320 
THE LIBRARY. 
Aconella is a very weak alkali, very soluble in acids, and the solutions are all 
strongly acid ; the same remarks apply to narcotine. 
Tincture of iodine precipitates aconella, it also precipitates narcotine. 
Tannin precipitates .aconella from an oxalic acid solution, but not from one 
in muriatic acid, characters also common to narcotine. 
Aconella is remarkably soluble in chloroform, and the solution, spontaneously 
evaporated, presents a peculiar appearance ; the very same peculiarity of appear¬ 
ance is shown with narcotine. The crystallizations of the two alkaloids from 
spirit are also exact counterparts of each other. They are both insoluble in 
caustic alkalies. On adding strong sulphuric acid to narcotine, hardly any co¬ 
lour is produced, but on the addition of a minute particle of nitre a deep blood- 
red colour is at once displayed ; aconella answers in exactly the same way to this 
test. A specific-gravity bottle filled with a boiling-hot spirituous saturated so¬ 
lution of aconella—density of spirit -840—was found, after deducting weight of 
bottle, to weigh 9'53 grammes. The weight of the crystalline solid after evapo¬ 
ration was 0'89 gramme. Consequently 1 part of aconella dissolves in 9‘6 parts 
by weight of boiling spirit, or 11-4 by measure. 
The same experiment was made with narcotine, and it will be observed that 
the two bodies give the same solubility almost to a nicety. The narcotine and 
spirit in specific-gravity bottle weighed 9'5-5 grammes. The weight of crystal¬ 
lized narcotine was Q'90 gramme. The equivalent of aconella determined by 
calculations from data obtained by experiment is almost exactly that of narcotine. 
Platinum obtained. Percentage Average of 
Grammes. Grammes. of Platinum. Platinum. 
Weight of chloride of plati- f 3*065..0*465 — 15 4 
num and aconella manipu- < O'500.0'075 = 15 > 15'66 
lated upon. [0-500.0'085 = 17 J 
Aver, of Pt. Comp. Pt. 
Therefore 15-66 : 100 :: 99 : x — equiv. of compound, x — 632T8. 
We thus obtain 632T8 as the equivalent of the double chloride. 
As three equivalents of chlorine, one of platinum, and one of aconella make 
u > the compound, the equivalent of aconella alone is obtained by deducting from 
the whole the chlorine and platinum. 
Cl. Pt. 
35-5 x 3 = 106-5 + 99 = 205-5 
Deducting this sum from 632-18, we have 426-68 left as the equivalent of aconella. 
Narcotine, C 46 H 25 N0 14 , has as its equivalent 427, a number so close to the 
calculated equivalent of aconella, that it seems to change to reality the supposi¬ 
tion of these two alkaloids being one and the same, though obtained from plants 
belonging to different Natural Orders. 
Edinburgh , 18 th December, 1863. 
THE LIBRARY. 
BY MR. JOSEPH INCE. 
Our excellent Librarian, Mr. Charles Sharp, has kindly furnished me with 
most of the following information ; indeed, so liberal has been the assistance of 
this gentleman, that my communication may be deemed official, and I am re¬ 
sponsible only for the comment on the text. Having of late been under the ne¬ 
cessity of consulting standard works of reference, and having personally tested 
the resources of our own collection, I was naturally led to inquire into the pre¬ 
sent condition and actual working of the Library, and I confess that on the out¬ 
set I was surprised to find that through some inadvertence there was no an- 
