ALKALOIDS. 38? 



alkaloids and the pyridine and quinoline bases, have led to numerous 

 experiments made with the view of either solving the problem of 

 making alkaloids synthetically, or of obtaining substances which 

 might have physiological actions similar to those of the alkaloids. 

 The result of these efforts has been the introduction into the materia 

 medica of quite a number of new remedies. 



Pyridine is a colorless liquid, having a sharp, characteristic odor, 

 strongly basic properties, and a boiling-point of 116 C. (241 F.). 



Quinoline, C 9 H 7 N ( Chinoline), has been mentioned above as a product of the 

 distillation of quinine with potash ; it may also be obtained by the action of 

 sulphuric acid upon a mixture of aniline, nitro-benzene, and glycerin. It is, 

 like pyridine, a colorless liquid, but its aromatic odor is less pleasant and its 

 basic properties are less marked than those of pyridine. Boiling-point 237 C. 

 (458 F.). 



Kairine, C 10 H 13 .NO.HC1. The name kairine has been given to the hydro- 

 chloride of methyl-oxychinoline hydride. It is a white, crystalline, odorless 

 powder, soluble in 6 parts of water or in 20 parts of alcohol. 



Thalline, C 10 H U NO (Tetra-hydro-paramethyl-oxyquinoline). Quinoline serves 

 in the manufacture of thalline, a white, crystalline substance, which has an 

 aromatic odor, fuses at 40 C. (104 F.) and is soluble in water, alcohol, and 

 ether. The most characteristic feature of the substance is that it is colored 

 intensely green by various oxidizing agents, such as ferric chloride and others. 

 Some of the salts of thalline, chiefly the sulphate, tartrate, and tannate, have 

 been used medicinally. 



50. ALKALOIDS. 



General Remarks. The basic substances found in plants are 

 grouped together under the name of alkaloids, this term signifying 

 alkali-like, in allusion to the alkaline or basic properties of these 

 substances. They belong either to the amines (compounds contain- 

 ing carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen only), or to the amides (com- 



QUESTIONS. 481. From what, and by what process is aniline obtained; 

 what is its composition and what its constitution ? 482. How are aniline dyes 

 manufactured from aniline ? 483. What is the difference between an amide 

 and an anilid ? 484. What is the composition of antifebrine, and how is it 

 made? 485. State the properties and some reactions characteristic of anti- 

 pyrine. 486. What is saccharine, and what are its properties ? 487. Mention 

 some constituents of bone-oil. 488. State the composition of iodol. 489. 

 Explain the relation existing between methane, benzene, pyridine, and the 

 compounds obtained from these three bodies by introducing carboxyl. 490. 

 Mention two processes by which, and two sources from which pyridine may be 

 obtained. 



