146  NEW  CRYSTALLINE  BODY  FROM  HELLEBORUS  NIGER. 
Alteration  was  resorted  to.  The  concentrated  fluid  was  then  care- 
fully saturated  with  carbonate  of  potash,  but  nothing  was  precipi- 
tated. A  large  excess  of  that  carbonate  was  now  added,  and  the 
solution  agitated  for  some  time  with  four  times  its  volume  of  ether, 
and  afterwards  set  aside,  so  that  the  ethereal  part  of  the  liquid 
might  separate  from  the  watery  portion.  When  this  separation 
had  taken  place,  the  ethereal  portion  was  removed  from  the  bottle 
by  means  of  a  pipette,  and  exposed  to  spontaneous  evaporation  in 
a  capsule.  Had  an  organic  base  been  present  in  the  root,  it  would 
have  been  found  in  the  ethereal  solution  ;  but  this  solution  was  en- 
tirely free  from  any  reaction  on  litmus  paper.  Thus  far  my  experi- 
ments corroborate  those  of  MM.  Feneulle  and  Capron,  as  to  the 
non-existence  in  black  hellebore  root  of  any  body  having  the  more 
distinct  characteristics  of  an  alkaloid,  but  no  further;  for  I  found 
in  the  ethereal  solution,  by  its  evaporation,  a  well-defined  crystal- 
line organic  body,  to  which  I  propose  giving  the  name  of  hellebo- 
rine  ;  although  that  name  has  been  already  given  to  the  soft  resin 
by  Gmelin,and  undeservedly  so,  as  I  think,  because  it  possesses  no 
peculiarities,  either  physical  or  chemical. 
This  new  body  readily  separates,  by  evaporation,  from  its  watery- 
alcoholic  and  ethereal  solutions,  in  white  translucent  crystals.  It 
isslightly  soluble  in  water,  more  soluble  in  ether,  and  readily  soluble 
in  alcohol.  It  dissolves  more  freely  in  these  liquids  when  they  are 
heated.  It  is  bitter  to  the  taste,  and  produces  on  the  tongue  a 
tingling  sensation,  like  theroot.  Strong  sulphuric  acid  decomposes 
it,  and  gives  with  it  a  reddish-brown  solution,  which,  when  diluted 
with  water,  affords  a  brown  precipitate.  Concentrated  nitric  acid 
dissolves  it  ;  but  does  not  oxidize  it  until  the  solution  has  been 
exposed  to  heat.  After  it  had  been  thus  oxidized,  the  usual  tests 
showed  that  oxalic  acid  was  not  one  of  the  products.  This  sub- 
stance is  not  volatile,  and  when  heated,  is  decomposed  and  leaves 
a  carbonaceous  residuum,  but  does  not  inflame.  It  is,  as  previously 
indicated,  entirely  without  reaction  on  litmus  paper,  and  does  not 
combine  with  or  saturate  acids  or  alkalies.  A  dilute  solution  of 
caustic  potash  appears  to  produce  no  change  in  it,  as  is  also  the 
case  with  dilute  mineral  acids.  It  is  not  precipitated  from  its 
solutions  by  acetate  of  lead,  bichloride  of  mercury,  or  iodide  of  po- 
tassium.   When  heated  in  a  dry  state  with  fused  caustic  potash  in 
