314 Scientific Intelligence. [April, 



Oxalate of brucine crystallizes in long needles, especially when 

 it contains an excess of acid. 



Brucine is very soluble in alcohol; but it is insoluble in 

 sulphuric ether and the fixed oils, and very little soluble in the 

 volatile oils. When administered internally, it produces tetanus, 

 and acts upon the nerves without attacking the brain, or affect- 

 ing the intellectual faculties. Its intensity is to that of strych- 

 nine as 1 to 12. — (See Journ. de Pharm. Dec. 1819, p. 529.) 



VIII. Equivalent Numbers for Morphia, Strychnine, and Brucine. 

 Pelletier and Caventou have analysed the sulphates of brucine, 

 strychnine, and morphia, respectively, and found the composition 

 of each as follovi^s : 



1. Sulphate of Brucine. 



Sulphuric acid 8-84 9-697 5-000 



Brucine 91-16 100-000 51-582 



100-00 



2. Sulphate of Strychnine. 



Sulphuric acid, 9-5 10-486 5-000 



Strychnine 90-5 100-000 47-682 



100-0 



3. Sulphate of Morphia . 



Sulphuric acid 11 -084 12-465 5-000 



Morphia 88-916 100-000 40-112 



100-000 



According to these analyses, the equivalent numbers for these 

 Substances are the following : 



Brucine 51-582 



Strychnine = 47-682 



Morphia 40-112 



If the reader will compare these analyses with the analyses of 

 the salts of morphia by Choulant, which will be found in the 

 Annals of Philosophi/, xiii. 154, he will see what an enormous 

 difference there is between the two results. It is so great indeed 

 as to be quite inexplicable, and prevents the possibility of put- 

 ting much confidence in either of them. Further researches are 

 requisite before we can expect any precise knowledge of these 

 bodies. The first step ought to be a careful analysis of the 

 bodies themselves. This once known, it would be much easier 

 to determine how much of each is requisite to saturate a deter- 

 minate quantity of sulphuric acid, which would give us the 

 equivalent number for each. 



