Aconitine, SfC, in relation to their Chemical Constitution. 339 



alkaloid produced which is named benzaconine, the chief constituent 

 of the picraconitine and napelline of previous observers.* Further 

 hydrolysis, by alkalis or acids, resolves benzaconine into aconine and 

 a molecular proportion of benzoic acid, and these are the final 

 products of hydrolysis. 



A characteristic qualitative reaction of aconitine is the formation 

 of a crystalline purple precipitate of aconitine permanganate when 

 a faintly acidified solution of an aconitine salt is mixed with a solu- 

 tion of potassium permanganate. f Most aconitine salts crystallise 

 well from a solution in water, and in experiments on the physiological 

 action of this alkaloid an aqueous solution of the hydrobromide has 

 been employed. 



Neither the composition nor constitution of aconitine can be re- 

 garded as settled. In determining the exact formula by which the 

 composition is best expressed, there is the difficulty of deciding 

 between several formulae which represent the composition of the 

 alkaloid within the limits of experimental error. Alder WrightJ 

 adopted the formula C33H43NO12 as best expressing the composition. 

 Later observers, Jurgens,. "j; Liibbe,| and ourselves have so far 

 accepted a formula identical with or differing but slightly from 

 that of Wright, as indicating the composition of aconitine and its 

 derivatives. Recently Freund and Beck§ have proposed for 

 aconitine the formula C 3 4tf4 7 N"O n instead of that employed by us 

 C^B^NOn, since they have obtained from the ultimate analysis of 

 the pure alkaloid nearly 2 per cent, more carbon than was found by 

 Alder Wright and his colleagues, by Jurgens, by Liibbe, or by our- 

 selves. The question of composition is, therefore, still unsettled 

 and can probably only be finally decided by the analysis of simpler 

 derivatives of aconitine than have been hitherto dealt with. The 

 constitution of aconitine cannot be considered until more is known 

 of the simpler derivatives and decomposition products. For the 

 purposes of the present discussion it may be regarded as acetyl- 

 henzo conine, but nothing is at present known of the constitution of 

 aconine. 



Diacetyl- aconitine is an alkaloid obtained from aconitine by acting 

 upon it with acetyl chloride, || and differing from it in containing 

 two acetyl groups in the place of two atoms of hydrogen. It is a 

 crystalline base, very sparingly soluble in water, but readily in alco- 



* Dunstan and Harrison, ibid., 1893, vol. 63, p. 443 ; Dunstan and Carr, ibid., 

 1893, vol. 63, p. 991 ; Dunstan and Harrison, ibid., 1894, vol. 65, p. 174. 



f Dunstan and Carr, ' Pharm. Journ.,' 1896, vol. 56, p. 122. 



X Alder Wright and Luff, ( Chem. Soc. Journ.,' 1877, vol. 31, p. 143; Jurgens, 

 ' Tnaug. Dissert. Dorpat,' 1885 ; Lubbe, ibid., 1891. 



§ Freund and Beck, ' Berichte,' 1894, vol. 27, p. 720. 



|| Dunstan and Carr, ' Chem. Soc. Journ.,' 1895, vol. 67, p. 459. , 



