§§ 487 - 49 °*] ALKALOIDS OF THE VERATRUMS. 413 
potassium mercury iodide ; but gives no precipitate with platinum 
chloride, potassium-cadmium iodide, or with Millon’s reagent. 
It forms a platinum salt (C 26 H 45 N0 8 ) 2 H 2 PtCl 6 + 6H 2 0, which is pre¬ 
cipitated in large six-sided plates on adding alcohol to a mixed solution 
of platinum chloride and salt of the base. 
Protoveratridine is not poisonous, and does not cause sneezing. Its 
solutions are very bitter. 
§ 487. Rubi-jervine, C 26 Ii 43 N0 2 , is a crystallisable base wholly differ¬ 
ent from jervine, yet probably closely allied to it. Melting-point 237° 
( Wright and Luff), 240°-246° ( Salzberger ). It forms a light yellow, 
indistinctly crystalline gold salt (C 26 H 43 N0 2 ,HC1 ,AuC 1 3 ) : it gives a 
different play of colours from jervine with sulphuric acid. The con¬ 
centrated acid dissblves rubi-jervine to a clear yellow fluid, becoming suc¬ 
cessively dark yellow, brownish-yellow, and brownish blood-red, changing 
after several hours to a brownish-purple. On diluting slightly with 
water the brownish-red liquid, it becomes successively crimson, purple, 
dark lavender, dark violet, and ultimately light indigo. Its hydrochloride 
and sulphate are both more soluble than either of the corresponding salts 
of jervine or pseudo-jervine. 
§ 488. Veratralbine, C 28 H 43 N0 5 , an amorphous non-sternutatory 
base, gives, when a speck of the substance is dissolved in sulphuric acid, 
a play of colours, becoming successively yellow, dark yellow, brownish- 
orange, and brownish blood-red, with a strong green fluorescence. It 
yields no acid on saponification. 
§ 489. Veratroidine, C 32 H 53 N0 9 , is another base which has been 
separated by C. Pehkschen. 1 Its melting-point is 149°. One part dis¬ 
solves in 13 of benzene, 59 of chloroform, and 9 of ether. It yields 
amorphous salts with the mineral acids, and with oxalic and acetic acids. 
It is precipitated by most of the group reagents. With 11 per cent, 
solution of hydrochloric acid it gives a beautiful rose colour. 
§ 490. Commercial Veratrine. —Commercial veratrine is a mixture of 
alkaloids, and has usually fairly constant properties, one of which is its 
intense irritant action on the nostrils. Placed on moist blue-red litmus 
paper it gives a blue spot. It is but little soluble in water, 1 : 1500 ; but 
readily dissolves in alcohol and chloroform ; it is but little soluble in 
amyl alcohol, benzene, and carbon disulphide. 
When a very small quantity is treated with a drop of sulphuric acid, 
the acid in the cold strikes a yellow colour ; on warming, the colour 
becomes violet, slowly changing to orange and cherry-red. Sensible to 
100th of mgrm. If this test is performed in a test tube, a green-yellow 
fluorescence is also seen on the sides of the test tube. 
Commercial veratrine strikes a pink-red colour with hydrochloric 
acid in the cold if a long time is allowed to elapse, but it at once appears 
1 Op. cit. 
