Scientific Proceedings. 



(95) 3i 



cedure which is at variance with the molecular weight determina- 

 tions of v. Fiirth and Jowett. These determinations are, however, 

 open to serious objections, as will be shown at length elsewhere. 



Work on the decomposition products of both alkaloidal epi- 

 nephrin and epinephrin hydrate has been continued. The basic sub- 

 stance, C 3 H 4 N 2 0, which is obtainable equally from both forms of 

 epinephrin, has been decomposed by treatment with caustic pot- 

 ash into ammonia (NH 3 ), methylamin (CH 3 .NH 17 ), and methyl- 

 hydrazin (CH 3 .NH.NH 2 ). Of these decomposition products, 

 methylamin is also obtained from both modifications of epinephrin. 

 Methylhydrazin has thus far not been obtained either from epi- 

 nephrin or its hydrate. This degradation product is of great im- 

 portance in throwing light on the chemical constitution of the new- 

 base, C 3 H 4 N 2 0, for its appearance, under the circumstances re- 

 ferred to, proves that the two nitrogen atoms of this base are 

 directly combined one with the other, and suggests, among other 

 things, for this base a ring structure, such as is found in bodies of 



pyrazolin carboxylic acids can easily be made to yield hydrazin. 



A full discussion of the bearing of the above results on the con- 

 stitution of epinephrin must be deferred until it has been deter- 

 mined whether the oxidation product C 3 H 4 N 2 0, is of a primary or 

 of a secondary character. In any case, an adequate constitutional 

 formula for epinephin must be able to account for all the decom- 

 position products that have been named. 



In conclusion it may be mentioned that the authors have re- 

 peatedly obtained in their recent work small quantities of skatol 

 on fusing epinephrin hydrate with caustic alkalis — a product 

 which has been erroneously supposed to be obtainable only from 

 the mono-benzoyl series of epinephrin compounds. 



Ninth meeting. 1 



Professor C. A. Herter's private laboratory, at 8i<? Madison 

 Avenue, New York. December 21 ' , 1904.. President Meltzer in the 

 chair. 



the pyrazolon 



It may here be noted that 



1 Reprinted from Science, 1905, xxi, p. 105; American Medicine, 1905, ix, p. 

 72 ; Medical News, 1905, lxxxvi, p. 229. 



