118 
ON  PIPER IDINE. 
is  heavier  than  water,  and  does  not  alter  test  paper.  It  melts  with 
the  warmth  of  the  hand  and  solidifies  again  below  zero  (32°  F.)  ; 
it  burns  more  readily  than  chloroform  ;  it  decomposes  easilyif  at- 
tempted to  be  dried,  I  have  found  great  difficulty  in  obtaining  it 
identical  in  different  operations  ;  since  it  can  only  be  freed  from 
adhering  water  by  pressure,  it  therefore  always  contains  more  or 
less  thereof.  Consequently  I  have  not  been  able  to  determine 
correctly  its  formula,  in  particular  the  number  of  equivalents  of 
water,  which  have  united  with  chloroform  and  sulphuretted  hy- 
drogen. 
The  analysis  shows  that  the  chloroform  and  sulphuretted  hydrogen 
have  united  in  equal  equivalents  in  this  combination. 
Seleniuretted  Hydrogen.— -The  preparation  of  the  above  compound 
with  seleniuretted  hydrogen,  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  preceding 
body ;  its  properties  are  analogous. 
Its  formation,  appearance,  and  reaction,  show  this  body  to  possess 
the  same  composition  as  the  preceding  compound.  From  want  of 
material  I  was  unable  to  carry  out  its  analysis. — Jour,  fur  Prart. 
Chemie,  from  Compt.  Rend,  xxxiv.  14 — 547. 
ON  PIPERIDINE.    A  NEW  ALKALOID. 
By  M.  Cahours. 
In  a  paper  published  in  the  70th  vol.  of  the  Ann.  der  Chemie 
und  Pharmacie,  MM.  Rochleder  and  Wertheirn  announced  that 
on  submitting  to  distillation  at  mixture  of  Piperine  and  caustic 
soda,  a  volatile  oily  base  is  obtained,  possessing  all  the  properties 
of  picoline. 
Wishing  to  make  a  very  deep  research  into  the  nature  of  this 
base  and  its  isomeric  aniline,  M.  Cahours  distilled,  according 
to  the  directions  of  the  above-mentioned  chemists,  one  part  of 
pure  piperine  with  from  2j  to  3  parts  of  caustic  potash.  The 
products  of  this  distillation,  collected  in  a  cooled  receiver,  was 
found  to  be  composed  of  water,  two  distinct  volatile  bases, 
and  a  trace  of  a  neutral  substance  possessing  an  agreeable 
aromatic  odor,  recalling  that  of  the  derivatives  of  the  benzoic 
series. 
On  treating  the  crude  product  with  fragments  of  caustic 
potash,  a  light  oily  matter,  soluble  in  all  proportions  of  water, 
