BASES OF BERBERIS VULGARIS. 417 



troduced into the nose in the form of powder or in 

 solution in small quantity. It dissolves in concen- 

 trated sulphuric acid, forming a yellow liquid, which 

 soon becomes reddish-yellow, and finally intense blood- 

 red. It is dissolved by concentrated hydrochloric acid, 

 forming a colorless liquid, which, boiled for a long time, 

 becomes colored an intense violet. 



2. Jervine, C 30 H 46 N 2 3 + 2IPO. Colorless prisms, 

 insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol ; fuses when 

 heated. Its salts are for the greater part very diffi- 

 cultly soluble in water. 



8. Bases of Berberis Vulgaris. 



In the root of these plants are contained two alka- 

 loids : 



Berberine, C 20 H 17 ^"0 4 , 

 and Oxyacanthine, C^HWO 11 (?). 



Berberine occurs besides in a great many other 

 plants ; in colombo-root (of Cocculm palmatus), in 

 several Menispermacece and Ranunculacece, (in large 

 quantity, for example, in the wood of Coscinium fenes- 

 tratum, and in the root of Hydrastis Ganadensis, which 

 is officinal in North America.) The preparation of 

 berberine takes place in the same manner as that of the 

 other bases. For the purpose of purification, the difficult 

 solubility of the nitrate in nitric acid is made use of. 



1. Berberine, C 20 H 17 Isr0 4 . Fine yellow prisms, of a 

 strong bitter taste, easily soluble in hot water and alco- 

 hol, insoluble in ether; loses five molecules of water of 

 crystallization at 100, becoming brown ; fuses at 120. 

 Its salts are yellow and crystallizable, most of them 

 insoluble in an excess of acid. If a dilute solution of 

 iodine in potassium iodide be added, not in excess, to a 

 hot alcoholic solution of a salt of berberine, green 

 crystalline laminre, of a metallic lustre very similar to 

 herapathite (p. 443), separate from the solution on cool- 

 ing. 



Nascent hydrogen (zinc and dilute sulphuric acid or 

 acetic acid) convert it into another base, hydroberberine, 



