271 



No distinct cleavabilitj was found. 



The crystals are dichroitic: on |1J0| for vibrations including an 

 angle of 60° with the edge m : ii they are orange-yellow; for such 

 perpendicular to those, reddish-orange. On |riO| one of the directions 

 of extinction includes an angle of 3J° with the intersection m-.ii; 

 the plane of the optical axes is almost parallel to the edge wim. 



^4. After transformation of the racemic salt into the corresponding 

 strychnine-salt und fractional crystallisation, the oxalate was resolved 

 into its antipodes. The d-rhodium-sa,\t, namely, combines into a less 

 soluble stryc/miiie-seiU than the /-salt does. By treatment with potassium- 

 iodide, all strychnine may be eliminated as the little soluble ^ifr^/c/mm^- 

 iodide. and in this way the optically active potassium-salts may be 

 obtained. It is a tedious task to get a sufficient quantity of the 

 laevogyrate antipode, because always some sirychnine-d-oxalate is 

 withdrawn with the l-oxalate; therefore the last mother-liquids always 

 deposit the racemic salt besides the laevogyrate. Moreover, the 

 result is also diminished by the hydrolysis of the stryc/mine-sah 

 during the concentration of the mother-liquid on the water-bath. 



Finally, however, sufïïcient quantities of both antipodes were obtained. 

 The crystallographical description of these salts is given in the following 

 paragraphs. 



§ 5. II. Dextrogyratory Potassium Rhodium-Oxalate (-[-- IHjO). 



Splendid, sometimes colossal, very lustrous, blood-red and perfectly 

 transparent crystals. Their external aspect is very variable with the 



