BASES OF THE STRYCHNOS SPECIES. 445 



6. Bases of the Strychnos Species. 



In various species of Strychnos, particularly in nux- 

 vomica (the seed of Strychnos mix vomica), and in the 

 bean of St. Ignatius (seed of Strychnos Igiiatii\ are con- 

 tained two alkaloids : 



Strychnine C 21 H 22 ^" 2 2 , 

 and Brucine, C 23 H 26 ]S T2 OS 



which are distinguished by their extraordinary, poison- 

 ous properties, and the power of causing tetanus when 

 taken even in very small quantities. 



Preparation. The nuts boiled with alcohol, and then 

 dried and powdered, are exhausted by boiling with di- 

 lute alcohol. The extracts are freed of alcohol by distil- 

 lation, and foreign substances precipitated by means of 

 lead acetate ; the nitrate, after the removal of lead by sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen, evaporated ; and the bases precipi- 

 tated by magnesia. In a week the precipitate is filtered 

 off, dried and boiled with alcohol. On evaporating, 

 strychnine crystallizes at first: in the mother-liquor 

 remains brucine together with strychnine. By neutral- 

 izing with very dilute nitric acid, and allowing the 

 strychnine nitrate to crystallize out, the two are sepa- 

 rated, as the brucine salt remains in the mother-liquor, 

 and crystallizes out afterwards. The salts decolorized 

 by means of animal charcoal are now dissolved in 

 water, and the bases precipitated by means of ammo- 

 nia. 



1. Strychnine, C 21 H 22 N 2 2 . Small colorless prisms 

 of an exceedingly bitter taste ; reacts alkaline. 

 Scarcely soluble in water, insoluble in ether and anhy- 

 drous alcohol, most easily soluble in dilute alcohol, in 

 benzene, and in chloroform. 



Most salts of strychnine are crystallizable, possess an 

 exceedingly bitter taste, and act like strychnine itself 

 as deadly poisons. Its solution is precipitated in a crys- 

 talline form by potassium sulphocyanide. 



Strychnine nitrate, C 21 H 22 K 2 2 .HI^0 3 . Colorless 

 38 



