454 CHINOLINE BASES. 



ether, benzene, and chloroform. Has a weak alkaline 

 reaction. Very poisonous. 



20. Colchicine, C 17 H 19 ^"0 5 . In all parts of Colchicum 

 dvtymnale. Colorless, amorphous mass, without odor; 

 of \ Very bitter and sharp taste. Moderately soluble in 

 water ; in alcohol very easily soluble ; insoluble in ether. 

 Fuses at 140. Very poisonous ; in small quantity 

 causes vomiting and diarrhoea. Hardly possesses basic 

 properties, and when heated with dilute acids is con- 

 verted into a substance of the same composition, 

 colchiceine, which crystallizes in needles and possesses 

 weak acid properties. 



In addition to those already described, numerous 

 other vegetable alkaloids have been prepared, but for 

 the greater part but slightly investigated. 



In the distillation of several natural alkaloids (qui- 

 nine, cinchonine, strychnine), with potassa, there re- 

 sults a number of fluid bases (chinoline bases), very 

 similar to each other, which are distillable without de- 

 composition. These do not occur ready formed in 

 nature, but bases of the same composition, and perhaps 

 identical with them, are produced in the distillation of 

 several other bodies, and are contained in coal tar. 

 They form an homologous series, the better known 

 members of which are chinoline, C 9 H 7 ]^ (boiling point, 

 238), lepidine, C 10 H 9 N (boiling point, 266-271), and 

 cryptidine, C n H n E". They are colorless liquids, spar- 

 ingly soluble in water, easily soluble in alcohol and 

 ether, and yield with acids easily soluble, crystallizing 

 salts. They contain no hydrogen capable of replace- 

 ment by alcoholic radicles, but, on the contrary, unite 

 directly with the alcoholic iodides, forming well crys- 

 tallizing iodides, from which, by treatment with silver 

 oxide, are obtained bases analogous to tetrethylammo- 

 nium hydroxide. 



Chinoline, heated with amyl iodide, yields amyl- 



