937 



NICOTIANIN. 



NICOTINE. 



933 



it ia smoked, or when obtained by destructive distillation. The action 

 of nicotiua is highly poisonous ; a quarter of a drop will kill a rabbit ; 

 one drop can destroy a dog. It is distinguished from the other 

 alkaloids obtained from the tribe of the Solanacece by not causing 

 dilatation of the pupil ; the external application of it to the eye 

 produces other very alarming narcotic symptoms. The tenth part of a 

 grain put into the eye of a cat causes strong convulsions, with foaming 

 at the mouth, quick respiration, accompanied with rattling in the 

 throat and rapid palpitations of the heart, which can be heard at a 

 considerable distance, staggering, and paralysis of the hinder extre- 



, which symptoms disappear in an hour. 



The empyreuuiatic oil, in the quantity even of a single drop placed 

 on the tongue, excites convulsions and coma, without affecting the 

 heart. It may prove fatal in two minutes. 



Tobacco, therefore, is a very powerful agent, the active principles 

 of which are extracted by water, either in the form of infusion or 

 decoction. The local effects of tobacco-leaves, or any preparation of 

 them, are those of an acrid substance; hence when taken internally 

 they cause vomiting and purging, pain of the stomach and intestines, 

 followed by inflammation and ulceration. The external application 

 occasions irritation of the part, and if kept long in contact with it, 

 inflammation : snuffing the prepared powder induces sneezing and 

 increased secretion of mucus; chewing or smoking it causes increased 

 secretion of saliva, with diminished appetite in those unaccustomed to 

 its use. 



Besides these local effects it has a secondary action, which results 

 from the absorption of the active principles. It is immaterial by what 

 channel they are introduced into the circulation : the same consequences 

 follow, and affect on the one hand the intestinal canal, the lungs, and 

 the heart ; and on the other, the nervous centres of the brain and 

 spinal chord. The former show themselves by nausea, vomiting, 

 purging, pain and inflammation of the stomach, and here and there of 

 the intestines ; on the lungs, by the slower, painful, and irregular 

 respiration ; and after death the tissue of the lungs is found to be 

 thicker, more injected with blood, and accumulations or extravasation 

 of it. The action on the heart, or probably the nerves of the heart, 

 manifests itself by irregular, generally slower pulsations, and by the 

 heart losing its irritability sooner than after natural death ; but the 

 chief secondary action is on the brain and spinal chord, and this 

 succeeds the external as well as internal application of it, but most so 

 after injection into the rectum. Giddiness, weight, and pain of the 

 head ; deafness, a feeling like intoxication, staggering, trembling, 

 general weariness of the muscles, with convulsive contractions of 

 them, or cramps, general insensibility, sleepiness, and death are the 

 consequences. 



Tobacco must therefore be considered as a narcotic acrid poison. 

 Habit reconciles the system to its action when used moderately, but 

 nothing can secure the body from its irritative property and its 

 ultimate absorption when employed in excess or incautiously. Uncon- 

 trollable fits of sneezing have produced death, and smoking a number 

 of pipes or cigars has also cause I death. The use of an infusion as a 

 wash to the head in ringworm, or against the itch, has produced death 

 by absorption through the abraded surface. The greater number of 

 fatal cases have resulted from the employment of it as an injection 

 into the rectum, either against worms, or, by a most singular practice, 

 in the form of smoke in the case of persons drowned, a custom which 

 ought to be strongly censured and relinquished. 



The few caes which can justify the use of so formidable an agent 

 are those ia which great relaxation of the muscles is wished, such as to 

 rrduco dislocations or hernias, or to remove obstructions in the intes- 

 tines, ill ileus, and similar diseases. But the utmost caution is here 

 requisite; and an injection of uniform strength, as ordered in the 

 ' Pharmacopoeia," is to be prepared, and thrown up in divided portions, 

 und T tin: iiir' otion and in the presence of the medical attendant. 

 In case of over-dose, vital stimulants, such as brandy or ammonia, 

 mint be resorted to. Tobacco is now nearly entirely superseded by 

 chloroform in such cases. The infusion of tobacco has been recom- 

 mended as a diuretic in some c.ises of dropsy; but it is a dangerous 

 remedy, and seldom employed. 



Against the common use of tobacco for suufiing or smoking it is 

 perhaps useless to declaim. Chewing it is limited in a great measure 

 to sailors, and it were to be wished that the practice of smoking were 

 similarly restricted. Thq evils which follow indulgence in these 

 customs are not veiy obvious, but that injury results in most cases is 

 certain. [ANTIDOTES; EUHIIINES.] Tobacco is largely sophisticated. 

 These are frauds on the revenue, or on the purchaser, but not many 

 of them ate dangerous. Snuff, however, is adulterated at times with 

 lead. The uee of such adulterated snuff produces paralysis of some of 

 the facial nerves. 



NICOTIANIN, or eisentialoil of Macco (C 4l> H a N 2 ? ). A crystalline 

 substance that slowly separates from the liquid obtained on distilling 

 tobacco leaves with wiiter. It somewhat resembles camphor, is volatile, 

 ins ilubly in alcohol or ether, has a feeble odour resembling tobacco 

 Hinoku, an aromatic bitter taste, and according to M. Barral, should 

 give nicotine by distillation with potash. It seems to exist in tubacco 

 in but very small quantity. 



NICOT1C ACID lC.H,0,, 2HO). A peculiar acid allied with oxalic 

 acid, and said to be contained in tobacco juice. It ciy.italli.iei in 



micaceous scales, but its existence as a distinct acid cannot be con- 

 sidered as established. 



