﻿362 
  DR 
  ANDERSON 
  S 
  RESEARCHES 
  ON 
  SOME 
  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  The 
  fluid 
  from 
  which 
  teropiammon 
  has 
  been 
  separated 
  is 
  pale 
  yellow. 
  When 
  

   supersaturated 
  with 
  potash, 
  it 
  acquires 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  dark 
  colour 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  stand- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  still 
  more 
  rapidly 
  on 
  agitation, 
  deposits 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  pale-yellow 
  crys- 
  

   talline 
  grains. 
  The 
  mother 
  liquor, 
  which 
  contains 
  a 
  large 
  excess 
  of 
  potash, 
  is 
  

   separated 
  by 
  filtration, 
  and 
  the 
  precipitate 
  washed 
  with 
  water. 
  It 
  then 
  presents 
  

   all 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  cotarnine, 
  dissolves 
  in 
  the 
  acids, 
  with 
  a 
  red 
  colour, 
  gives 
  

   highly-soluble 
  salts, 
  and 
  is 
  precipitated 
  by 
  potash 
  and 
  soda, 
  but 
  not 
  by 
  ammonia. 
  

   Its 
  identity 
  was 
  further 
  determined 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  analysis 
  of 
  its 
  platinum 
  

   salt 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  f 
  5-436 
  grains 
  of 
  platinochloride 
  of 
  cotarnine 
  gave 
  

   \ 
  1*242 
  ... 
  platinum. 
  

  

  

  Experiment. 
  

  

  

  Calculation. 
  

  

  

  Carbon, 
  

  

  35-68 
  

  

  ^26 
  

  

  156 
  

  

  Hydrogen, 
  

  

  

  3-20 
  

  

  H 
  14 
  

  

  14 
  

  

  Nitrogen, 
  

  

  

  3-20 
  

  

  N 
  

  

  14 
  

  

  Oxygen, 
  

  

  . 
  

  

  10-98 
  

  

  6 
  

  

  48 
  

  

  Chlorine, 
  

  

  . 
  ... 
  

  

  24-37 
  

  

  C1 
  3 
  

  

  106-5 
  

  

  Platinum, 
  

  

  . 
  22-84 
  

  

  22-57 
  

  

  Pt 
  

  

  98-7 
  

  

  100-00 
  437-2 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  way 
  cotarnine 
  is 
  obtained 
  with 
  extreme 
  facility, 
  and 
  the 
  process 
  is 
  

   greatly 
  to 
  be 
  preferred 
  to 
  Wohler's 
  method 
  of 
  preparation. 
  The 
  sole 
  precaution 
  

   necessary 
  is 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  too 
  high 
  a 
  temperature 
  during 
  the 
  action 
  

   of 
  the 
  nitric 
  acid, 
  and 
  to 
  arrest 
  the 
  action 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  narcotine 
  

   is 
  dissolved. 
  If 
  the 
  heat 
  be 
  too 
  great 
  or 
  too 
  long 
  continued, 
  the 
  cotarnine 
  itself 
  

   undergoes 
  decomposition, 
  and 
  yields 
  products 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  described 
  afterwards. 
  

  

  X. 
  Examination 
  of 
  the 
  Potash 
  Solution. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  alkaline 
  fluid 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  cotarnine 
  had 
  been 
  separated, 
  it 
  was 
  natu- 
  

   ral 
  to 
  look 
  for 
  the 
  opianic 
  acid 
  of 
  Liebig 
  and 
  Wohler, 
  which, 
  as 
  the 
  simultaneous 
  

   product 
  of 
  the 
  oxidation 
  of 
  narcotine, 
  must 
  almost 
  of 
  necessity 
  be 
  present. 
  Its 
  ex- 
  

   istence 
  was 
  accordingly 
  soon 
  ascertained 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  also 
  found 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  by 
  no 
  

   means 
  the 
  only 
  or 
  the 
  invariable 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  action, 
  but 
  that 
  different 
  substances 
  

   were 
  obtained 
  in 
  different 
  operations, 
  even 
  when 
  the 
  nitric 
  acid 
  was 
  caused 
  to 
  act 
  

   under 
  what 
  were 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  perfectly 
  identical 
  conditions. 
  In 
  some 
  instances, 
  

   opianic 
  acid 
  was 
  entirely 
  absent, 
  and 
  its 
  place 
  was 
  taken 
  by 
  hemipinic 
  acid, 
  which 
  

   was 
  invariably 
  obtained 
  in 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  quantity, 
  even 
  when 
  opianic 
  acid 
  was 
  

   present 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  cases, 
  substances 
  appeared 
  which 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  produced 
  

   at 
  will, 
  and 
  were 
  only 
  obtained 
  when 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  oxidation 
  were 
  very 
  

   successfully 
  fulfilled. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  obtain 
  these 
  substances, 
  the 
  alkaline 
  fluid 
  is 
  evaporated 
  on 
  the 
  

   sand-bath 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  bulk, 
  and 
  the 
  nitre, 
  which 
  deposits 
  on 
  cooling, 
  is 
  separated 
  

  

  