Amseplr;i887arm*}    Separation  of  Hygrine  jrom  Cocaine.  453 
NOTE  ON  THE  SEPARATION  OF  HYGRINE  FROM 
COCAINE. 
By  Wm.  C.  Howard,  Ph.D. 
The  question  whether  amorphous  cocaine  and  hygrine  are  identical, 
the  great  difficulty  attending  the  separation  of  cocaine  from  the  basic 
mass,  and  also  Dr.  Stockman's  paper  on  "Amorphous  Cocaine" 
(Pliarm.  Jour.,  April  23,  1887)  led  me  to  doubt  the  existence  of  an 
amorphous  cocaine. 
The  plan  of  separating  the  basic  principles  by  means  of  their  pla- 
tinum salts  I  have  before  found  useful  in  dealing  with  alkaloids,  and 
so  tried  it  on  the  solution  of  cocaine  in  hygrine.  The  liquor  contain- 
ing the  cocaine,  hygrine,  etc.,  was  neutralized  with  hydrochloric  acid ; 
the  amount  of  heat  given  off  proved  that  strong  alkaloids  were  present. 
It  was  then  fully  precipitated  with  platinum  chloride,  allowed  to  stand 
for  a  night,  and  filtered  off.  The  mixed  salt  was  amorphous  or  semi- 
crystalline,  and  rather  light  in  color.  This  was  then  washed  with  a 
large  quantity  of  water  at  about  80°  C. ;  a  higher  temperature  was 
tried,  but  the  salt  caked. 
The  soluble  salt  decomposed  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  shaken 
into  ether  and  the  ether  evaporated  off  gave  a  base  that,  when  cold, 
crystallized.  This  base  was  then  dissolved  in  acid,  and  shaken  into 
light  petroleum  ether,  and  the  ether  evaporated  off.  The  base  crys- 
tallized at  once.  The  platinum  salt  of  this  proved  to  be  a  light-colored, 
bulky,  semi-crystalline  precipitate ;  it  was  dried,  washed  with  carbon 
bisulphide  to  remove  sulphur,  and  finally  dried  over  sulphuric  acid 
and  analyzed : 
I.  0'1878  gram  gave  0*0358  gram  platinum. 
II.  0'2362  gram  gave  0  0455  gram  platinum. 
Reckoned  for.  Found. 
(ClvH21N04HCl)2PtCl4.  I.  II. 
Pt-  19  38  per  cent.         Pt.  19-06  per  cent.         19  26  per  cent. 
The  base  giving  the  soluble  platinum  salt  then  was  cocaine,  and  the 
strong  anesthetic  effect  confirmed  the  analysis. 
The  insoluble  platinum  salt  was  then  decomposed  with  sulphuretted 
hydrogen,  shaken  into  ether,  and  the  ether  evaporated  off,  leaving  the 
base  as  a  fluid  in  which,  though  on  standing  it  thickened  consider- 
ably, no  crystals  appeared  in  a  week  or  more.  According  to  Lossen 
(Annal.  der  Pharm.,  exxi.,  374)  hydrochlorate  of  hygrine  crystallizes 
freely.    The  base  smells  of  trimethylamine,  has  no  bitter  taste,  and 
