CONINE. 433 



taste. Boils at 163.5. Dissolves water, which is sepa- 

 rated by the aid of heat ; hence the property of conine, 

 of becoming turbid even from the warmth of the hand. 

 Soluble in 100 parts of water ; miscible with alcohol 

 and water. Strongly alkaline, and very poisonous. 

 Monatomic. 



Decomposition. On exposure to the air, conine, as 

 well as the solutions of its salts, soon becomes brown, 

 and is finally entirely destroyed, ammonia being 

 evolved. Warmed with oxidizing substances, it yields 

 butyric acid. By treatment with dry nitrous acid and 

 subsequent addition of water, there is formed azocony- 

 drine, C 8 H 1(r N" 2 0, a bright-yellow liquid, insoluble in 

 water, which, heated with phosphoric anhydride, is re- 

 solved into nitrogen, water, and a hydrocarbon, conylene, 

 C 8 H U (homologous with acetylene, p. 131). Colorless, 

 mobile liquid, boiling at 126; combines directly with 

 bromine, forming a liquid product, C 8 H 14 Br 2 . 



Methylconine, C 8 H 14 .KCHf, and Ethylconine, 



C 8 H 14 .N.C 2 II 5 , are colorless liquids, which are formed 

 when conine is heated with methyl or ethyl iodide, 

 and afterwards distilled with caustic potassa. The 

 former is frequently contained in commercial conine. 

 They both combine directly with another molecule of 

 ethyl iodide, forming crystallizing iodides, which, 

 when decomposed with silver oxide, yield bases, 

 analogous to tetrethylammonium hydroxide ; not vola- 

 tile ; very easily soluble in water. 



Conhydrine, C 8 H 17 NO, occurs together with conine, 

 particularly in the fresh blossoms, but also in the ripe 

 seed of hemlock. Can be separated from conine by 

 distillation in a current of hydrogen, the tempera- 

 ture being raised very slowly. At first conine passes 

 over, and, at a higher temperature, crystals of conhy- 

 drine are deposited in the neck of the retort. Color- 

 less, iridescent, crystalline laminae ; sublimes at 100 ; 

 fuses at 120.6; and boils at 224. Moderately soluble 

 in water, more readily in alcohol and ether. Heated 

 with phosphoric anhydride, it is decomposed into 

 37 



