Am.  Joiir.Pharm.  ) 
July,  1881.  J 
Nerium  Odor  urn. 
351 
Dry  neriodorein  yields  with  pure  sul])luiric  acid  a  reddish-brown 
color,  at  the  edges  violet,  passing  gradually  to  a  dirty  yellowish-brown 
and  green ;  with  sulphuric  acid  and  cane  sugar  at  first  the  same  (;olor, 
turning  violet-blue  ;  with  nitric  acid  added  to  the  sulphuric  acid  solu- 
tion yellow,  and  with  Froehde's  reagent  a  deep  dirty  violet  color. 
A  one  per  cent,  solution  in  water  is  neutral  to  test  paper,  is  tinged 
slightly  brown  by  ferric  chloride,  and  is  not  precipitated  by  basic  lead 
acetate  until  a  drop  of  ammonia  is  added,  Avhen  a  voluminous  gelatin- 
ous precipitate  is  produced.  With  potassio-mercuric  iodide,  cupric 
acetate  and  neutral  lead  acetate,  no  change  is  observed.  Tannic  acid 
yields  a  yellowish  precipitate.  Fehling's  copper  sohition  is  reduced 
on  boiling.  When  boiled  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  a  yellowish 
not  bitter  liquid  is  obtained,  which  reduces  Fehling's  solution  and 
probably  contains  sugar ;  the  insoluble  decomposition  product  is  sepa- 
rated by  absolute  alcohol  into  a  yellow  amorphous  substance,  soluble 
also  in  chloroform  and  boiling  water,  and  into  colorless  needles,  insol- 
uble in  alcohol,  ether,  water  and  alkalies,  but  soluble  in  chloroform ; 
neither  of  these  substances  reduce  Fehling's  cop})er  solution.  On 
evaporating  an  aqueous  solution  of  neriodorein  with  milk  of  lime,  its 
bitter  taste  is  lost  and  no  appreciable  quantity  of  it  is  taken  up  by 
absolute  alcohol. 
Neriodorin  is  a  clear  yellow,  transparent,  tenacious  varnish-like 
mass,  not  pulverizable,  easily  soluble  in  chloroform,  very  difficultly 
soluble  in  cold  water,  l)ut  imparting  to  it  its  bitter  taste,  insoluble  in 
petroleum  spirit,  benzol  and  carbon  bisulphide,  very  slightly  soluble 
in  ether,  and  rather  readily  soluble  in  alcohol.  »Its  behavior  to 
reagents  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the  preceding  principle,  except  that 
a  cold  saturated  aqueous  solution  is  colored  deep  reddish-brown  by 
ferric  chloride,  the  color  being  discharged  by  acids  and  alkali ;  and 
yields,  with  basic  lead  acetate,  gelatinous  flocks,  and  with  potassio- 
mercuric  iodide  a  copious  whitish  precipitate. 
From  the  wood,  very  little  neriodorein  and  a  somewhat  darker  col- 
ored neriodorin  were  obtained. 
Both  principles  are  free  from  nitrogen  and  are  powerful  cardiac 
poisons.  0*0016  gram  of  neriodorein  injected  hypodermically  into  a 
large  frog  caused,  in  14  minutes,  diminution  of  the  heart  beats  from  70 
to  12,  with  a  temporary  rise  to  60;  in  5  minutes  more,  the  heart 
ceased  to  beat,  and  this  was  closely  followed  by  cessation  of  the  respi- 
ration.   A  dose  of  0*0032  gram  produced  death  in  IJ  hour.  Quan- 
