THE PTOMAINES AND SOLUBLE FERMENTS 319 



beautiful shining plates, which melt at about 250C. 

 This ptomaine is soluble in water, ether, and 

 chloroform. 



Mydine (C 8 H n NO). This ptomaine was ex- 

 tracted by Brieger from human corpses and pure 

 cultivations of the typhoid bacillus. It is non- 

 poisonous, and its picrate melts at 195 C. 



Betaine (C 5 H n N0 2 ) or trimethylglycocine was 

 first isolated from urine by Liebreich in 1869. It 

 is related to neurine and choline. In 1885, Brieger 

 extracted the same base from poisonous and non- 

 poisonous mussels. Betaine is a non-poisonous 

 ptomaine. 



Pyocyanin (C 14 H 14 N0 2 ). This is the greenish 

 pigment produced by Bacillus pyocyaneus. It is 

 soluble in water, alcohol, and chloroform. Accord- 

 ing to Ledderhose, this compound appears to be a 

 derivative of anthracene. 



Unknown Bases (CyH^Og and C 5 H 12 N 2 4 ). 

 Dr. G. Pouchet extracted both of these bases from 

 putrid animal substances. They are very poisonous, 

 and give rise to crystalline hydrochlorides and 

 platinochlorides. 



Sucholotoxine. This is a ptomaine extracted from 

 pure cultivations of the microbe of hog cholera. It 

 forms double salts with the chlorides of platinum 

 and hydrogen. Yon Schweinitz 1 states that this 

 base is very poisonous. 



Suplagatoxine. This was extracted by Von 

 Schweinitz 2 from pure cultivations of the microbe 

 of swine plague. It is also poisonous. The chemical 



1 Journ. Amer. Chem. Soc., 1891. 2 Ibid. 



