BASES OF THE STRYCHNOS SPECIES. 445 



6. Bases of the Strychnos Species. 



In various species of Strychnos, particularly in nux- 

 vomica (the seed of Strychnos nux vomica), and in the 

 bean of St. Ignatius (seed of Strychnos Ignatii\ are con 

 tained two alkaloids : 



Strychnine C 2l H 22 ]Sr 2 2 , 

 and Brucine, C 23 H 26 ^s T2 4 , 



which are distinguished by their extraordinary, poison 

 ous properties, and the power of causing tetanus when 

 taken even in very small quantities. 



Preparation. The nuts boiled with alcohol, and then 

 dried and powdered, are exhausted by boiling with di 

 lute alcohol. The extracts are freed of alcohol by distil 

 lation, and foreign substances precipitated by means of 

 lead acetate ; the filtrate, after the removal of lead by sul 

 phuretted hydrogen, evaporated ; and the bases precipi 

 tated by magnesia. In a week the precipitate is filtered 

 off, dried and boiled with alcohol. On evaporating, 

 strychnine crystallizes at first: in the mother-liquor 

 remains brucine together with strychnine. By neutral 

 izing with very dilute nitric acid, and allowing the 

 strychnine nitrate to crystallize out, the two are sepa 

 rated, as the brucine salt remains in the mother-liquor, 

 and crystallizes out afterwards. The salts decolorized 

 by means of animal charcoal are now dissolved in 

 water, and the bases precipitated by means of ammo 

 nia. 



1. Strychnine, C 21 H 22 N 2 2 . Small colorless prisms 

 of an exceedingly bitter taste ; reacts alkaline. 

 Scarcely soluble in water, insoluble in ether and anhy 

 drous alcohol, most easily soluble in dilute alcohol, in 

 benzene, and in chloroform. 



Most salts of strychnine are crystallizable, possess an 

 exceedingly bitter taste, and act like strychnine itself 

 as deadly poisons. Its solution is precipitated in a crys 

 talline form by potassium sulphocyanide. 



Strychnine nitrate, C 21 H 22 N 2 2 .msT0 3 . Colorless 

 38 



