312 CHEMISTBY OF THE PTOMAINS. 



can be purified by repeated recrystallization from absolute alcohol 

 containing some hydrochloric acid. 



The name mydatoxin is derived from (jtoMm, to putrefy. The 

 free base is obtained from the hydrochlorid, by treatment with moist 

 freshly precipitated silver oxid, as a strongly alkaline syrup which 

 solidifies in vacuo to plates. It is insoluble in alcohol, ether, etc. It 

 does not distil without decomposition. It is isomeric with leucin and 

 also with the base CgHj^NO^ , obtained by Brieger in 1 888 from tetanus 

 cultures. It is isomeric with di-methyl ethyl betain and also with 

 tri-methyl propionyl betain (Wildstatter, Ber., 35, 606, 610). The 

 latter is represented by formula (1). Both, however form gold salts. 



The hydrochlorid, CjHjjNO^.HCl, is a colorless deliquescent syrup 

 which does not form any double salt with gold chlorid. With plat- 

 inum chlorid it gives an easily soluble salt. Otherwise it combines 

 only with phosphomolybdic acid, with which it forms cubes. Fer- 

 ric chlorid and potassium ferricyanid yield, after a time, Berlin blue. 

 It is readily soluble in alcohol. 



The platinochlorid, (CgHi3NOj.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 acidulated with hydrochloric acid. The mer- 

 cury salt is readily soluble in water. 



The exact formula of this base, of mytilotoxin, and some other 

 bases, cannot be considered to be permanently settled, inasmuch as 

 the formula of the hydrochlorid, CgHjjNO^.HCl, as deduced from 

 the analysis of the platinum double salt, may equally apply to the 

 base CjHj^NOj.OH as to the base C^HjjNOj. If the first formula 

 is correct, then mydatoxin may be considered a homologue of betain, 

 and its structure would be expressed by (1). Or, it may have the 

 structure shown in formula (2). 



(2) 



!0.0H 

 H.CH, 



]!^(CH,)3.0H. 



By loss of water in either case (propyl or iso-propyl betain) the 

 formula C^Hi^NOj results. In the latter instance the anhydrid would 

 be that which, combined with pyridin, is met with in pilocarpin. 



This ptomain, although it possesses toxic properties, is not, however, 

 a strong poison. Its action is the same as that of the base C^Hj^NOj 

 (see page 318), with which it is associated, 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 suscep- 

 tible to the action of these two poisons. A short time after the 



