CHEMISTRY OF THE PTOMAINES. 225 



:iinl a half hours. The animal was on its side, the feet 

 extruded. 1'ost-iiiortem examination showed the heart 

 anv-trd in diastole, lungs rather pale, stomach contracts!, 

 serum in thoracic eavity, sulx-nta pair and tedematoiis. 



Repeated doses of smaller quantities seem to confer a j>artial 

 immunity to the action of the germ. 



METHYL-GUANIDINE, C 2 H 7 N S , =NH= C\^E 



r l"his base lias long been known as a product of the oxi- 

 dation of creatmc and ereatinine, but had never been met 

 with in animal tissues. BRIEGER in 1886 (III., 33; ob- 

 tained it from horseflesh which was allowed to decompose 

 in a close* I vessel at a low temperature ( 9 to -f- 5) for 

 four months. BOCKLISCH (Ber. 20, 1441) isolated it from 

 impure cultures on beef-broth of FlNKLER and PRIOR'S 

 vibrio proteus, containing ordinary putrefaction bacteria, 

 fin- twenty to thirty days at 37-38. Vibrio proteus 

 alone seems incapable of forming this base. The comma 

 bacillus after some time (six weeks) partially decomposes 

 ereatinine with formation of a small quantity of methyl- 

 guanidine (BitiFXJEu). The bacillus of anthrax likewise is 

 capable of transforming creatine into methyl-guanidine. 



It occurs in the mercuric chloride filtrate (BRIEGEK), 

 from which it is obtained, after the removal of the mercury 

 by hydrogen sulphide, by precipitation with phospho- 

 molyhdic acid. The precipitate is decomposed with neutral 

 lead acetate, and the filtrate from this, alter removal of the 

 lead l>v hydrogen sulphide, is concentrated and then sodium 

 picrate added. The resinous picrate precipitate is purified 

 by boiling with much water, and, finally, it is reerystallixed 

 from boiling absolute alcohol. According to BOCKLISCH, 

 it occurs in the mercuric chloride precipitate (not in the 

 filtrate), from which it is isolated, after removal of the mer- 

 cury and concentration of the clear filtrate, by precipitation 

 with sodium picrate. The precipitate containing eadaverine, 

 UK thyl-guanidinc, and ereatinine, is boiled with absolute 

 alcohol (eadaverine picrate is insoluble) and the alcoholic 

 solution is then evaporated to drive oft the alcohol and 



