CHEMISTET OF THE PTOMAINES. 225 



and a half hours. The animal was on its side, the feet 

 extended. Post-mortem examination showed the heart 

 arrested in diastole, lungs rather pale, stomach contracted, 

 serum in thoracic cavity, subcuta pale and (Edematous. 

 Repeated doses of smaller quantities seem to confer a partial 

 immunity to the action of the germ. 



Methyl-guanidine, CjH.Nj, =]SIH= C\^^ — CH3. 



This base has long been known as a product of the oxi- 

 dation of creatine and creatinine, but had never been met 

 with in animal tissues. Brieger in 1886 (III., 33) ob- 

 tained it from horseflesh which was allowed to decompose 

 in a closed vessel at a low temperature ( — 9° to -f 6°) for 

 four montlis. Bocklisch [Ber. 20, 1441) isolated it from 

 impure cultures on beef-broth of Finkler and Prior's 

 vibrio proteus, containing ordinary putrefaction bacteria, 

 for twenty to thirty days at 37°-38°. Vibrio proteus 

 alone seems incapable of forming this base. The comma 

 bacillus after some time (six weeks) partially decomposes 

 creatinine with formation of a small quantity of methyl- 

 guanidine (Brieger). The bacillus of anthrax likewise is 

 capable of transforming creatine into methyl-guanidine. 



It occurs in the mercuric chloride filtrate (Brieger), 

 from which it is obtained, after the removal of the mert'ury 

 by hydrogen sulphide, by precipitation with phospho- 

 molybdic acid. The precipitate is decomposed with neutral 

 lead acetate, and the filtrate from this, alter removal of the 

 lead by hydrogen sulpliide, is concentrated and then sodium 

 picrate added. The resinous picrate precipitate is purified 

 by boiling with much water, and, finally, it is recrystallized 

 from boiling absolute alcohol. According to Bocklisch, 

 it occurs in the mercuric chloride precipitate (not in the 

 filtrate), from which it is isolated, after removal of the mer- 

 cury and concentration of the clear filtrate, by precipitation 

 with sodium picrate. The precipitate containing cadaverinc, 

 methyl-guanidine, and creatinine, is boiled with absolute 

 alcohol (cadaverine picrate is insoluble) and the alcoholic 

 solution is then evaporated to drive ofi the alcohol and 



