524 POISONS : THEIR EFFECTS AND DETECTION. [§ 689. 
the platinochloride of trimethylenediamine is not very soluble, while 
creatinine easily dissolves ; so that separation is by this means fairly easy. 
It also gives a difficultly soluble salt with gold chloride. 
The picrate consists of. felted needles, melting-point 198°. Phospho- 
molybdic acid gives a precipitate crystallising in plates ; potassium 
bismuth iodide gives dark-coloured needles. 
It produces in animals violent convulsions and muscular tremors ; 
but the substance has hitherto been obtained in too small a quantity 
to be certain as to its identification and properties. 
§ 689. Neuridine, C 5 H 14 N 2 .—Neuridine is a diamine, and is apparently 
the most common basic product of putrefaction ; it has been obtained 
from the putrefaction of gelatin, of horseflesh, of fish, and from the yelk 
of eggs. It is usually accompanied by choline, from which it can be 
separated by converting the bases into hydrochlorides, choline hydro¬ 
chloride being soluble in absolute alcohol, neuridine scarcely so. Brieger 
isolated neuridine from putrid flesh by precipitating the watery extract 
w T ith mercuric chloride. He decomposed the mercury precipitate with 
SH 2 , and, after having got rid of the sulphide of mercury by filtration, 
he concentrated the liquid to a small bulk, when a substance separated 
in crystals similar in form to urea ; this was purified by recrystallisation 
from absolute alcohol, and converted into the platinum salt. 
Another method which may be used for the separation and purification 
of neuridine is to dissolve it in alcohol and precipitate with an alcoholic 
solution of picric acid ; the picrate may be decomposed by treatment with 
dilute mineral acid, and the picric acid removed by shaking with ether. 
The free base has a strong seminal odour. It is gelatinous, and has 
not been crystallised. It is insoluble in ether and in absolute alcohol, 
and not readily soluble in amyl alcohol. It gives white precipitates with 
mercuric chloride, neutral and basic lead acetates. It does not give 
Hofmann’s isonitrile reaction. When distilled with a fixed alkali, it 
yields di- and trimethylamine. 
The hydrochloride, C 5 H 14 N 2 2HC1, crystallises in long needles, which 
are insoluble in absolute alcohol, ether, benzol, chloroform, petroleum 
ether, and amyl alcohol ; but the hydrochloride is very soluble in water 
and in dilute alcohol. 
The hydrochloride gives no precipitate with mercuric chloride, potass- 
mercuric iodide, potass-cadmium iodide, iodine and iodide of potassium, 
tannic acid, ferricyanide of potassium, ferric chloride ; and it does not 
give any colour with Frohde’s reagent. 
On the other hand, phosphotungstic acid, phospho-molybdic acid, 
picric acid, potass-bismuth iodide, platinum chloride, and gold chloride 
all give precipitates. 
Neuridine hydrochloride is capable of sublimation, and at the same 
time it is decomposed, for the sublimed needles show red or blue colours. 
