August 13, 1870.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
121 
NOTE ON THE ALKALOIDS OF THE GENUS 
ACONITUM.* 
BY PROFESSOR FLUCKIGER. 
Aconitine was discovered "by Hesse, in 1833. Yon 
Scliroff, in 1857, showed that there occur hi aconite 
tubers two different principles, one being possessed 
of narcotic properties, the other of an extreme acridity. 
Von Scln’off did not himself isolate these principles, 
bnt he ascertained that the physiological effects of 
the aconitine used throughout Germany agreed with 
those of the narcotic principle above alluded to. On 
the other hand, “ Pure Aconitine made by Messrs. 
Morson and Son, was stated by Yon Scliroff to exactly 
represent the acrid principle, which his physiological 
experiments had pointed out, in aconite tubers. He 
further observed, that this acrid body prevails, or 
even exists exclusively, in the tubers of certain spe¬ 
cies of Aconitum growing in the alpine regions of the 
Himalayas. These highly poisonous tubers have 
been known and used in India since a remote period 
under the names of Bikh, Pish, or Ativisha, and are 
met with in the bazaars, and also occasionally im¬ 
ported into London. Von Scliroff therefore suggested 
that the Indian tubers might be the source of what 
he called English Aconitine. 
Thus there was established in German literature 
an important difference between German Aconitine 
and English Aconitine, the two substances being re¬ 
garded as by no means identical. The name Aconi¬ 
tine then was restricted to the former, while the de¬ 
signation of napelline (Wiggers), nep aline (Fliickiger), 
acraconitine (Ludwig), and pseudaconitine (Hiibscli- 
mann), were severally proposed for the so-regarded 
English preparation. Hiibschmann, in 1868, first 
examined the chemical properties of pseudaconitine, 
which he had obtained from E. Merck, Darmstadt. 
It is but sparingly soluble in ether, chloroform, and 
even in alcohol, but crystallizes readily, especially 
from hot alcohol; it is soluble in hot benzol, does 
not soften in boiling water, is not coloured by cold 
sulphuric acid, nor even after the addition of nitric 
acid. I have been presented by the late Hiibsch- 
mann with a small specimen of this pseudaconitine, 
and am enabled to corroborate the above statements. 
It is a substance which has a burning, not a bitter 
taste, and does not produce any coloured reaction 
with concentrated sulphuric, nitric, or phosphoric 
acid, either cold or hot, alone or combined. 
The aconitine sold in Germany has been for many 
years past mainly prepared by Hiibschmann from 
tubers of Aconitum Napellus, grown in the Swiss 
Alps. An authentic sample of this alkaloid, as fur¬ 
nished by the manufacturer himself, exhibited the 
chemical characters universally attributed to aconi¬ 
tine. It dissolves in 2 parts of ether, 2*6 chloroform, 
4'2 alcohol, but without separating in distinct crys¬ 
tals upon evaporation. Aconitine produces an in¬ 
tense violet colour with hot concentrated phosphoric 
acid, this characteristic reaction lasting for several 
days. Aconitine has an extremely bitter, scarcely 
somewhat acrid taste. 
Consequently, there can be no doubt that aconitine 
and pseudaconitine are entirely different alkaloids, 
which may be easily recognised and separated, if oc¬ 
curring, for instance, in Bildi tubers. That pseudaco- 
* Abstract from the author’s paper in the * Archiv der 
Pharmacie,’ cxci. (1870), 196 to 215. 
Third Series, No. 7. 
nitine is identical with Von Schroff’s “ English aco¬ 
nitine,” I cannot assert positively, although I suppose 
it to be so. 
I was now desirous of ascertaining whether the 
aconitine of English chemists and manufacturers 
agreed or not with pseudaconitine. My friend Mr. 
Hanbury, as well as Mr. Thomas B. Groves, F.C.S., 
of Weymouth, kindly provided me with samples of 
commercial aconitine, to which the latter gentleman 
also added some specimens prepared by himself. At 
the outset I examined the “pure aconitine ” of Mor¬ 
son, as at present sold by that manufacturer, and also 
samples of his product dating from the years 1856 
and 1860. All of them were found to agree exactly 
with Hubschmann’s aconitine. Nearly the same 
may be said with regard to aconitine made by Hopkin 
and Williams, which, however, produced a less pure 
coloration with phosphoric acid, and tasted, in aque¬ 
ous solution, not quite purely bitter, but, at the same 
time, somewhat acrid. Its watery solution also yields 
a soft greasy brownish precipitate with platinocya- 
nide of potassium, whilst in Hubschmann’s and in 
Morson’s aconitine the platinum salt produces a 
heavy, white, not at all agglutinating compound. 
Tins discrepancy appears to be due to the presence 
of a very small quantity of impurities in the alkaloid 
of Hopkin and Williams. I found its chlorhydrate 
to contain the same amount of hydrochloric acid as 
that of Hiibschmann, and in its physiological effects 
no difference could be traced. 
The samples of aconitine, prepared by Mr. Groves 
from A. Napellus, agreed partly with the products of 
Hiibschmann and of Morson, partly with that of 
Hopkin and Williams, inasmuch as the coloration 
produced with hot concentrated phosphoric acid was 
pure, or less pure violet. The aconitine of Mr. Groves 
(at least in some of his samples) is remarkable, as it 
consists of microscopic crystals; all the other samples 
of tills alkaloid, which I had the opportunity of ex¬ 
amining, being entirely amorphous. The said che¬ 
mist was also the first who succeeded in obtaining 
crystallized salts of aconitine; * I am indebted to him 
for really fine rhombic octahedrons of nitrate oi 
aconitine. 
It must be concluded from the foregoing experi¬ 
ments, that the aconitine used in England, and that 
found on the Continent, at least in Germany, are 
essentially one and the same substance. 
Yet pseudaconitine exists. In 1868, the London 
house of Roller and Wiedenmann met there with a 
“ cheap aconitine ,” which they sent for examination to 
Mr. Merck. When engaged in the present investi¬ 
gation, this substance had disappeared from the 
market, so that I could not succeed in obtaining any; 
but the statements of Mr. Merck f are sufficient to 
show it was pseudaconitine. Unfortunately no 
further information as to the source of this curious 
body was to be obtained. I am informed that in 
London it was said to come from the Continent! 
Tins mysterious pseudaconitine being attributed to 
the Bildi tubers, I prepared an alcoholic extract 
of the latter, which was examined by Dr. Klebs, 
Professor of Pathologic Anatomy in our University. 
It proved to agree in its effects with aconitine, but 
decidedly not with pseudaconitine. I am also in¬ 
formed, most positively, that in London the manu¬ 
facturers of aconitine indiscriminately resort to Indian 
* Pharm. Journ. VIII. (1866) 122* 
f Ibid. X. (1868) 248. 
