A NICOTINE-LIKE SUBSTANCE. 177 



tobacco, gave with potassium bichromate and sulphuric 

 acid the odor of butyric acid, and behaved with reagents 

 like couiine. 



HusEMANN states that at present it is very difficult, if 

 not impossible, for the chemist to state with certainty that 

 he has detected true coniine iu the dead body. The symp- 

 toms and the post-mortem appearances must conform with 

 those induced by the vegetable alkaloid. The analysis 

 must be made before decomposition sets in, and the amount 

 of the base found must be sufficient for physiological ex- 

 periments to be made with it. 



A Nicotine-like Substance. — Wolckenhaar ob- 

 tained from the decomposed intestines of a woman, who 

 had been dead six weeks, by extraction with ether from an 

 alkaline solution, a base which bore a close resemblance to 

 nicotine. The base was fluid, at first yellow, but on being 

 exposed to the air, brownish-yellow. It was strongly alka- 

 line in reaction and gave off an odor resembling nicotine, 

 but stronger, not ethereal, but benumbing and similar to 

 that of fresh poppy-heads. It was soluble in all propor- 

 tions in water, and the solutions, which did not become 

 cloudy on the application of heat, did not taste bitter, but 

 were slightly pungent. The peculiar odor did not disap- 

 pear on saturating the base with oxalic acid. The hydro- 

 chloride was yellow, like varnish, had a strong odor, and 

 became moist on exposure to the air. Under the micro- 

 scope it showed no crystals, differing in this respect from 

 nicotine hydrochloride. It differed from nicotine also iu 

 its reactions with potassio-bismuthic iodide, gold chloride, 

 iodine solution, mercuric chloride, and platinum chloride. 

 It also failed to give the Eoussin test for nicotine. More- 

 over, it could not be identified with trimethylamine, spar- 

 teine, mercurialine, lobeline, or other fluid and volatile 

 bases. 



The studies of Roesch and Fassbendee (page 28), of 

 Schwaneet (page 28), of Liebeemann (page 30), and 

 of Selmi (page 81), have already been referred to in a 

 preceding chapter. 



