124 DR ANDERSON ON THE CONSTITUTION AND PROPERTIES OF PICOLINE, 
attended by the formation of about twenty different substances, the constitution 
and properties of which have been examined with different degrees of accuracy, 
and which present among them instances of almost every species of chemical com- 
pound. The discovery of six of these substances is due to RunGE,* who pub- 
lished, about fourteen years ago, a very interesting memoir, containing an account 
of their general properties. Of these substances, three are possessed of acid pro- 
perties, and three are bases, to the latter of which he gave the names of Kyanol, 
Leukol, and Pyrrol, from the peculiar colours developed by the action of certain 
reagents on their salts. The two former of these substances were afterwards sub- 
mitted to a detailed examination and analysis by HorrmMan,+ who arrived at the 
interesting result, that both are identical with substances which had been inde- 
pendently obtained by the decomposition of certain well known bodies; Kyanol 
possessing the constitution and properties of the Aniline of Frirscue, and the 
Benzidam of Zin1n; while Leukol is identical with the substance described by 
GERHARDT under the name of Chinoline, and which was obtained by him as a pro- 
duct of the distillation of quinine, cinchonine, and strychnia, with caustic potass. 
HorrMaN failed, however, entirely in obtaining any evidence of the presence of 
pyrrol in the substance which he examined, and leaves in doubt the existence of 
such a compound. 
Having lately had occasion to examine a quantity of the mixed bases con- 
tained in coal-tar, obtained by a method similar to that of RuncE, but which, 
owing to a modification of the process, contained all the more volatile bases formed 
during the distillation of coal, I was led to try whether or not pyrrol was to be 
found in it, and I obtained immediate evidence of its existence, by the character- 
istic red colour which it gives to fir-wood moistened with hydrochloric acid. The 
attempt to separate this pyrrol proved that it was present in extremely minute 
quantity only, but led to the discovery of a new base different from those of 
Runce, for which I propose the name of Picoline, and the examination of whose 
properties forms the subject of the present paper. 
Preparation of Picoline. 
For the crude substance employed in the preparation of picoline, | am in- 
debted to the kindness of Mr AstiEy, of the Bonnington Chemical Works, and it 
was obtained by the following modification of Runcx’s process. In the prepara- 
tion of naphtha from coal-tar, the first product of distillation is agitated with 
sulphuric acid for the purpose of separating any naphthaline which may be pre- 
sent, as well as a variety of substances in extremely minute quantity, which 
communicate to the crude naphtha the property of becoming dark-coloured 
* Poggendorf’s Annalen, Band 31, u. 32. 
+ Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie, vol. xlvii.. 

