ANALYSIS OF DEADLY IJIGHTSHADE. 351 



2. The substance coagulated by heat in the juice of beHa-The coagulum. 

 donna is of a yellowish gray, becomes black by dessication, 



and presents a smooth polished fracture like that of resins. 

 It burns with decrepitation, softening, and smoke, which 

 has the same smell as horn similarly treated. 



3. The juice of belladonna, distilled till it is reduced to The juice (Sis- 

 the consistence of a liquid extract, yielded a water, which*' 



had only a flat herbaceous taste, and nothing of the acri- 

 mony of that of tobacco. The only reagent, of all we 

 tried, that rendered it slightly turbid, was acetate of lead. 



4. The juice reduced to the consistence of an extract The residuum 

 being treated with alcohol, part dissolved in it; and the so-^J*^^!^ j 

 lution deposited on cooling crystals of nitrate of potash, 



and a little muriate of the same base. 



The alcohol, separated from these crystals and evaporated, Spirituoas ex- 

 left as a residuum a brownish yellow matter, of a very ^'^^'^''' 

 bitter and nauseous taste; which, taken up a second time 

 by highly dephlegmated alcohol, left a fresh quantity of in- 

 soluble matter, and still deposited a few crystals of the 

 same salt. 



The matter being divested as much as possible by this pro- 

 cess of the greater part of the nitre, and of the substance 

 insoluble in alcohol, I evaporated the alcohol, and subject- 

 ed its residuum to the following experiments : 



1. It dissolves abundantly and speedily in water, and is Its properties. 

 even deliquescent in the air. 



2. The solution is of a yellowish brown, and has a very 

 bitter and very disagreeable taste. 



3. It reddens litmus paper very deeply. 



4. It is copiously precipitated by alcoholic tincture of 

 galls, and not by acetate of lead, if the latter be sufficient- 

 ly diluted with water ; but, as it contains a little muriate of 

 potash, it would precipitate the acetate of lead without this 

 precaution. 



5. This solution, when mixed with sulphuric acid, emitted 

 a very evident smell of acetic acid. 



6. The same solution, on the addition of nitrate of sil- 

 Ter, threw down a true muriate of silver. 



7. Caustic potash produces from the solution a fetid smell 

 very similar to that of stale lie, in which linen has been 



washed, 



