OXYGEN ON ORGANIC BASES. 
201 
PRODUCTS DERIVED FROM STRYCHNIA. 
The most remarkable product obtained by submitting 
strychnia to the a3tion of nascent oxygen is a .pulverulent 
mass, of a brownish-yellow color, insoluble, or very spar- 
ingly soluble in boiling water, which it colors of a dirty 
yellow, and to which it communicates a bitter taste, ex- 
tremely sparingly soluble in alcohol, soluble in ether, solu- 
ble also in water acidulated with sulphuric acid, and boil- 
ing, from which it is in great part precipitated by cooling. 
The best solvent of this substance is caustic potassa ; the 
solution is of a brown color, and, if we employ only as much 
potassa as is strictly necessary for operating its solution, the 
liquor is without action on syrup of violets. When sul- 
phuric acid is added to the solution, so as to communicate 
to it an acid reaction, it becomes turbid, and deposits a 
rlocculent and yellowish precipitate. The perfectly neutral 
alkaline solution has no action on the solution of iron and 
copper ; but it precipitates the solutions of lead and silver. 
This substance deserves to fix the attention of chemists. 
The remarkable manner in which it acts with caustic po- 
tassa, which it seems to saturate completely, will, perhaps, 
cause it to be regarded as a new acid. 
PRODUCTS DERIVED FROM BRUCIA. 
The coloring matters which result from the action of oxy- 
gen on this alkaloid are two in number. The first is soluble 
in boiling alcohol at 90° C, which it colors of a yellowish- 
red. We shall study it in A. The second, which will be 
studied in B, is insoluble in alcohol at 90° C, but it readily 
dissolves, on the contrary, in this liquid boiling, and diluted 
with half its weight of distilled water. The solution which 
results from it possesses a fine red color. 
A. This is a brown, uncrystallizable substance, possess- 
ing a very bitter taste, and very sparingly soluble in ether 
soluble in boiling alcohol at 90° C; soluble in distilled wa- 
ter, which it colors of a yellowish-red ; it is soluble in con- 
18* 
