126 PROCEEDINGS OP SECTION B. 



and taking up with tilcoliol the salt decomposes spontaneously, leavmg 

 white crystals of the pure base. An assay of the crushed bark yielded 

 ■7 per cent, pukateine, but nothing like this yield was obtained in 

 practice, as from the whole 166 lb. of bark, only 64 grams of ap- 

 proximately pure pukateine w^ere obtained. 



Dry Distillation of the Base. — On heating pukateine to redness 

 with soda lime, ammonia and unrecognisable fumes are given off. On 

 heating with zinc dust no smell of quinoline or pyridine could be 

 ■detected. 



Meth-oxy Groups. — Pukateine examined by ZeiseFs method for 

 meth-oxy groups gave negative results. 



Hydroxyl Groups. — Pukateine, dissolved in pyridine, when 

 treated with benzoyl chloride, gives a compound wliich is under in- 

 vestigation. 



Nitro Derivative. — Pukateine dissolved in glacial acetic acid is 

 easily nitrated by the cautious addition in the cold of a few drops of 

 concentrated nitric acid. The crystallme nitro derivative has strong 

 acid in function and dissolves in alkalies to an orange red solution. 



Salts of Pukatehie.— The hydrochloride, C17H1-NO3HCI, is easily 

 prepared by dissolving the base in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid 

 and rapidly filtering. On cooling, a crystalline hydrochloride separates 

 out. This is filtered off and dried on a porous plate. The anhydrous 

 salt is obtained by drying at a temperature of o0°-60° C, imder re- 

 duced pressure. 



Titration of the hydrochloride — 



N 

 •5751 gram, took 18-02 cc. - caustic soda= 1137 % HCl. 



•1842 gram, took 5'80 cc. - caustic soda= ir50 % HCl. 

 ^ 10 ^ 



Calculated for C17H17NO3HCI. 1142 % HCL 

 Chlorine estimation — 



•1651 sram. gave -075 gram. AgCl. = ir22 % CI. 



Calculatetl for Ci;.Hi.Nd3HCl. ITl] % CI. 



The platinmn salt, which crystallizes in Avarty masses from 

 alcohol, is prepared by the addition of platinum bichloride to a 

 solution of pukateine hydrochloride in water. On washing with hot 

 water, and drying in a desiccator under reduced pressure — 

 0'148 gram, of the sale gave 00298 gram, platinum = 20"1 per cent. 

 Calculated for Ci-Hi-N03)2PtCl6 - 20-1 per cent. 



Colour Reactions of Pukateine. 



Tf a solution of bichromate of potash in concentrated sulphuric 

 acid, prepared as for the stiychnine reaction, be brought into contact 

 in riot too great an excess, with a few crystals of pukateine, a per- 

 sistent purple colouration is produced. If excess of the reagent be 

 applied, a greenish colour merely results. The colour which the 

 reagent gives with strychnine cannot be confused with that given by 

 pukateine. The former is a bright violet, quickly changing to purple, 

 and finally to a bright red. At one stage the purple colour of the 

 strychnine reaction closely resembles that of pukateine, but the 



