CHEMISTRY OP THE LEUCOMAINES. 327 



from muscle-tissue itself. It has also been obtained from 

 yeast liquors by Schutzenbeeqee, and from urine by 

 PoucHET. It can be separated from the meat-extract, of 

 which it forms about one per cent., by the following method 

 originally employed by Weidel. The extract is dissolved 

 in six or seven parts of warm water, then concentrated 

 baryta water is added, avoiding, however, an excess. The 

 filtrate is precipitated by basic lead acetate. The precipitate 

 is collected, thoroughly washed and pressed, and finally it 

 is repeatedly extracted with a large quantity of boiling 

 water. The carnine lead salt is thus dissolved out; the 

 filtrate, after removal of the lead by hydrogen sulphide, is 

 evaporated to a small volume. The concentrated solution 

 thus obtained is treated with silver nitrate, which gives a 

 precipitate of silver chloride and of the silver salt of car- 

 nine. By treatment with ammonium hydrate the silver 

 chloride can be completely removed from the precipitate, 

 whereas the silver compound of carnine is insoluble in that 

 reagent. To obtain pure carnine the silver salt is decom- 

 posed with hydrogen sulphide, and the filtrate, after purifi- 

 cation by bone-black, is evaporated to crystallization. 



Carnine forms white crystalline masses, which on drying 

 become loose and chalk-like. It is very difficultly soluble 

 in cold water, easily and completely in boiling water, and 

 recrystallizes on cooling. It is insoluble in alcohol and 

 ether. The taste is decidedly bitter, and the reaction is 

 neutral. The base is not precipitated by neutral lead 

 acetate, but is precipitated by the basic salt as a flocculent 

 white precipitate, soluble in boiling water. On heating, 

 carnine decomposes and takes fire, and at the same time 

 gives off a peculiar odor. It crystallizes with one molecule 

 of water, which it loses at 100°-110°. 



The hydrochloride, CyHjN^Oj.HCl, is crystalline, and 

 decomposes on heating with concentrated hydrochloric acid. 



The platinochloride, CyH^NPs.HCl.PtCl,, forms a fine, 

 sandy, golden-yellow powder. 



With silver nitrate, carnine unites to form a white floccu- 

 lent precipitate, insoluble in nitric acid or in ammonium hy- 

 drate. Its formula corresponds to 2(C7H7AgN403)-l-AgN03. 



