32  JBark  of  Alstonia  Spectabilis.  {^'^ja^'iS'L™' 
Further,  that  it  cannot  be  echitammoniumhydroxide  is  evident  from; 
the  following  experiment.  Freshly  precipitated  echitammonium  tan- 
nate  in  alcoholic  solution  was  treated  with  freshly  precipitated  lead 
hydrate,  but  was  not  decomposed  by  it.  This  result  is  not  surprising,, 
as  it  is  known  that  echitammoniumhydroxide  separates  lead  hydrate 
from  its  combinations. 
Consequently,  there  is  in  alstonamine  an  alkaloid  differing  from  the- 
alkaloids  of  dita  bark  (this  Journal,  1880,  p.  620).  In  order  to  obtain 
further  information  upon  the  nature  of  this  alkaloid,  I  undertook  an 
investigation  of  poele  bark.  I  am  indebted  for  a  specimen  to  Professor 
Wiggers,  who  had  obtained  it  some  time  ago  direct  from  Batavia,, 
possibly  from  Scharlee  himself. 
I  first  prepared  an  alcoholic  extract  from  50  grams  of  powdered 
bark.  This  was  treated  with  dilute  acetic  acid,  when  a  resinous  mass- 
was  left  which  contained  a  considerable  quantity  of  echicerin  (this 
Journal,  1876,  p.  370).  The  clear  filtered  acetic  solution  was  then 
supersaturated  with  soda,  shaken  with  ether,  and  this  treated  with. 
acetic  acid.  After  supersaturating  this  solution  with  ammonia  the 
base  removed  from  it  by  pure  ether  weighed  0'066  gram.  It  was- 
found  to  be  identical  with  ditamine. 
The  liquid  left  after  treatment  with  ether  was  next  supersaturated 
with  potassium  hydrate  and  shaken  with  chloroform.  Upon  evapora- 
tion of  the  chloroform  solution,  after  washing  with  water,  there 
remained  a  brown  amorphous  residue,  which  after  treatment  with 
hydrochloric  acid  gave  0*423  gram  of  echitammonium  chloride. 
The  mother  liquor  was  then  again  supersaturated  with  potassium 
hydrate  and  shaken  with  chloroform,  which  now  upon  evaporation 
yielded  0'042  gram  of  a  mixed  residue,  consisting  of  an  amorphous- 
alkaloid  and  one  crystallizing  readily  from  chloroform.  The  crystals 
were  concentrically  grouped  prisms  and  behaved  towards  nitric  acid 
like  ditamine.  The  substance  was  repeatedly  dissolved  in  chloroform 
and  upon  evaporation  of  the  solution  obtained  again  unaltered.  The 
small  quantity  of  this  substance  which  I  thus  obtained,  though  not 
sufficient  for  further  experiment,  was  sufficient  to  ascertain  that  it  was 
not  ditamine,  echitenine  or  echitammoniumhydroxide.  As  besides 
this  no  other  crystallizable  alkaloid  could  be  observed  in  this  alstonia 
bark,  I  assume  that  these  crystals  were  actually  Scharlee's  alstonamine. 
As  to  the  amorphous  portion,  in  which  these  crystals  were  imbedded,, 
it  corresponded  in  its  behaviour  with  echitenine. 
