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POISONS : THEIR EFFECTS AND DETECTION. [§ 482. 
From whence it appears that V. album has only a very small quantity 
of veratrine, that it is almost absent in V. viride ; on the other hand, 
V. viride contains a fair quantity of cevadine, an alkaloid absent in 
V. album. 
Besides the six principles enumerated, G. Salzberger has separated 
two other crystalline substances, to which he has given the names of 
protoveratrine and protoveratridine ; and Pehkschen has also separated a 
ninth substance, to which he has given the name of veratroidine. 
The formuke of the nine bodies which have been separated from 
hellebore root are as follows :— 
4. Pseudo-jervine, 
1. Veratridine (or amorphous veratrine), C 37 H 53 NO n 
2. Cevadine (or crystalline veratrine), C 32 H 49 N0 9 
3. Protoveratrine, C 32 H 51 N 0 n .... 
/C 29 H 43 N0 7 (Wright) 
me ’ pC 29 H 49 N0 12 ( Pehkschen ) . 
5. Veratralbine, C 28 H 43 N0 5 .... 
6. Protoveratridine, C 26 H 45 N0 8 
7 Rubi iervine / 0 2 « H m XO 2 {Wright and Luff) 
7. Kubi-jervme, ^ (Salzberger) . 
8. Jervine, C 26 H 37 N0 3 2H 2 0 .... 
9. Veratroidine, C 32 H 53 N0 9 .... 
Melting-point. 
181° 
205°-206° 
245°-250° 
209°-300° 
265° 
236° 
240°-245° 
237°-239° 
149° 
Three of these alkaloids possess powerful sternutatory properties, the 
least quantity applied to the nostrils exciting sneezing ; the three are 
veratridine, cevadine, and protoveratrine. 
Protoveratrine, C 32 H 51 NO n , has been obtained by G. Salzberger 1 
from powdered veratrum root by the following process :— 
The powdered root is first freed from fatty and resinous matters by 
treatment with ether, and then the fat-free powder is exhausted with 
alcohol. The alcohol is evaporated off in a vacuum, the extract mixed 
with much acetic acid water, filtered from the insoluble residue, and 
treated with metaphosphoric acid ; the voluminous precipitate contains 
much amorphous matter, with insoluble compounds of jervine and 
rubi-jervine. The precipitate is filtered off, and the filtrate treated 
with excess of ammonia and shaken up with ether. On separating the 
ether and distilling, protoveratrine crystallises out, and can be obtained 
pure by recrystallisation from strong alcohol. 
Protoveratrine crystallises in four-sided plates, which melt with 
charring at 245° to 250°. The base is insoluble in water, benzene, and 
light petroleum ; chloroform and boiling 96 per cent, alcohol dissolve it 
somewhat; cold ether scarcely touches it, boiling ether dissolves it a little. 
Concentrated sulphuric acid dissolves the alkaloid slowly with the 
production of a greenish colour, which passes to cornflower-blue, and 
after some hours becomes violet. Sulphuric acid and sugar gives a 
different colour to that produced by commercial veratrine. There is 
1 Arch. Pharm., ccxxviii. 462-483. 
