Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
July, 1882  J 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
367 
from  its  salts  by  ether,  chloroform  and  other  solvents.  The  neutral 
and  acid  sulphate  and  oxalate,  the  hydrochlorate  and  acid  citrate  are 
amorphous  and  have  an  acid  reaction  ;  a  bibasic  citrate  does  not  exist, 
a  portion  of  the  alkaloid  crystallizes  and  the  amorphous  mass,  after- 
wards left,  contains      mol.  of  alkaloid  to  1  mol.  of  citric  acid. 
Aspidospermatine  C22H28N2O2  is  the  principal  alkaloid  left  in  the 
alcoholic  mother  liquor  of  the  total  alkaloids.  The  acetic  acid  solu- 
tion is  reprecipitated  by  sodium  bicarbonate,  then  treated  with  small 
quantities  of  ammonia  as  long  as  a  flocculent  precipitate  (of  aspidosa- 
mine)  is  formed,  filtered,  mixed  with  caustic  soda  and  shaken  with 
■ether ;  the  ether  is  evaporated  and  the  residue  boiled  with  a  little  lig- 
roin  (hypoquebraehiiie  is  left  undissolved),  when  on  cooling,  besides 
amorphous  substance,  warty  aggregations  of  crystals  of  aspidosperma- 
tine are  left,  requiring  purification  from  hot  ligroin.  The  alkaloid  is 
freely  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether  and  chloroform,  melts  at  162°C.,  has  a 
strong  basic  reaction  and  bitter  taste,  and  is  Isevogyre.  It  behaves 
like  aspidospermine  towards  perchloric  acid  and  sulphuric  acid,  but  the 
latter  solution  is  not  colored  by  a  little  potassium  bichromate.  Its 
salts  are  amorphous,  brown  or  yellow. 
Aspidosamine,  022^28^ 2^2)^^  purified  by  precipitation  with  ammonia 
from  acetic  acid  and  by  boiling  with  a  little  ligroin.  It  is  at  first 
colorless,  but  in  the  light  becomes  yellowish  or  reddish.  It  is  amor- 
phous, very  freely  soluble  in  ether,  chloroform,  alcohol  and  benzol, 
melts  at  about  100°C.,  and  has  a  bitter  taste  and  strongly  alkaline 
reaction.  In  aqueous  solution  of  chloral  hydrate  it  is  colored  red- 
brown  by  ferric  chloride ;  it  dissolves  in  sulphuric  acid,  with  a  blueish 
•color  (blue  in  presence  of  molybdic  acid),  the  color  being  changed  to 
dark-blue  by  a  little  potassium  bichromate  ;  the  solution  in  perchloric 
acid  is  fuchsine-red.  The  hydrochlorate  is  brown,  brittle  and  easily 
soluble  in  cold  water. 
Hypoquebrachine,  CgjIIggNgOg,  after  being  purified  in  acetic  acid 
solution  with  animal  charcoal,  is  yellowish  and  has  an  odor  resembling 
•chinoline  which  disappears  on  gentle  heating,  the  alkaloid  becoming 
brown.  It  melts  near  80°C.,  dissolves  freely  in  alcohol,  ether  and 
chloroform,  tastes  bitter  and  forms  yellow  amorphous  salts,  which  are 
freely  soluble  in  water  and  give  with  ferric  chloride  a  splendid  cherry- 
red  color.  The  solution  in  perchloric  acid  turns  fuchsine-red  upon 
boiling ;  that  in  sulphuric  acid  is  at  first  colorless,  but  quickly  becomes 
