b 



DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES. 471 



platinum and corrosive sublimate, both of which are soluble in water. With chlo- 

 ride of gold it gives a pale yeUow precipitate, which does not dissolve on boiling 

 the solution, and is not deposited in crystals. Petinine throws down peroxide of 

 iron from its compounds. It also precipitates salts of copper, and the oxide 

 thrown down dissolves in excess of the base with a fine blue colour. 



These properties agree with those of none of the bases described by Unver- 

 DOKBEN ; and, in fact, it is certain that petinine could not have been present in 

 the mixture to which he applies the name of odorine, for he expressly states that 

 it commenced boiling at 212°. And it is easy to see why he did not obtain it, 

 because, in separating the bases from the acid by which they were extracted from 

 the crude oil, he took care to add a quantity of potass just so great that the oily bases 

 were liberated, and not the ammonia ; and as his object in doing so was to get 

 rid of the latter substance, and there being no means of doing this exactly, it is 

 probable that he did not fully separate the bases, but the most volatile, which is 

 also the most powerful, remained in combination with the acid along with the 

 ammonia. 



Compounds of Petinine. 



The minute quantity of petinine which I obtained has necessitated a very cursory- 

 examination of its salts, which are interesting, both from the facility with which 

 they crystallise, and their great stability. None of them undergo change in the 

 air, but may be left exposed for any length of time without acquiring colour. 

 They are all soluble in water, and those with the volatile acids sublime without 

 decomposing, and are deposited in crystals upon cold surfaces. 



Sulphate of Petinine, is obtained by adding petinine to dilute sulphuric acid 

 until the fluid is neutral. On evaporating, petinine is given off, and the solution, 

 when concentrated to a syrup, concretes on cooling into a foliated mass of crys- 

 tals of an acid sulphate. These crystals are strongly acid to test-paper, extremely 

 soluble in water, and slightly deMquescent in moist air. 



Nitrate of Petinine. — The solution of petinine in nitric acid, evaporated to 

 dryness, and gently heated on the sand-bath, gives a sublimate of the nitrate in 

 fine woolly crystals. 



Hydrochlorate of Petinine. — Hydrochloric acid combines with dry petinine, 

 with the evolution of much heat, and the formation of a salt which is extremely 

 soluble in water, and sublimes in fine needle-shaped ciystals. 



Chloride of Platinum and Petinine. — If bichloride of platinum be added to a 

 dilute solution of hydrochlorate of petinine, the salt formed remains in solution ; 

 but when both substances are concentrated, it falls as a pale yellow precipitate, 

 which was purified by crystallisation from hot water. On cooling, the fluid, if 

 sufficiently concentrated, becomes entirely filled with exceedingly beautiful golden- 

 yeUow plates, resembling those of crystallised iodide of lead. It ispretty soluble 



VOL. XVI. PART IV. 6 E 



