CHEMISTRY OF THE PTOMAINES. 205 



ma'ine is much more easily soluble. BRIEOEH is, therefore, 

 iiicliii.il to think that it is identical with ethyl idenediamine, 

 CH 3 .('II. ML),, rather than with ethylenediamine, which 

 IIM- I lie structure, CH 2 .NII 2 .CH 2 .NH 2 . This ptomaine 

 was obtained hy liiMi:<;KU, in 1885 (I., 44), from decom- 

 po>ing haddock (see (J ad i nine). 



The live l>asc can l>e obtained, without decomposition, on 

 distilling the hydrochloride with sodium hydrate. 



The HYDROCHLORIDE, C 2 H 8 N,.2HC1, crystallizes in 

 long glistening needles which are readily soluble in water, 

 insoluble in absolute alcohol. It gives no combination with 

 gold chloride. For its behavior to alkaloidal reagents see 

 Table I. 



The PLATINOCHLORIDE, C 2 H 8 N 2 .2HCl.PtCl 4 (Pt = 

 41.4!> per cent.), forms small yellow plates which are 

 moderately ditlicultly soluble in water. It can be readily 

 recrystalli/cd from hot water. 



Phytiologitial Action. Frogs seem to be less suscepti- 

 ble to the action of this poison than mice or guinea-pigs. 

 In the latter, it produces a short time after injection an 

 abundant jx-riodic flow of secretion from the nose, mouth, 

 and eyes. The pupils dilate and the eyeballs project. 

 Violent dyspnoea then comes on and predominates until the 

 death of tin- animal, which does not take place for twenty- 

 four hours or more. The heart is stopped in diastole. 



TRIM KTH YLENEDIAMINE (?^, C S II 10 N 2 (?), is a toxic base 

 isolated by HitiEGER (1887) from cultures of the comma 

 bacillus on U-ef-broth. It may be stat<>d here that from 

 the .-aine source, cholera cultures, KUN/ (1888) obtained a 

 base which he considered to be identical with sperminc or 

 ethyleneimine (see next chapter). It is present, however, in 

 exceedingly minute quantity, and occurs in the mercuric 

 chloride precipitate, from which it is obtained by the fol- 

 lowing method : The precipitate is decomposed by hydrogen 

 sulphide, the filtrate evaporated to dry ness, and the residue 

 taken up with absolute alcohol and precipitated by an 

 alcoholic solution of sodium picrate. The precipitate 



10 



