ON BELLADONINE. 127 
when after the third trial the princes found they could not 
make their gain of that which God made to be common, they 
left it as free as God gave it." 
Penny Magazine. 
ART. XXIX. — ON BELLADONINE. By Ph. Lubekind.* 
M. Brandes having demonstrated, by his experiments, that 
the leaves of the Jitropa belladonna contained two new or- 
ganic bases, one of which is solid and crystallisable, and the 
other volatile, and possessing strong analogy to ammonia. M. 
Brandes having completed his researches, M. Lubekind con- 
tinued them under the direction of Prof. Lowig. M. Lube- 
kind took thirty pounds of the dr}^ leaves of belladonna and 
distilled them in an alembic of tin, with twelve pounds of 
caustic potassa. To the product of this distillation he added, 
drop by drop,t chloride of platinum; in place of a granular 
powder, crystallised in otohedra, he obtained a white precipi- 
tate, not crystallizable, and readily soluble in ammonia. This 
white precipitate was mixed with two parts of pure dry car- 
bonate of potassa; the mixture was introduced into a retort, 
and slightly heated. It suddenly acquired a somewhat black 
color, and disengaged carbonic acid, while in the upper part 
of the beak of the retort a white sublimate appeared; this is 
pure belladonine. In the disengaged gas he recognised, by 
odor only, hydrochloric acid, although chlorine was not de- 
tected in the sublimated matter, even after exposure for se- 
veral hours in a place heated to 35° or 40°, C. 
Belladonine has a great analogy in its odor to ammonia. 
It is but slightly poisonous ; taken fasting, in the dose of two 
and a half grains, he experienced only a burning sensation of 
* Dall. Archiv. der Pharm. 
f Annuar. delle Scienze Chim. Pharm. 
