SO 6 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [December 23, 1871. 
of coalesced globules not unlike the yeast-plant. In 
qualitative reactions all the bodies hitherto described 
are very similar: ferric chloride gives no coloration to 
the aqueous solution of the hydriodate; silver nitrate is 
reduced on standing, producing a yellow tint; nitric 
acid gives an intense yellow; sulphuric acid and potas¬ 
sium dichromate only separate iodine: sodium carbonate 
throws down a white precipitate scarcely soluble in ex¬ 
cess, and soon becoming yellow, salmon-colour, and 
finally dark brown; ammonia gives a similar precipitate 
somewhat more soluble in excess, while caustic potash 
readily dissolves the white precipitate first formed. In 
many of these reactions this group of codeia derivatives 
utterly differs from the bodies got by the action of H Cl 
or H Br: most of these latter derivatives give colours 
with ferric chloride and sulphuric acid and dichromate ; 
all give a blood-red with nitric acid, while the free bases 
turn more or less green by exposure to air. 
On similarly treating with boiling water the compound 
C flS H 82 I 2 N 4 0 6 ,4HI formed by the action of hydriodic 
acid on codeia at about 130°, a substance similar in cha¬ 
racters to that got from the other two compounds is 
produced; the final product, however, differs somewhat 
in its physical characters from those just mentioned; 
instead of coming out from the hot aqueous solution in 
solid flakes, it appears in very minute solid oil globules 
which do not readily subside, and give to the liquid a 
great resemblance to fresh milk; sometimes the globules 
do not subside for many days. 
Dried at 100°, these globules give numbers indicating 
a compound analogous to that of the non-iodized base 
just described; it is, however, much more difficult in 
this instance to remove the last portions of basic III; 
moreover, 4 molecules of water appear to be taken up, 
probably in lieu of the oxygen lost. 
Specimen A. Original substance treated three times 
with large excess of water— 
0-3315 grm. gave 0-589 C0 2 and 0175 H 2 0. 
0-299 grm. gave 0178 Agl. 
Specimen B. Original with water four times— 
0-321 grm. gave 0-585 C0 2 and 0-169 H 2 0. 
0-411 grm. gave 0-754 C0 2 and 0-218 H 2 0. 
0-2835 grm. gave 0-165 Agl. 
Specimen C. Original with water five times— 
0-4095 grm. gave 0-740 C0 2 and 0-219 H,0. 
0-3995 grm. gave 0*237 Agl. 
Found. 
Calculated. 
' A. 
B. 
C. 
Mean. 
^68 * 
. 816 
50-00 
48-46 
49-71 50-03 
49-68 
49-47 
H 92 
. 92 
5-64 
5-87 
5-85 5-89 
5-94 
5-89 
I 4 . 
. 508 
31-13 
32-17 
31-45 
32-06 
31-86 
N 4 . 
. 56 
3-43 
Oio. 
. 160 
9-80 
1632 100-00 
^68-^88^4^10> 4HI. 
Hence this compound is to be formed by the reaction— 
C 68 H 82 I,N 4 0 6 ,4HI + 4H 2 0 
— 2HI + C 68 H 88 N 4 O 10 , 4HL 
Carbonate of soda threw down from Specimen C. a 
white precipitate, becoming yellow on standing: this 
precipitate contained a small amount of iodine, showing 
(as the above numbers indicate) that the transformation 
of the original substance was not absolutely complete. 
The qualitative reactions of this substance are the 
same as those of the bodies previously described. 
[To be continued.) 
NEUTRAL SULPHATE OF PHYSOSTIGMATIN. 
In consequence of the frequent use by practitioners 
specially devoted to the treatment of diseases of the eye 
of neutral solutions of physostigmatin or eserin, and the 
difficulty of obtaining that alkaloid in a state of purity, 
the author has been led to investigate the subject, and de¬ 
scribes a direct process for preparing solutions of neutral 
sulphate of physostigmatin. One part of hydro-alcoholic 
extract of Calabar bean is dissolved in four parts, or a 
sufficiency, of distilled water, and the solution filtered. 
The smail residue which remains in the filter contains 
none of the alkaloid. One gram of bicarbonate of potash, 
is added to each twenty grams of the extract, and agi¬ 
tated with an excess of ether. The ether becomes dis¬ 
tinctly alkaline, and may easily be separated by re¬ 
versing the bottle, and allowing the aqueous liquor to 
run away. After standing a short time, so that it may 
contain no trace of the bicarbonate of potash, the ether, 
charged with physostigmatin, is poured into another 
bottle. To this a small quantity of distilled water is 
added, and then, drop by drop, a titrated solution of 
sulphuric acid, containing as nearly as possible forty 
grams of monohydrated sulphuric acid (S0 3 HO) to the 
litre; so that one drop, or 0-05 gram, would correspond 
to the quantity of physostigmatin necessary to form 0-01 
gram of neutral sulphate of physostigmatin. It should be 
shaken after the addition of each drop, and the point of 
saturation ascertained by the use of litmus paper. 
The aqueous solution is then separated, and the ether, 
which has parted with the whole of the physostigmatin, 
is returned to the original and as yet only partially ex¬ 
hausted aqueous solution of extract of Calabar bean. 
After being agitated and becoming again charged with 
the alkaloid, it is removed as before, and added to the 
aqueous solution of neutral sulphate, which, upon the 
addition of the requisite number of drops of sulphuric 
acid, takes up all the physostigmatin it contains. This 
operation, three or four times repeated, will be sufficient 
to exhaust the solution of the extract, and the same ether 
will serve throughout. 
This solution would suffice for medical purposes, but, to 
obtain the sulphate in a state of great purity it should 
be treated in exactly the same way as the original mo¬ 
ther liquor. The solution of sulphate of physostigmatin 
so obtained gives, when evaporated to dryness, elongated 
prismatic microscopic crystals, but in general the liquors 
are heated in a water-bath, to evaporate the ether and 
alcohol they contain. 
By adding sufficient water to obtain as many grams 
as it has been necessary to use drops of sulphuric acid, 
a solution is obtained containing one centigram of phy¬ 
sostigmatin to the gram. One drop of a collyrium con¬ 
taining one gram of this solution to nine grams of dis¬ 
tilled water decidedly contracts the pupil, but the quan¬ 
tity generally used is two grams of the solution to eight 
grams of water. 
The author reports that he has obtained very fine 
crystals of iodide of physostigmatin, by adding tincture 
of iodine to a solution of sulphate of physostigmatin.— 
Journal de Fharmacie et de Chimie. 
PREPARATION OF SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN. 
BY JOHN GALLETLY. 
In making some experiments on the action of sulphur 
on paraffin, I have found that a mixture of these sub¬ 
stances, either in equal parts or with a larger proportion 
of sulphur, when heated in a flask not greatly above 
the melting-point of the sulphur, begins to evolve sul¬ 
phuretted hydrogen, and continues to give off this gas 
steadily, while kept moderately heated, for a consider¬ 
able time. 
I have used this process repeatedly, and consider ft 
| the most convenient for laboratory use. With a round 
