APPENDIX TO CHAPTER I AMINES 129 



Tetramethyl-putrescine, C 8 H 20 N 2 . 



This base occurs along with hyoscyamine, in Hyoscyamus muticus. 

 It is a strongly alkaline liquid, boiling at 169 and miscible with water, 

 alcohol and ether in all proportions. Pharmacologically it is inert 

 (0-05 grm. given as salt hypodermically to frogs and 0-5 grm. intra- 

 venously to rabbits was without effect). 



The dihydro chloride, m.p. 273, is neutral and deliquesces in moist 

 air ; the dipicrate is fairly readily soluble in water; m.p. 198. 



^hzplatinichloride, C 8 H 2() N2 . H 2 PtCl 6 . 2H 2 O, is readily soluble in hot, 

 but much less in cold water; m.p. 234. The aurichloride, of similar 

 solubility in water, dissolves very readily in acetone and forms golden 

 yellow anhydrous prisms decomposing at 206-207. The constitution 

 (CH 3 ) 2 : N . CH 2 . CH 2 . CH 2 . CH 2 . N : (CH 3 ) 2 was established by syn- 

 thesis (Willstatter and Heubner [1907]). 



Agmatine. 



On treatment with silver nitrate and baryta, in the way described 

 in section A of this chapter, this base is precipitated in the arginine 

 fraction. 



Agmatine salts. The sulphate, C 5 H U N 4 . H 2 SO 4 , forms long needles, 

 m.p. 229 ; the dipicrate, C 5 H U N 4 . 2C 6 H 3 O 7 N 3 , forms crystals melting at 

 238 and decomposing at 244; the aurichloride, C 5 H N 4 . 2HAuCl 4 , 

 crystallises in yellow needles. The carbonate separates from aqueous 

 solution on concentration as a chalky mass. 



Phenyl-ethylamine. 



From a putrefaction mixture this base is best isolated in the manner 

 described above for isoamylamine, from which it is separated by its 

 much higher boiling point. 



Phenyl-ethylamine and its salts. The base is easily obtained 

 synthetically, by the reduction of benzylcyanide ; the highest recorded 

 yield by this reaction is 53 per cent, of the theory (Wohl and Berthold 

 [1910]). It is also obtainable from phenyl acetic acid, via the 

 amide, by Hofmann's reaction and via the hydrazide and urethane, by 

 Curtius's method ; it is further one of the products of the destructive 

 distillation of phenylalanine. 



The synthetic base is a liquid of slight amine-like odour and 

 readily absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, forming the crystalline 

 carbonate. The boiling point of the base is 196 at 747 mm., 197- 

 198 at 754 mm. ; it is somewhat lighter than water, and dissolves 

 in 24 parts of water at 20 ; it is miscible with alcohol and with ether. 



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