156  The  Ptomaines.  {'^'"Atdi^i^s*""* 
but  afterwards  the  former  deposited  a  few  yellow  flakes  and  tlie  latter 
a  white  precipitate.  Platinic  chloride  gave  directly  a  granular,  canary- 
yellow  precipitate  of  microscopic  octahedrons.  Auric  chloride  gave 
only  in  very  concentrated  solution  an  insignificant  precipitate,  which 
under  the  microscope  consisted  of  fine,  yellow  rhombic  tables.  3/cr- 
cur'ic  chloride  produced  even  in  highly  concentrated  solutions  no  tur- 
bidity. According  to  experiments  made  by  Prof.  Ciaccio  with  24 
milligrams  of  the  substance,  this  base  is  most  intensely  poisonous  and 
resembles  strychnine  in  its  action. 
In  order  to  ascertain  whether,  besides  this  volatile  base,  a  fixed 
alkaloid  was  still  contained  in  the  liquid  remaining  on  distilla- 
tion and  in  the  solid  matter,  the  latter  was  comminuted,  the  residue 
from  the  retort  poured  upon  it,  acidulated  with  tartaric  acid  and  four 
times  its  volume  of  alcohol  added;  after  digesting  till  the  following 
day,  the  alcoholic  liquid  was  separated  from  the  solid  matter,  tlie  latter 
again  extracted  with  alcohol,  the  alcoholic  liquids  filtered,  combined 
and  distilled  in  vacuo  until  the  alcohol  was  entirely  expelled.  The 
brown  residue  was  made  alkaline  with  barium  hydrate  and  shaken  three 
times  with  ether.  By  the  distillation  of  the  brown  liquid  obtained 
by  the  first  treatment  with  ether,  which  possessed  an  alkaline  reaction, 
a  distillate  having  a  peculiar  odor  was  obtained  which  differed  from 
that  of  the  previously  described  volatile  base.  After  spontaneous 
evaporation  there  remained  a  residue,  which  after  some  days  acquli*ed 
an  unendurably  disagreeable  odor,  although  tlie  base  had  been  con- 
verted into  hydrochlorate,  which  afterwards  deliquesced.  The  small 
quantity  prevented  an  exact  examination. 
The  residue  from  the  distillation  of  tlie  ether  was  brown,  glutinous, 
alkaline  and  nearly  insoluble  in  water.  After  treatment  witli  very 
dilute  hydrochloric  acid  with  the  aid  of  heat  and  filtering  olf  the  sep- 
arated fatty  matter,  as  also  after  the  purification  of  the  yellowish- 
colored  filtrate  by  trfiatment  with  baryta  and  agitation  with  ether,  a 
distillation  residue  was  obtained  having  an  alkaline  reaction  and  a 
somewhat  cadaverous  odor  which,  at  first  slightly  colored,  by  exposure 
to  the  air  became  brown  and  at  the  same  time  insoluble  in  water.  By 
the  addition  of  a  few  drops  of  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  until  the 
reaction  was  feebly  acid,  and  moderately  warming,  a  yellowish  solu- 
tion of  somewhat  disagreeable  odor  and  bitter  taste  was  obtained, 
which,  when  brought  upon  the  tongue,  produced  a  prurient  sensation 
and  afterwards  loss  of  sensibility.    This  gave  with  tannin  a  slowly 
