Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Sept.,  1887. 
Alkaloids  of  Coca  Leaves. 
155 
then  to  extract  the  bases  taken  up  by  shaking  the  ether  solution  with 
dilute  hydrochloric  acid.  When  sound  leaves  are  operated  upon  in 
this  way  the  acid  solution  obtained  presents  at  first  no  fluorescence, 
but  after  a  time  it  gradually  becomes  distinctly  fluorescent,  showing 
that  hygrine  is  a  product  of  subsequent  decomposition. 
Hygrine  is  separated  from  solution  in  acids  by  ammonia  or  caustic 
soda  solution  as  a  colorless  oil,  with  a  basic  reaction  and  a  peculiar 
odor  which  crude  cocaine  sometimes  possesses.  Its  solutions  in  dilute 
acids  present  a  fine  blue  fluorescence.  The  solution  in  excess  of  hydro- 
chloric acid  gives,  when  mixed  with  chloride  of  lime  solution  and 
excess  of  ammonia,  only  a  milky  turbidity,  but  no  coloration.  A 
solution  of  the  hydrochlorate  also  gives  no  color  when  mixed  with 
ferric  chloride ;  with  gold  chloride  it  gives  a  yellow  oily  precipitate, 
and  with  platinum  chloride  a  pale  yellow  crystalline  precipitate. 
As  regards  the  amorphous  portion  of  the  coca  bases  which  can  be 
easily  separated  from  cocaine,  the  above-mentioned  fluorescent  charac- 
ter of  hygrine  admits  of  the  presence  or  absence  of  this  base  being 
ascertained.  The  material  I  operated  upon  contained  no  hygrine,  and 
it  gave  a  platinum  salt  that  yielded  in  two  experiments  18*26  and 
18 '44  per  cent,  of  platinum,  the  amount  of  water  being  respectively 
5'00  and  5*50  per  cent.  These  results  would  correspond  satisfactorily 
with  the  formula 
(ClvH21N04)2PtCl6H2+3H,0 
according  to  which  the  amorphous  base  would  appear  to  have  the 
same  composition  as  cocaine.  It  is,  however,  evident  that  this  amor- 
phous material  is  not  homogeneous,  since  I  was  able  to  separate  from 
it  by  fractional  precipitation  a  well-defined  base,  to  which  I  have  given 
the  name  of  "  cocamine,"  but  I  must  add  that  at  present  I  have  only 
been  able  to  obtain  this  base  from  a  small-leaved  variety  of  coca. 
This  new  base  has  the  same  empirical  formula  as  cocaine,  C17H21 
N04.  It  dissolves  readily  in  alcohol,  ether  or  chloroform,  and  on 
evaporating  these  solutions,  it  remains  in  an  amorphous  condition.  It 
dissolves  with  difficulty  in  petroleum  spirit  and  in  water.  Dilute 
acids  dissolve  it  readily,  and  ammonia  produces  in  these  solutions  a 
voluminous  flocculent  white  precipitate  that  appears  crystalline  under 
the  microscope.  The  hydrochlorate  of  this  base,  C17H21NOJHCl,  is 
amorphous,  has  a  neutral  reaction,  and  is  readily  soluble  in  water  and 
alcohol,  but  these  solutions  soon  become  acid.  When  dried  at  120° 
C.  the  salt  continues  to  lose  weight,  and  eventually  becomes  no  longer 
