June i, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
1023 
the new alkaloid in cuprea bark generally, although he 
believes in the homoquinine of Mr. Howard. 
Tliere can be no doubt that the alkaloid I have 
described and homoquinine are the same substance, and 
that it is identical with the alkaloid described by Dr. 
Paul and Mr. Cownley. I can again assert that tins 
alkaloid exists in some of the very hnest samples of 
cuprea ; and that its occurrence is more nearly the rule 
than the exception in modern importations of these barks. 
In my communication to the Pharmaceutical Journal 
of December 15th, I published the rotary angles of 
cinchonidine, quinine, and the new base, as determined 
under like circumstances, to show the relative position 
of the new alkaloid; for I am fully aware of the need 
of caution in expressing the result as well as in determ- 
ining the polariscope angle of any alkaloid. 1 pur- 
posely omitted all details in my preliminary note, but 
shall not fail to give such description in a further notice 
of this interesting alkaloid. 
Battersea. W. George Whippen. 
CINCHONAMINE ; A NEW CINCHONA ALKALOID 
OBTAINED FROM CINCHONA " CUPREA." * 
BY M. AKNAUD. 
The first alkaloids isolated from cinchona barks in a 
state of purity were cinchonine and quinine, by Pelletier 
and Caventou, in 1820. Other chemists later on dis- 
covered two new alkaloids : quimdine, which is isomeric 
with quinine, and cinchonidine, isomeric with cinchonine. 
These alkaloids, the existence of which was at one time 
denied, then again admitted, were thoroughly studied by 
Pasteur. Pelletier and Carriol had announced the exist- 
ence, in certain barks, of an alkaloid which they named 
aricine. Hesse, in some late researches, confirmed the 
existence of this body and also the composition assigned 
to it. In 1872, Hesse discovered quinamine, and an 
isomer of it, conquinamine, in certain cultivated East 
Indian barks. Finally, Willm and Caventou obtained, 
by oxidi/.ing cinchonine with permanganate of potassium, 
a new body: hydrocinchonine, which differs from cin- 
chonine only by having two atoms of hydrogen more. 
This is also the composition of the new alkaloid, of 
which I have presented a report to the Academy of 
Sciences. The now -base differs completely, in its 
chemical and physical properties, from hydrocinchonine. 
I propose to call it cinclwnamine in allusion to its 
relationship with cinchonine and quinamine. 
I ascertained the presence of cinchonamine in a very 
dense bark, of a deep red-brown, with resinous fracture, 
coming from the province of Santandar (United States 
of Columbia). This bark does not resemble that usually 
exported from those regions. Cinchonamine exists in 
this bark simultaneously with cinchonine, n fad which 
I affirm. The proportion of these alkaloids is 0 8— 1-0 
per ceni of cinchonine and 0 2 per cent of cinchonamine. i 
In order to extract them, the bark is treated with milk 
of lime ; the mixture, dried at the ordinary temperature, 
is oxhansted by strong boiling alcohol ; the latter is 
distilled (.11, and the residue taken up by an oxcess of 
dilute hydrochloric acid. The hydroohlorate of cinchon- 
amine, but little soluble in the cold, crystallizes, while 
the liydrocbloratc of cincl ine remains in solution. Upon 
this fact is based the method of separation. 
Qinohonamine is insoluble in oold water, [t crystallizes 
from the boiling alcoholic solution in colourless brilli- 
ant an I anhydrous prisms; from the warm ethereal 
solution, or on spontaneous evaporation, it crystallizes 
in One needles. One part of the alkaloid is soluble iii 
100 ports of ether, an. gr. 0-720 at 17 C. and in 31-6 
parts of alcohol of 90 per cent. It melts below 196° 
('., and on cooling, becomes u transparent amorphous 
mass. Its alcoholic Bolution has an alkaline reaction. 
• I'Yoin IV-pert. il>- l'htirm., IHKl, .107. H. •printed from 
,v, /r Bemeditg, January, 1881. 
