456  Chemistry  of  Strophanthin.  {AmsSt.r;if8h7arm" 
4 
soluble  in  cold  water,  but  communicates  to  it  an  acid  reaction.  On  the 
contrary  the  crystalline  platinum  salt,  (C17H21N04)2PtCl6H2  +  4H20, 
only  loses  its  water  of  crystallization  at  that  temperature. 
Cocamine  melts  at  about  80°  O,  and  it  decomposes  when  heated  a 
little  above  100°  C,  or  when  boiled  with  an  alcoholic  solution  of 
baryta.  In  this  latter  case  an  acid  is  produced  which  crystallizes  from 
ether  in  needles  like  benzoic  acid,  but  does  not  appear  to  be  identical 
with  it,  since  the  ammonia  salt  gives  with  lead  acetate  a  white  floccu- 
lent  precipitate,  and  with  silver  nitrate  a  white  milky  turbidity  which 
lasts  in  a  remarkable  way  for  several  weeks  before  a  precipitate  is 
formed. 
The  basic  product  formed  in  this  decomposition  does  not  appear  to 
be  ecgonine,  for  though  dissolving  readily  in  water,  communicating  to 
it  a  basic  reaction,  and  crystallizing  on  evaporation  in  long  broad 
needles,  I  did  not  succeed  in  obtaining  from  this  base  the  character- 
istic platinum  salt  of  ecgonine.  The  salt  I  obtained  dissolved  readily 
in  water  and  in  hot  alcohol,  separating  from  the  latter  solution  only 
in  translucent  globular  masses. 
In  confining  myself  for  the  present  to  the  communication  of  these 
data  I  wish  to  add  that  I  purpose  continuing  the  investigation  of  the 
subject,  and  especially  that  of  hygrine  and  cocamine. 
NOTE  OX  THE  CHEMISTRY  OF  STROPHANTHINE 
By  T.  R  Fraser,  M.D.,  F.E.S. 
Since  former  communications  on  the  chemistry  of  Strophanthus 
hispidus,  Professor  Eraser  has  completed  a  systematic  examination  of 
various  parts  of  the  plant,  more  particularly  of  the  seeds.  Reserving 
a  detailed  description,  a  few  of  the  results  are  now  briefly  stated.  The 
active  principle  occurs  most  abundantly  in  the  seeds.  The  body 
obtained  by  treating  the  alcoholic  extract  with  ether,  as  described  some 
years  ago,  possesses  great  pharmacological  activity,  and  has  the  charac- 
teristics of  a  glucoside.  In  some  subsequent  experiments,  however, 
although  the  same  process  was  followed,  a  well-marked  crystalline 
product  was  not  always  obtained,  and  it  then  became  evident  that  the 
difference  was  due  to  some  variation  in  the  seeds  operated  on.  It  was 
also  found  that  the  body  obtained  by  the  process  formerly  described, 
1  Abstract  of  Note  read  before  Royal  Society  of  Edinburgh,  July  15, 1887.  Re- 
printed from  Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  July  23. 
