ON SOME VEGETABLE ALKALOIDS. 39 



— having, however, here and there, faintly claret-coloured spots — remains, which, 

 by continued drying, becomes a white enamel-like substance ; the latter process 

 yields a crystalline residue of a reddish-yellow colour ; these products are the bi- 

 carbonate. The salt undergoes in a very slight degree the decomposition before 

 spoken of, but this is scarcely perceptible when evaporation is quickly performed ; 

 theflocky base produced, at 212° especially, being exceedingly minute in quantity. 

 The aqueous solution of the bicarbonate, and, though not deliquescent, the salt 

 is extremely soluble in water, has a powerful alkaline reaction, and proves a ready 

 means of forming the compounds too soluble to be got by double decomposition. 

 The dry salt dissolves completely in a little absolute alcohol ; the addition of good 

 ether to this fluid causes in a little time the deposition of bicarbonate in very fine 

 colourless prismatic crystals, of great refractive power. In the analyses which 

 follow, the carbonic acid was estimated as before mentioned, and the specimens 

 were of different preparation : — 



f 4-525 grains, dried in vacuo, gave 

 ' \ 2*150 ... carbonate of baryta. 





'"{ 



4-990 ... dried at 212 

 2330 ... carbonate of 



Experiment. 

 I. II. 



Fahr., 

 baryta. 



gave 



Calculation. 





Carbon, 



65-09 



C « 



276 



Hydrogen, . 







6-60 



H 28 



28 



Nitrogen, . 







6-60 



N 2 



28 



Oxygen, 







11-34 



o 6 



48 



Carbonic Acid, 





10-62 10-44 



10-37 



2(C0 2 ) 



44 



100-00 424 



These numbers agree perfectly with those required theoretically by a salt of the 

 base analogous to bicarbonate of potass, as expressed in the formula — 



C 46 H 26 N 2 4 HO C0 2 , HO C0 2 = C 47 H 27 N 2 4 C0 3 , HC0 3 . 



This salt is somewhat interesting, inasmuch as it is, I think, the first combina- 

 tion of one of the artificial ammonium bases with carbonic acid which has proved 

 definite by analysis. While on the subject, it will not be out of place to mention 

 some experiments made with the natural alkaloids, for the purpose of preparing, 

 if possible, similar salts with these bodies, as it gives the opportunity of correct- 

 ing an error to be found in the manuals. Thus, it is stated in Liebig's Traite,* 

 that a carbonate of strychnine is obtained both by precipitation of its salts with car- 

 bonated alkalies and solution of the base itself in water, through which a stream 



* Liebig. Traite de Chimie Organique, par Gerhardt ii., p. 630. 

 VOL. XXI. PART I. L 



