72 
THE CODEX AND THE BRITISH PHARMACOPOEIA* 
140. Cicutine. C 16 H 15 Az = 125. 
Conicine , Canine , Cicutina . 
Hemlock fruit.Three thousand grammes. 3000 
Slaked lime.Fifteen hundred grammes.1500 
Carbonate of Potash . . . Three hundred and seventy-five grammes 375 
Water.Six litres . ...... . or grammes 6000 
(Diluted sulphuric acid).. a sufficiency 
(Concentrated solution of potash) ..... . . . * . . do. 
(Alcohol and ether) . do. 
Beat up with the water the bruised hemlock fruits and slaked lime, add the car¬ 
bonate of potash and distil the whole in an alembic as long as the water which 
comes over continues alkaline ; saturate exactly the product of the distillation 
with diluted sulphuric acid, and evaporate the solution in a water bath to a 
syrupy consistence, introduce the residue into a flask, and agitate it with a 
mixture of two parts of alcohol and one of ether, filter to separate the sulphate 
of ammonia, recover the ether and the greater part of the alcohol by a water 
bath distillation ; to the residue add a small quantity of water and heat it until 
the rest of the spirit has been driven off ; mix the syrupy residue with half its 
volume of a concentrated solution of potash, then distil by means of an oil or 
chloride of calcium bath ; the cicutine comes over with the water, separate the 
water, and distil it again, a fresh quantity of cicutine passes over. Dehydrate 
the product obtained by means of some pieces of caustic potash recently fused, 
and distil finally in vacuo or in a current of hydrogen. Three kilogrammes of 
fresh fruits yield thirty grammes of cicutine. 
Cicutine is a colourless, transparent liquid, density 0-878. It has a pene¬ 
trating, sharp, disagreeable odour; it boils at 212°; it is but little soluble in 
water, the aqueous solution made with cold water becomes cloudy upon being 
heated. Cicutine dissolves in all proportions in alcohol and ether. 
CHAPTER XVII. 
VEGETABLE ACID SALTS. 
Solution of subacetate of lead, acetate of potash, acetate of soda, solution of 
acetate of ammonia, acetate of zinc, neutral tartrate of potash, tartrate of pot¬ 
ash and soda, tartrate of potash and antimony, boro-tartrate of potash, potassio- 
tartrate of iron, tartarized tincture of Mars, boules de Mars, ammonio-citrate of 
ron, benzoate of soda, benzoate of ammonia, valerianate of zinc, valerianate of 
ammonia, lactate of zinc, and lactate of iron, are found in this chapter. 
143. Acetate de Soude. Na0,C 4 H 3 0 3 ,6H0 = 139. 
Terre Foliee Miner ale , Acetas Sodicus. 
Acetate of Soda. 
Crystals of carbonate of soda . One thousand grammes . 1000 
Acetic acid l - 03.. a sufficiency. 
Saturate the acetic acid with the carbonate of soda, and filter the solution, 
evaporate it until it has a density of 1-29, or until a pellicle forms upon the 
surface, set aside that crystals may form on cooling. Acetate of soda is un¬ 
changeable in the air, it contains 39-70 per cent, of water of crystallization. 
No form given in P. B. 
144. Acetate d’Ammoniaque Liquide*. 
Esprit de Mindererus. Acetas Ammonicus Aqua Solutus. 
Solution of Acetate of Ammonia. 
Prepared as in the new P. B., but with a slightly stronger acid, and the 
