STRYCHNINE 525 



nine crystallizes in rhombic prisms and gives with concentrated 

 sulphuric acid, in connection with potassium dichromate, a blue 

 or violet color. Brucine forms rectangular octohedra and gives a 

 deep-red color with nitric acid. A glucoside, loganin, is present 

 in the seeds in small amount, but it is found in the pulp of the fruit 

 to the extent of 5 per cent. The alkaloids are probably distributed 

 in both the cell-contents and cell wall. Their presence in the wall is 

 shown by the use of iodin solution and in the contents by the use of 

 potassium dichromate and sulphuric acid. The thick cellulose walls 

 give the hard, horny character to these seeds, as also the date seed. 

 A small amount of starch is found in the fragments of adhering pulp. 

 The seeds are sometimes made to look fresh by the use of a blue dye 

 which is soluble in dilute alcohol. 



Strychnine crystallizes in anhydrous orthorhombic crystals from 

 alcoholic solutions. It forms crystallizable salts with the various 

 acids, as well as double salts with platinic chloride and gold chloride. 

 Of the salts, the sulphates are commercially the most important. 

 According to Rammelsberg 1 there are three strychnine sulphates : 

 (1) An acid salt, with two molecules of water of crystallization 

 (C2iH22N202.H2SO4 + 2H2O) and crystallizing in needles, crystal 

 form not given. (2) A neutral salt with 5 molecules of water of 

 crystallization [(C2iH22N 2 O2)2-H 2 S04 + 5H 2 O], orthorhombic (?), 

 from hot aqueous solutions. (3) A neutral salt with six molecules of 

 water of crystallization [(C2iH22N2O2)2-H2SO4 + 6H2O], tetragonal, 

 obtained from aqueous solutions at the ordinary temperature. This 

 latter is the most characteristic form and is the one here described. 

 At 25 C. one part of strychnine sulphate is soluble in 31 parts of 

 water; 65 parts of alcohol; and 325 parts of chloroform. It is 

 nearly insoluble in ether. Crystals obtained on a microscopic slide 

 from solutions in water, alcohol, dilute alcohol or a mixture of alcohol 

 and chloroform vary in size from 0.40 mm. to 2.0 mm. (Figs. 222 and 

 223) . 2 



Brucine is always associated in the plant kingdom with strych- 

 nine. It contains two methoxyl-groups and is looked upon as 

 being di-methoxy-stry ermine. If crystallized from hot water it 

 contains 4 molecules of water of crystallization, but when crystallized 



1 C. Rammelsberg, Ber. d. deutsch. chem. Ges., 1881, 14, p. 1231; abstract 

 in Zeitschr. f. Krystallog., 1884, 9, p. 108. 



2 A photomicrograph of tetragonal crystals of strychnine sulphate, showing 

 side aspect in polarized light, is given in Kraemer's Applied and Economic 

 Botany, p. 769. 



Consult Groth's Physikalische Krystallographie (1905), 4th Ed., p. 431. 



