not an orange solution. Nitric 

 acid, sp. gr. 1-38, dissolves morindine slowly in the cold, with a deep brownish- 

 red colour. The application of heat immediately produces violent action, the 

 brown colour disappears, and nitrous acid fumes are evolved. The fluid, after 

 long-continued boiling with the acid, and neutralisation with ammonia, gave no 

 precipitate with salts of hme. 



Solution of morindine gives, with subacetate of lead, a precipitate depositing 

 itself in crimson flocks, which is extremely unstable, and cannot be washed with- 

 out losing colouring matter. With solutions of baryta, strontia, and lime, it 

 gives biflky red precipitates, sparingly soluble in water. Perchloride of iron pro- 

 duces a dark brown colour, but no precipitate. When its ammoniacal solution is 

 added to that of alum, the alumina precipitated carries down with it the morin- 

 dine as a reddish lake, and, when added to perchloride of iron, a brown precipi- 

 tate is thrown down, which cannot be distinguished from pure peroxide of iron, 

 but which contains morindine, as the supernatant fluid is colourless. 



Heated in close vessels, morindine melts into a deep brown fluid, and boils at 

 a high temperature, with the evolution of an exceedingly beautiful orange vapour 

 resembling that of nitrous acid, which deposits itself on cold substances in fine 

 red needles of considerable length. A bulky charcoal remains in the vessel. 



The analyses of morindine were perfonned with oxide of copper, and upon sub- 

 stance which had been carefully dried for a long time at 212°. The results were 

 as follows : 



f 6'406 grains of morindine gave 

 I. \ 13-028 •■■ carbonic acid, and 

 <■ 2-990 ■-. water. 



f 5'956 grains of morindine gave 

 II. < 12-100 ... carbonic acid, and 

 ^ 2-699 ••. water. 



jrj ( 4-564 grains of morindine gave 

 1 9*270 ... carbonic acid. 

 VOL. XVI. PART IV. 5 T 