NICOTINE, Nicntia (C 10 H,N). This alkaloid is the active principle 

 of TOBACCO. [NICOTIANA tabacum., in NAT. HIST. Div.] It was first 

 discovered by Vauquelin in 1809, and probably exists naturally in the 

 state of malate or citrate. It may be isolated by several methods ; the 

 following being the one proposed by M. Debize. A mixture of lime 

 and tobacco is placed in a cylinder and a current of heated steam 

 passed through it. The opposite end of the cylinder to that at which 

 the steam enters is connected with a worm, by which the steam, 

 nicotine, ammonia, and some undefined bases are condensed. In order 

 to separate the nicotine, the condensed liquid is neutralised with 

 sulphuric acid, concentrated by evaporation, and then treated with 

 ether and ammonia. In this way an ethereal solution of nicotine is 

 obtained, from which the alkaloid can be easily separated and purified 

 by rectification. 



The proportion of nicotine in the different kinds of tobacco varies 

 considerably. According to M. Schlcesing, the centesimal amounts in 

 some of the French and American tobaccos are as follows : 



Lot 



Lot-et-Garonnc , 

 Nord . 

 Ille-et-Vilaine . 

 Pas-dc-Calais 



7-90 

 7-34 

 6-58 

 6-29 

 4-94 



Alsace . . . 3-21 



Virginia '. . . G'37 



Kentucky . . 6*09 



Maryland . . . 2'29 



Havannah, less than 2*0 



In the manufacture of snuff, much of the nicotine is decomposed ; 

 seldom more than two per cent, remaining unaltered. 



When tobacco leaves are burned the nicotine or at all events the 

 greater part of it passes off along with the smoke, and in the impure 

 state may be frequently seen condensed in oily drops in the stems of 

 tobacco-pipes. 



When pure, nicotine is a colourless oily liquid, of sp. gr. T027. 

 It has a pungent, irritating smell, and persistent burning taste. It is 

 exceedingly poisonous, one drop being sufficient to kill a large dog. 

 Its chemical characteristics are such, that it can readily be detected in 

 the stomach and blood of any animal that has swallowed a sufficient 

 quantity to produce death. Exposed to the air, nicotine absorbs 

 oxygen, becomes brown, and is ultimately converted into a solid 

 resinous substance. Its boiling point is 480" Fahr., nevertheless it is 

 so volatile at ordinary temperatures, that if one drop is spilt in a 

 moderate-sized room, the atmosphere is rendered so irritating as to be 

 scarcely respirable. It is also readily distilled with the vapour of 

 water, or in a current of hydrogen. Ignited in the air it burns with a. 

 bright, smoky flame. It is very soluble in water, alcohol, ether, and 

 the fixed oils, only slightly so in turpentine, and is very hygrometric. 

 On agitating its aqueous solution with ether, the latter extracts the 

 whole of the nicotine, and forms, on standing, a layer on the surface of 

 the water. Solutions of nicotine exert Icevo-rotatiou on a ray of 

 polarised light : their chemical properties are very similar to those of 

 ammonia, but may be distinguished by giving a reddish-yellow pre- 

 cipitate with chloride of gold, very soluble in excess of nicotine ; a 

 blue precipitate, changing to green, with chloride of cobalt; yellow 

 precipitate with aqueous solution of iodine ; and an abundant white 

 precipitate with pure taunic acid. The odour of nicotine, though 

 tested for in the same way as for ammonia, is very different from the 

 latter body. 



Nicotine, like ammonia, is a powerful base combining with acids to 

 form salts. It also yields iodine and methylic, ethylic, &c., derivatives. 

 From the experiments of Kekuleand Von Planta and others, it appears 

 that nicotine belongs to the class of nitrile bases, and is, in fact, ammonia 

 in which the three equivalents of hydrogen are replaced by the ter- 

 atomic radical nicutyl (C 10 H,'"). 



Jft/drocklorate of nicotine (C, H 7 N, HC1). This salt is very deliques- 

 cent, but may be obtained in long fibres by the action of dry hydro- 

 chloric acid gas upon nicotine. tiul/.<h(tte of nicotine is uncrystallisablc. 

 Phosphate of nicotine crystallises in large plates resembling cholesterin. 

 O.calate of nicotine is exceedingly soluble in water, but may be obtained 

 in crystals; it is also soluble in boiling alcohol, but insoluble in ether. 



C/doroplatinate of nicotine (C 10 H 7 N, HC1, PtCl 2 ) is a yellow crystal- 

 line precipitate produced on adding bichloride of platinum to an 

 aqueous solution of nicotine neutralised with hydrochloric acid. It is 

 very soluble in excess of nicotine; dilute hydrochloric acid also dissolves 

 it when gently wanned, and redeposits it in oblique rhomboidal prisms. 

 Several ckloromercurates ofnidtin exist., 



fodonieotine (2C 10 H ; N, I,) is formed on mixing together ethereal 

 solutions of nicotine and iodine ; from a dilute solution it slowly 

 deposits in beautiful ruby-red needles. Potash decomposes it with 

 liberation of nicotine. Hydrochloric acid combines with it to form 

 rich ruby-red plates, containing C2C 10 H.NI 3 , 3HC1). 



Methylic, ethylic, and amylic derivatives of nicotine. These bodies 

 correspond to ammonium (NH 4 ) in which which three atoms of hydro- 

 gen are replaced by nicotyl, and the remaining one by methyl or its 

 homologues. Their iodides are produced by the direct action of the 

 iodide of the radical upon nicotine, the hydmtcd oxides being formed 

 when the iodides are treated with recently precipitated oxide of 

 silver. The hydrated oxides are powerful caustic liases resembling 

 potash and soda ; they perfectly neutralise acids, forming salts that are 

 mostly crystalline ; precipitate the oxides of copper and of iron from 



