326 POISONS : THEIR EFFECTS AND DETECTION. [§ 394. 
times the crystals are extremely distinct, the short six-sided prism 
prevailing ; but triangular plates, dodecahedral, rhomboidal, and penta¬ 
gonal, may also be met with. An ethereal solution on evaporation 
assumes dendritic forms, but may contain octahedra and four-sided 
prisms. A chloroform solution deposits rosettes, veined leaves, stellate 
dotted needles, circles with broken radii, and branched and reticulated 
forms of great delicacy and beauty. The crystals have positive refrac¬ 
tion e 1-75 ; co 1 *63—f-0TO ; see p. 61. 
Strychnine is very insoluble in water, although readily dissolved by 
acidulated water. According to Wormley’s repeated experiments, one 
part of strychnine dissolves in 8333 parts of cold water ; and, according 
to Pelletier and Cahours, it dissolves in 6667 parts of cold and 2500 
parts of boiling water. It may be convenient, then, to remember that 
a gallon of cold water would hardly dissolve more than 10 grains (-142 
grm. per litre) ; the same amount, if boiling, about 30 grains (-426 grm. 
per litre) of strychnine. The solubility of one part of strychnine in 
other menstrua is as follows :—Cold alcohol, 0-833 specific gravity, 120, 
boiling, 10 parts (Wittstein) ; cold alcohol, 0-936 specific gravity, 240 
parts [Merck)', cold alcohol, 0-815 specific gravity, 107 parts [Dragen- 
d or JJ ) 5 amyl alcohol, 181 parts; benzene, 164; chloroform, 6-9 
(Schlimpert), 5 ( Pettenkofer ) ; ether, 1250 parts ; carbon disulphide, 
185 parts ; glycerin, 300 parts. Creosote and essential and fixed oils 
also dissolve strychnine. 
Of all the above solvents, it is evident that chloroform is the best for 
purposes of separation, and next to chloroform, benzene. 
§ 394. The Constitution of Strychnine and Brucine.— The difficult 
problem of the constitution of strychnine and brucine has been 
attacked by many chemists, and ultimately satisfactorily solved by 
W. H. Perken, junior, and Robert Robinson. 1 These observers ascribe 
the following formula to strychnine, the reasons for which are given in the 
original paper:— 
CH, CH 
CH CH 
I I ' 
C CH CH 2 
N C CH CH, 
I I I I 
CO N—CH CH, 
V" \/ 
ch 2 choh 
Strychnine. 
MeO CH 2 CH 
/\/\/\ 
CH CH 
! I 
C CH CH, 
MeO N C CH CH, 
I I I I 
CO N—CH CH 2 
\X \/ 
ch 2 choh 
Brucine. 
The formula is in agreement with the facts that strychnine is a 
mon-acid, tertiary base, and does not contain methoxy groups. It con- 
1 “Strychnine, Berberine, and Allied Alkaloids,” J.C.S., 1910, T. 