It is dextrogyre, the angle of rotation for the solution 
in alcohol of 93 per cent is [a J d = + 117-9°. The so- 
lutions of its salts are precipitated by potassa and 
ammonia. It completely neutralizes acids, forming salts 
which are generally but little soluble. Its taste is 
slightly bitter. The salts, in acid solution, are not 
fluorescent. 
The chlorhyclrate, C19H24N2O.HCl.H2O, crystallizes 
very easily in prisms or prismatic plates, but little 
soluble in cold water, much more so in water acidulated 
with hydrochloric acid. 
The chloroplatinatc, (C19H24N 2 O.HC1) 2 PtCl 4 , is a 
bright-yellow, crystalline powder, obtained by precipit- 
ating a salt of cinchonamine in acid solution, by an 
excess of platinic chloride. The precipitate is nearly 
insoluble in pure and in acidulated water. 
The sulphate, dried at 100° C, (C19H24N 2 O) 2H 2 .SO 4 , 
very soluble iu water, crystallizes well from alcohol. By 
spontaneous evaporation of the alcoholic solution it is 
deposited in the form of an amorphous resin. 
The nitrate, a crystalline precipitate, is nearly in- 
soluble in dilute nitric acid. 
The hydriodate and the acetate are very little soluble 
in cold water ; they are likewise crystalline. 
The sulphate is dextrogyre in acid solution, but the 
rotatoiy power of the alkaloid is greatly diminished, the 
angle of rotation being only [«] » = + 45 - 5° at 16° C. 
The results of the analysis of cinchonamine and its 
salts agree well with the formula C10H24N2O, as well 
with C20H21N2O. If the former formula be adopted 
(according to Skraup) for cinchonine, the same formula 
must he adopted for the new alkaloid, since the two 
are distinguished only by two atoms of hydrogen. On 
the other hand, cinchonamine has two atoms of oxygen less 
than quinamine. The following are the analytical data : — 
Found (mean). Calculated for CifiH2iN 2 O. 
Carbon .. 77-20 77-02 
Hydrogen 8-41 8-10 
Nitrogen .. 9-30 9-40 
Oxygen . . 
For the chloroplatinato (C19H24N 2 O.HC1) 2 PtCI 1 there 
were : — 
Found. Required. 
Platinum .. 19-45 19-70 
Chlorine .. 20-75 21-20 
— Pharmace 11 1 ica I Jo urnal. 
Cassava. — According to the Scientific American (De- 
cember 31, 1881, p. 415), a company has been formed 
in Philadelphia to extract glucose from cassava root, 
which is said to yield about twenty times as much as 
corn, or at the rate of 21,000 pounds the acre. — Pharm- 
aceutical Journal. 
H.vyti. — The Consul's report from Jacinel, recently 
published, gives a wretched description of the condi- 
tion of Hayti. "Agriculture," he says, "is in a 
most primitive state ; indeed, everything is left to 
nature. Horticulture is unknown. By experiments 
made by myself since I havo resided here, it is amply 
proved that nearly evory kiud of vegetable can be 
successfully cultivated in the rich soil. There are no 
manufactures in this district. There is a salt pan 
nithin fifteen minutes' ride from this town, where 
sufficient salt for the district could be made ; ami 
yet the inhabitants prefer to pay in. ('»/. a bushel duty 
for the imported suit than to work the resources at 
bund." On the question of the import trado tho 
Consul writes: — " L'ho American inaket is poshing the 
ISnglith closely, and from time to time travellers for 
American firms come round, enquire into the stale of 
tho market and tho changes ueoes-ary, and at once 
meet the demand. On tho other hand, the lhiglixli 
merchants leave tho field "en, and during nu eight 
mouths' residence here I 1 ivo only s . en one coin- 
meroial traveller, representing a firm in Belfast, arrive 
in this town." — Ooloniea u u (ndiOt 
