210 IV. OILY COMPOUND COMBUSTIBLES — 



Dry ALCOHOLIC extract of nux vomica. Make a tincture 

 of nux vomica with alcohol at 36 deg. Baume; filter, and evapo- 

 rate on shallow plates with a very gentle heat ; acts strongly as an 

 excitant of the nervous system ; in pills, gr. j to ij, increased gra- 

 dually and cautiously to 3ss, or until the tetanic symptoms 

 become considerable : used in palsy. 



Brucine. Digest ether on powdered bark of Brucea antidy- 

 senterica, to separate a fatty matter ; strain, add alcohol at 36 

 deg. Baume; digest, filter, evaporate to dryness; dissolve the 

 mass in water, add liquid subacetate of lead ; filter, pass sulphu- 

 retted hydrogen gas through the clear liquor; filter again, and 

 add calcined magnesia : filter again, wash the sediment very 

 slightly with cold water, dry, digest in alcohol, filter, and distil 

 off the spirit. To purify the brucine, add a solution of oxalic 

 acid, crystallize, add a mixture of alcohol at 40 deg. Baume, and 

 ether at 60 deg., to extract the colouring matter, then dissolve 

 the oxalate of brucine in water, add calcined magnesia, filter, 

 digest the sediment in alcohol, filter, and let the spirit evaporate 

 by exposure to the air. Brucine is crystalline, very bitter, scarcely 

 soluble in water ; acts strongly on the nervous system, gr. ss gra- 

 dually to gr. vj. Nitric acid turns it deep crimson. 



CiNCHONiNE. Boil Peruvian bark in alcohol until all the 

 bitterness is extracted ; distil to dryness ; dissolve the extract in 

 boiling water, rendered very acid with muriatic acid ; add calcined 

 magnesia, boil for a few minutes till the liquor is clear ; when 

 cold, filter, wash the sediment left on the filter with cold water, 

 dry it, boil alcohol upon it until all the bitterness is extracted ; 

 pour off the alcohol, and, as it cools, the cinchonine will crystal- 

 lize. It may be purified by solution in a very weak acid, and 

 the addition of an alkali; white, crystalline, scarcely soluble in 

 water, or in ether: used in combination with sulphuric or acetic 

 acid. 



Delphine. Blanch stavesacre seeds, beat them to a paste, 

 boil with a little water, strain, add calcined magnesia, boil for 

 some minutes, filter, wash the sediment with water, and digest it 

 in alcohol at 40 deg., decant the tincture and distil off the spirit ; 

 the delphine is left as a white powder ; scarcely soluble in water, 

 but soluble in alcohol or ether. Not yet tried medicinally. 



2. Bruise unhusked stavesacre seeds, add weak sulphuric acid, 

 filter, add ammonia to separate the delphine ; dissolve in alcohol, 

 distil off the spirit, dissolve the extract in muriatic acid, add cal- 

 cined magnesia to saturate the muriatic acid, and throw down the 

 delphine purer than before ; redissolve in alcohol, filter, and distil 

 off the spirit. 



DiGiTALiNE. Supposed to be the active principle of digitalis. 



