Medicinal PI (mis. 



after adding potash, but only yielded very small quantities of hyoseyamine and 

 atropine salt in too small amount for. further investigation. Operating in this 

 manner upon the seeds of Datura fastuosa, flor. cosrul. <plen. he obtained, from 230 

 grammes of seed, rather more than a gramme of a crystalline aurichloride having 

 all the properties of scopolamine gold chloride C17H21NO4, HCl'AuCls, M.P. 207 to 

 209" C, Au 30*52 per cent, (theory requiring 30 - 57). From the filtrate and mother 

 liquors resulting from crystallisations of the first precipitate there were successively 

 isolated hyoseyamine aurichloride C17H23NOH, HCPAuCls, M.P. 161—162° C, Au 31 -21 

 per cent, (theory 31*30), and atropine aurichloride, M.P. 136 — 138" C, the net result 

 being approximately equivalent to 0216 per cent, scopolamine, 0"034 per cent 

 hyoseyamine, traces of atropine, together with a trifling amount of amorphous 

 bases unidentified. From a similar quantity of seed of Datura fastuosa flor. alb. 

 plen. there were separated in like manner about 0"20 per cent, scopolamine. 0'023 

 per cent, hyoseyamine, and traces of atropine. 



Scopoline, a base derived from scopolamine by decomposition, was the 

 object of an investigation by Professor Schmidt three years ago, and has since that 

 time been repeatedly under his observation. In the last issue of the Apoth. Zeit. 

 he reports some further provisional results. Among the products of the action 

 of chromic and sulphuric acids upon scopoline is a base free from oxygen containing 

 six carbon atoms in the molecule. The double gold salt at first obtained therefrom 

 melts at 220° to 222°, but after freeing from gold by hydrogen sulphide, removal of 

 excess of the latter, and then again precipitating as aurichloride, a salt isomeric 

 with the first is formed which melts at 218° to 250° C, and yields a platinichloride, 

 melting at 211° C. These properties coincide with the corresponding salts of 

 pyridinemethyl chloride C5H5NCH3CI— British & Colonial Druggist. 



lil 



