of Chelidonin and Jervin. 35 



keep the mixture some time near boiling, it crystallizes again, 

 on cooling, with its properties unchanged. If chelidonin is 

 melted with caustic potash and a little water so that it is not 

 perfectly decomposed, it may be obtained unchanged when 

 neutralized with an acid and precipitated by ammonia. 

 The small quantity of the bases did not permit me to make 

 further experiments. 



For comparison I place here the per cent, composition of 

 narcotin and chelidonin near one another. 



Carbon 68*90 65-27 



Hydrogen ... 5-62 5-32 



Nitrogen 11-97 3-78 



Oxygen 13-51 25-63 



The plants which yield these two bases belong to the same 

 family, the Papaveraceae. 



Jervin.— 1:\\\?. vegetable base, the general properties of 

 which and mode of preparation have already been described 

 in vol. xxiv. p. 214 oi ihe Anncden dcr Pharmacie, is obtained 

 along with veratrin and sabadillen from the root of Veratrum 

 album. 



The analysed jervin was white and crystalline ; when heated 

 on a slip of platinum it melted to an oily fluid, almost as clear 

 as water, which at a greater heat became brown, took fire, and 

 was consumed with a smoky flame, but without leading any 

 residue. When melted with caustic potash ammonia is de- 

 veloped. It is almost insoluble in water, but dissolves in 

 spirits of wine ; with acetic acid it forms a salt soluble 

 in water. The sulphate muriate and nitrate of jervin are 

 scarcely soluble in water, and in mineral acids. The acetic 

 solution of jervin is precipitated in copious flakes by the last- 

 named acids and by ammonia, which redissolve only \yith dif- 

 ficulty, even in a great excess ofthe precipitant. Jervin bears 

 in an oil-bath a temperature of 190° centigrade, without be- 

 Jng decomposed, but above 200° it becomes brown and is 

 decomposed. With chloride of platinum, jervin, like all or- 

 ganic bases, forms a double salt, which is best obtained by 

 precipitating the acetic solution of jervin with an acid solu- 

 tion of chloride of platinum, or by replacing the alcohol solu- 

 tion ofthe acetate ot jervin by chloride of platinum, and then 

 evaporating it and washing the salt with water; the double 

 salt precipftaled from the acetate of jervin forms a beautifully 

 bright yellow substance, easily washed without being decom- 

 pos'ed, which was employed iii the analysis given below. 



1.0-218 of jervin dried in the air lust at a temperature of 

 100% 0-015 of water = 6-88 per cent. 



2. 0-4575 heated to 130" lost 0-0315 of water = 6-88 per 

 cent. ,^ 



