MICROSCOPICAL  RESEARCHES  ON  THE  ALKALOIDS. 
349 
The  mother-substance  I  have  referred  to  is  described  in  the 
above  work,  under  the  head  0.  succirubra.  It  is  extracted  un- 
changed from  the  heartwood  of  the  tree,  by  the  simple  action  of 
ether,  and  appears  like  a  resin  when  dried,  having  the  composi- 
tion C46H36Oio.*  In  this  state  it  is  not  deliquescent,  differing  in 
this  from  cincho-tannic  acid,  and  it  is  permanent.  It  may  be 
heated  in  a  sealed  tube  for  twenty-four  hours  with  chloride  of 
ammonium  without  being  decomposed ;  but,  by  the  addition  of  a 
few  drops  of  liquid  ammonia,  the  bright  yellow  ethereal  solution 
changes  to  a  beautiful  pink  color.  By  boiling  with  lime  and 
water,  it  is  broken  up  into  kinovic  acid  (which  passes  through  the 
filter  in  combination,  separating  with  acids,)  and  into  very  pure 
cinchona-red,  which  remains  behind  with  the  rest  of  the  lime  on 
the  filter.  This  last  is  evidently  the  product  of  the  oxidation  of 
the  cincho-tannic  acid.  The  mother-substance  appears  to  under- 
go some  change  in  the  roots.  It  becomes  less  soluble  in  ether, 
contains  less  kinovic  acid,  and  the  substance,  separating  with 
lime,  is  no  longer  pure  cinchona-red. 
Now  it  is  possible,  both  by  synthesis  and  analysis,  to  obtain 
presumptive  evidence  that  the  crystals  seen  in  Red  Bark  are  in 
the  above  state  of  composition.  By  synthesis,  because  by  the 
addition  of  an  ethereal  solution  of  quinine  to  that  of  the  mother- 
substance,  a  red- colored  compound  ensues,  which  is  capable, 
though  with  difficulty,  of  being  crystallized  from  water,  with 
separation  of  the  cinchona-red,  and  also  from  spirituous  media. 
By  analysis,  since  the  same  bark,  treated  in  exactly  the  same 
manner  with  Liq.  Potass,  and  then  boiled  with  spirit  of  wine, 
yields  Quinine,  Cinchonidine,  and  Cinchonine. 
We  have  next  to  consider  whether  one,  or  more  than  one,  of 
the  alkaloids  are  perceptible;  and  to  assist  in  answering  this 
question,  I  must  beg  your  readers  to  compare  my  plates  with 
those  in  Mr.  Stoddart's  paper  "  On  the  Purity  of  Sulphate  of 
Quinine  of  Commerce."f  I  think  that  the  correspondent  forms 
will  at  once  suggest  the  analogy  which  is  probably  the  true  one. 
The  small  tufted  groups  of  crystals  are  quinine,  (quinidine,  when 
*  See  my  "  Quinologia/'  under  head  C.  succirubra. 
f  See  January  number  of  this  volume. 
