254 BACTERIAL POISOKS. 



easily soluble salt. Otherwise it combines only with phos- 

 phomolybdic acid, with which it forms cubes. Ferric 

 chloride' and potassium ferricyauide yield, after a time, 

 Berlin-blue. It is readily soluble in alcohol. 



The Platinochloriue, (C5H,3N02.HCl)2PtCl, (Pt ^ 

 29.00 per cent.), melts at 193°, with decomposition. It 

 crystallizes in plates which are extremely soluble in water. 

 It can be readily recrystallized from absolute alcohol acidu- 

 lated with hydrochloric acid. The mercury salt is readily 

 soluble in water. 



The exact formula of this base, of mytilotoxine, and 

 some other bases, cannot be considered to be permanently 

 settled, inasmuch as the formula of the hydrochloride, 

 CgHjgNOj.HCl, as deduced from the analysis of the 

 platinum double salt, may equally apply to the base 

 C.Hi.NOj.OH as to the base CeHijNO^. If the first 

 formula is correct, then mydatoxine is a homologue of 

 betaine, and its structure would be expressed by (1). 



(1) (2) 



CO,H C^° 



I I \n 



CII2 CII 



I II 



CII2 CH 



N(CH3)30n N(CIl3)30II. 



The second formula would seem to correspond to an un- 

 saturated aldehyde of the choline group and its structure 

 may be indicated by (2). 



This ptomaine, although it possesses toxic properties, is 

 not, however, a strong poison. Its action is the same as that 

 of the base C^HiyNOa (see page 262), with which it is associ- 

 ated, except that the symptoms of poisoning develop slower, 

 so that the death of a guinea-pig does not take place for 

 about twelve hours. White mice are very susceptible to the 

 action of these two poisons. A short time after the injec- 

 tion of even small doses they are taken with convulsions 



