242 R. W. CHALLINOR. 



This platinum salt was then dissolved in water, saturated 

 with hydrogen sulphide and allowed to stand in a warm 

 place for some time to completely precipitate the platinum ; 

 the filtrate was evaporated to dryness and the residue 

 repeatedly extracted with absolute alcohol, a small insoluble 

 residue being left which contained traces of potassium. 



The alcoholic solution of this residue was evaporated over 

 sulphuric acid in a vacuum desiccator, a crystalline residue 

 being left in the dish, the lower portion consisting of clear 

 colourless monoclinic prisms, which were non-deliquescent, 

 and the upper portion consisting of a crystalline mass which 

 rapidly deliquesced on exposure to the air. Successive 

 washings with small quantities of absolute alcohol readily 

 dissolved the deliquescent portion and left the monoclinic 

 crystals which were found to be much less soluble in this 

 solvent. 



An attempt to determine the melting point of this 

 crystalline hydrochloride of the base, showed that at 180°O. 

 it began to change in appearance, and at about 220° 0. 

 decomposed giving off a strong odour of trimethylamine 

 and a crystalline sublimate consisting of microscopic fern- 

 like crystals which after some time deliquesced. This 

 crystalline salt also reacts strongly acid to litmus. 



A portion dissolved in alcohol and precipitated with 

 alcoholic platinum chloride gave a mass of golden yellow 

 needle crystals of the double platinum salt. These were 

 washed with alcohol, dissolved in water and evaporated to 

 dryness over sulphuric acid under diminished pressure till 

 no further loss in weight occurred. The crystals thus 

 obtained consisted of orange coloured plates and prisms 

 and were anhydrous, as no change in weight occurred after 

 heating them for some time to 115° 0. The melting point 

 was somewhat sharp at 217—218° O. (uncorr.) with decom- 

 position. (Henry in "The Plant Alkaloids," p. 328, gives 



