32 
ON  IGASURIN. 
contrary,  causes  a  brown  precipitate  analogous  to  those  indicated 
by  Pelletier.  Chlorate  of  potassa  causes  no  precipitate  in  solutions 
of  igasurin.  Its  solutions,  on  the  contrary,  are  precipitated 
yellow  by  bichloride  of  platinum^  and  white  by  tannin  and  nut 
galls. 
Igasurin  is  precipitated  under  the  form  of  crystalline  needles 
by  bicarbonate  of  soda  in  the  presence  of  tartaric  acid  ;  strychnia 
presents  the  same  character,  with  the  difference  that  the  power 
is  not  the  same,  whilst  brucia  in  the  same  conditions  is  not  preci- 
pitated by  these  reagents. 
Salts  of  Igasurin — The  sulphate  is  prepared  easily  by  saturating 
diluted  sulphuric  acid  with  the  alkaloid.  It  crystallizes  in  white 
silky  crystals,  soluble  in  four  parts  of  boiling  water,  and  in  ten 
parts  when  cold.  The  chlorohydrate  is  prepared  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  sulphate ;  it  crystallizes,  and  is  more  soluble ;  two 
parts  of  boiling  and  four  of  cold  water  suffice  to  dissolve  it. 
The  Nitrate  may  also  be  obtained  in  transparent  crystals  by 
saturating  very  dilute  nitric  acid  with  igasurin,  and  submitting 
the  solution  to  spontaneous  evaporation  in  a  dry,  airy  place.  By 
double  decomposition  between  sulphate  of  igasurin  and  nitrate 
of  baryta,  a  solution  of  this  salt  may  be  more  readily  obtained, 
which  requires  to  be  evaporated  spontaneously  to  avoid  colora- 
tion. 
M.  Desnoix  suggests  that  the  chemical  history  of  igasurin  is 
incomplete,  and  proposes  in  a  future  communication  to  extend  it. 
As  regards  its  therapeutic  action,  he  thinks,  from  the  result  of 
experiments  on  animals,  that  it  is  intermediate  between  strychnia 
and  brucia.  Steps  were  taken  to  have  it  tried  at  the  hospitals, 
but  he  had  not  received  a  report. 
In  conclusion,  the  author  thinks  he  is  authorized  to  consider 
this  principle  distinct  from  strychnia  and  brucia,  because  of  its 
greater  solubility  in  water,  by  its  solubility  in  weak  alcohol,  by  its 
crystalline  form,  by  its  reaction  with  nitric  acid,  by  its  action  on 
the  animal  economy,  by  its  reaction  with  chlorine,  because  bi- 
carbonate of  soda  and  potassa  in  the  presence  of  tartaric  acid 
precipitate  it  from  its  solution,  and  finally  by  the  marvellous 
facility  with  which  it  is  crystallized — L'Abielle  Medicale,  from 
BSpert.  de  Pharm. 
