488 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIV. No. 352. 



19. ' The Identification and Properties of 

 Alpha and Beta Eucaine ' : Ohas. L. Par- 

 sons. 



Alpha and beta eucaine are new alka- 

 loids which quite recently have been offered 

 to the medical profession as a substitute for 

 cocaine. There seem to be certain ad- 

 vantages possessed by beta eucaine which 

 are leading to its quite general acceptance. 

 Chief among these are its comparatively 

 low toxicity, its stability when boiled, which 

 allows the solution to be easily disinfected, 

 and its non-excitation of the heart's action. 

 Both of these alkaloids have been synthe- 

 sized in the laboratory and so far as known 

 are not a product of life. Beta eucaine 

 acts as a local anaesthetic, like cocaine. 

 Both eucaines resemble cocaine structurally 

 and in general chemical properties they 

 react much like cocaine, being easily shaken 

 out of alkaline solution with ether, petro- 

 leum ether, benzine, chloroform, etc. Their 

 chief distinguishing reactions are obtained 

 with ammonia, potassium bichromate, mer- 

 curous chloride, platinic chloride, potassium 

 permanganate and their actions under polar- 

 ized light — both in the polariscope and 

 polarizing microscope. Beta eucaine and 

 its hydrochloride are also characterized by 

 a low solubility in water and alcohol. 



This paper will be published in detail in 

 the Journal of the American Chemical So- 

 ciety. 



20. ' The Alkaloids of Isopyrum and Iso- 

 pyroine': G. B. Frankforter. 



The isopyrum, so far as can be learned at 

 present, has only once been studied chem- 

 ically. Hartsen in a brief paper on Isopyrum 

 thalictroides, reported the isolation of two 

 new alkaloids. The one he named isopyrine 

 and the other pseudoisopyrine. He ob- 

 tained the isopyrine by extracting the tubers 

 with water and precipitating out the alka- 

 loid by means of ammonia. The alkaloid 

 was obtained in the pure form by extract- 

 ing this ammonia precipitate with ether. 



Nothing more was done with the alkaloid. 

 No analyses were made and none of the 

 properties given, not even the melting point. 



Pseudoisopyroine was obtained by Hart- 

 sen by extracting the root with alcohol 

 after extracting with water. The alcoholic 

 extract was treated with ammonia as in the 

 case of the water extract. On evaporating 

 off the ether the pseudo alkaloid cr^^^stallized 

 out in star- shaped crystals. Nothing was 

 done with this substance, not even the 

 melting point was given. 



In beginning the work on Isopyrum biter- 

 natum the method given above was tried, but 

 with unsatisfactory results. In fact, many 

 methods were tried, a few of which gave 

 quantities of the alkaloid. Best results were 

 obtained, however, by first extracting with 

 very dilute hydrochloric acid. The hy- 

 drochloride was found to be very soluble in 

 water, and hence readily removed from the 

 solid matter. The alkaloid was finally ob- 

 tained by extracting the residue from the 

 dilute acid with ether or by first neutraliz- 

 ing with ammonia. This latter step is im- 

 portant unless the acid solution be evapor- 

 ated cautiously. Moderately strong acid 

 decomposes the alkaloid. By extracting 

 the acid and alkaline residues with alcohol, 

 the hydrochloride and the free base, re- 

 spectively, were obtained. Both were puri- 

 fied and analyzed, giving results which cor- 

 respond to the formula. 



In addition to the above, other salts were 

 formed including the platinum double salt 

 and the methyl iodide compound. 



(C28H46N09HCl)2PtCl4 and C28H^6N09CH3l 



21. 'Derivatives of Camphor Oxime': 

 G. B. Frankforter and P. M. Glasoe. 



The great difficulty in the study of cam- 

 phor oxime is the ease with which it loses a 

 molecule of water and forms the so-called 

 campho nitrile. Camphor oxime acts as 

 both acid and base. "We have found that 



