ON  THE  USE  OF  BENZOLE. 
339 
the  action  of  the  benzole  does  not  contain  the  smallest  trace  of 
alkaloid. 
The  next  substance  acted  upon  was  the  quinoTdine  or  amor- 
phous quinine  of  commerce,  which,  as  usually  found,  is  a  black- 
ish, resinous  looking  substance,  with  a  peculiar,  burnt,  empyreu- 
matic  odor.  When  this  body  is  powdered  and  digested  with 
benzole  it  yields  all  its  bitter  principle  to  it,  the  benzole  gene- 
rally separating  from  the  mass  almost  colorless.  By  distilling, 
or  dissolving,  the  residuum  in  weak  sulphuric  acid,  filtering 
(which  effectually  deprives  the  liquid  of  any  odor  of  benzole 
with  which  it  may  be  contaminated)  and  precipitating  with  caus- 
tic soda,  the  quino'idine  or  amorphous  quinine  is  obtained  of  a 
pale  straw  color,  and  when  dissolved  in  weak  SO3  yields  a  nearly 
colorless  solution.  Of  course  the  quantity  yielded  is  compara- 
tively small — rarely  more  than  a  drachm  from  an  ounce — but 
often  not  nearly  so  much,  thus  rendering  the  real  quinoldine  a 
more  expensive  body  for  medical  use  than  even  quinine  itself. 
I  may  here  mention  one  great  advantage  in  the  use  of  ben- 
zole in  preparing  these  alkaloids,  which  is,  that  the  coloring 
matter  contained  in  the  liquid,  extract,  or  powder  acted  on,  is 
almost  invariably  left  behind,  so  that  with  one  operation  the  base 
is  obtained  pure,  or  nearly  so,  and  any  odor  arising  from  the 
benzole  is  lost  when  the  base  is  dissolved  in  acid,  filtered,  and 
re-precipitated. 
Morphine  was  the  next  body  to  which  my-  attention  was  di- 
rected, but  in  this  instance  I  failed  to  obtain  a  satisfactory  re- 
sult ;  morphine  being  but  slightly,  if  at  all,  soluble  in  benzole, 
in  which  particular  benzole  again  agrees  with  ether. 
With  the  next  alkaloid,  however,  I  was  more  successful.  Nux 
vomica  seeds  were  taken,  softened  in  boiling  water,  sliced  in  a 
proper  machine,  and  boiled  in  many  successive  waters  until  that 
menstruum  ceased  to  extract  either  color  or  taste  from  the  seeds. 
It  might  be  advantageous  to  use  weak  sulphuric  acid  in  this  ope- 
eration  ;  but,  for  reasons  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  mention, 
this  was  not  done.  The  liquids  were  now  boiled  down  in  a  copper 
to  a  convenient  bulk,  filtered,  and  again  evaporated  to  the  con- 
sistence of  thin  treacle.  To  this  aqueous  extract  a  strong  solu- 
tion of  caustic  potassa  was  added  until  it  was  strongly  alkaline. 
It  was  then  mixed  with  an  equal  bulk  of  benzole,  well  agitated, 
