c 



192 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S.. XIII, 



applied, the resolution being complete and quantitative in either 



case. 



Sufficient evidence has not yet been accumulated to estab- 

 lish numerical relationships in connection with, points 2, 3 and 

 4 ; but as far as the work has gone, it appears that increasing 

 the mass of the group R, but keeping the nature of the group 

 analogous, increases the rotatory power. When however -CO 

 is replaced by-S0 2 a distinct diminution in rotatory power 

 takes place. It is obvious that, by investigating as complete 

 a series as possible of these compounds, valuable information 

 concerning the relationships between chemical constitution, 

 rotatory power and dispersion will probably be obtained. 



The most recent work we have had in hand has been in 

 connection with the preparation and resolution of the externally 

 ompensated compounds, sulphonyl — /3-naphthylalanine and sul- 

 phonyl-phenylalanine. 



These compounds are of course readily prepared by means 

 of the Schotten-Baumann reaction using a molecular proportion 

 each, of alanine in the form of its sodium salt, the particular 

 acid chloride and sodium hydroxide. The reaction product is 

 crystallised in each case either from boiling water or from 

 aqueous alcohol. 



In order to effect the resolution of sulphonyl -r#-naph thy 1- 



alanine many experiments were tried using those methods 

 which have proved so successful in the case of benzoylalanine 

 and sulphonyl-p-tolylalanine, but without success. In every case 

 it was found that the brucine salt could not be obtained crys- 

 talline. It was found possible, however, to isolate two strych- 

 nine salts having different rotatory powers. The method of 

 resolution adopted was to mix together one molecular propoi 

 tion of the externally compensated acid, half a molecular pro- 

 portion of strychnine and an equivalent proportion of sodium 

 hydroxide in standard solution. The whole was brought into 



solution in boiling water, and on cooling the strychnine salt 



crystallised out in colourless needles forming hard aggregates. 

 This strychnine salt had after recrvstallisation a constant spe- 

 cific rotatory power of [a] = -17*06, and it was found to 



, Hg greon rf 



be the strychnine salt of the dextro acid. After separating off 

 this strychnine salt the acid remaining in the mother liquor 

 was isolated and was found to be laevorotatorv. This acid \va- 

 then combined with strychnine and the strychnine salt of the 

 laevo-acid obtained. This strvchnine salt had a specific rotatory 

 power of [a] = -45'2o, but "it probably consisted of a m» 



Hg green 



tare of the salts, strychnine laevo-acid and strychnine dextro- 

 acicl, the latter, of course, being present in small quantity, but 

 it was difficult to separate the two. Accordingly the acids wci 



•bta.ned from the strychnine salts in the usual manner and 



* 



