290 New Vegetable Alkalies. 



The crystals of brucine are in the form of oblique quarlrangu- 

 lar prisms, colourless and transparent ; and some of them several 

 lines in length. When quickly crystallized from a saturated so- 

 lution in boiling water by cooling, it is in bulky plates, somewhat 

 like boracic acid. 



Brucine dissolves in 500 parts of boiling water, and in 850 of 

 cokl water ; when impure, by some of the colouring matter not 

 having been perfectly separated, it is much more soluble. It has 

 an exceeding bitter acrid taste, which remains long in the mouth. 

 When administered hi doses of a few grains it proves poisonous, 

 but less so than strychnine. It does not alter in rhe air, melts 

 at a temperature a little above that of boiling water, without de- 

 composition, and when again cooled appears like wax. When 

 decomposed by oxide of copper it yields only carbonic acid and 

 water, and a small trace of nitrogen, which is thouj^ht perhaps 

 accidental. It seems then to be composed of carbon, hydrogen, 

 and perhaps oxygen, but the proportions of its constituents have 

 not yet been ascertained. 



With acids it forms neutral and bisalts, which crystallize with 

 facility, especially the latter. 



Sulphate of Brucine crystallizes in long slender needles, which 

 appear to be four-sided prisms terminated by pyramids. It is 

 very soluble in water, and slightly so in alcohol. It is very bit- 

 ter, and is decomposable by potash, soda, annuonia, barytes, 

 slrontian, lime, and magnesia; and also by morphium and strych- 

 nine, which dissolve in it very readily bv uniting with the acid. 

 None of the acids dissolve this salt except strong nitric acid, 

 which alters the brucine itself, and produces, as with strychnine 

 and with morphium, a fine red colour. A supersulphate is formed 

 bv adding sulphuric acid to a neutral solution of sulphate of bru- 

 cine. The supersulphate is les; soluble in water, and crystalhzes 

 more readily than the neutral sulphate. The neutral sulphate 

 yielded on analysis by Pelletier and Caventon, 



Sulphuric acid 8-84 9-697 



Brucine .91-16. . ..100000 



[The sulphate of strychnine is composed of 



Sulphuric acid 9-5 10-486 



Stry.-hnine 90-5. . ..100 000 



The sulphate of morphium is composed of 



Sulphuric acid. . ..11-0S4 12-465 



Morphium 88-916. . ..100-000] 



Muriate of Brucine. — Brucine dissolves readily in muriatic 

 acid, and yields ([undrangular prisms terminated at both ends 

 by oblique faces. These crystals r6main unaltered in the air, and 

 r.re very soluble in water. When heated to the temperature that 

 affcpts vegetable bodies it is decomposed, the muriatic acid going 



off 



J 



