8US0T0XIN. 281 



in ether. The hydrochlorid crystallizes in fine white needles, soluble 

 in water and alcohol, and but very slightly soluble in absolute ether. 

 The free base, as stated above, boils at 171°-172°, is very soluble 

 in water, alcohol, ether, etc. When pure it forms a colorless, 

 strongly refracting, very mobile oil, which possesses a characteristic, 

 nauseating odor, but slightly resembling that of the pyridin bases. 

 "Its density at 12° is 0.9826; toward litmus paper the base shows 

 no decided reaction. The platinochlorid is crystalline and is very 

 soluble in water and alcohol, slightly soluble in ether. Potassic 

 mercuric iodid does not precipitate the aqueous solution of the free 

 base, but in solutions of the hydrochlorid it gives a yellow flocculent 

 precipitate, which soon crystallizes in long brilliant yellow needles. 

 This reaction takes place readily in solutions of 1 to 1,000, and only 

 after some hours in solutions of 1 to 10,000 ; and is not given by 

 the bases of the pyridic and quinolinic series. Mercuric chlorid 

 produces an immediate flocculent precipitate in solutions of the base 

 having a concentration of 1 to 1,000, but requires some time to ap- 

 pear in 1 to 10,000. Phosphotungstic acid gives an immediate white 

 precipitate even in a dilution of 1 to 10,000. Phosphomolybdic acid 

 in solutions of the same strength yields a yellow precipitate. 



The physiological action of this base has been examined by R. 

 Wurtz who found the lethal dose for rabbits, etc., to be about one 

 gram per kilogram of body-weight. It produces stupor and paralysis 

 which at first appears in the rear extremities ; the sensibility becomes 

 diminished and the pupils are dilated and unresponsive to light ; the 

 rate of heart-beat is lowered, and the rectal temperature falls as low 

 as 35° ; death follows a more or less prolonged coma. 



Tanret obtained by the action of ammonia on glucose a number of 

 bases, to which he applied the generic name of glucosins. One of 

 these, having the formula Cj^Hj^Nj, (C = 6), corresponds in its for- 

 mula and its general properties to Morin's base, C^HjdNjj (C = 12), 

 and, in fact, the two bases are considered by Tanret to be identical. 



It is interesting to note in this connection that alkaloidal bases have 

 been found in petroleum by Bandrowski, and that similar basic sub- 

 stances have been detected by Weller in parafiin oil. 



Most of the solvents in common use, such as alcohol, ether, chlor- 

 oform, benzol, petroleum ether, amyl alcohol, etc., have been shown 

 at different times to contain basic pyridin compounds, though ordi- 

 narily in very minute quantity. On the other hand, Haitinger has 

 found in some specimens of amyl alcohol as much as 0.5 per cent, 

 of pyridin. 



Susotoxin, Cj„H2gN2(?), is a base isolated by Novy in 1890 from 

 cultures of the hog cholera bacillus of Salmon (swine plague of Bill- 

 ings). It is probably identical with the base obtained by v. Schwein- 

 itz from the same germ, although the formula ascribed to it by him 



