NEW  ALKALOID  FOUND  IN  ACONITUM  NAPELLUS.  175 
vessel.  This  precipitate  gives  the  new  body  observed  by  us,  and, 
so  far  as  we  are  aware,  for  the  first  time  now  described.  We 
propose  to  name  it  Aconella. 
It  is  easily  obtained  pure  in  snow-white  crystalline  tufts,  by 
repeated  crystallization  from  boiling  spirit,  with  the  aid  of  a  lit- 
tle pure  animal  charcoal ;  for  although  it  is  very  sparingly  solu- 
ble in  cold  spirit,  it  has  considerable  solubility  in  boiling  spirit, 
from  which  it  readily  crystallizes  almost  entirely  on  cooling. 
Aconella  is  very  insoluble  in  water,  so  much  so  that  if  a  frac- 
tion of  a  grain  be  dissolved  in  a  few  ounces  of  water  weakly 
acidulated,  the  clear  liquid,  on  the  addition  of  an  excess  of  am 
monia,  becomes  quite  milky.  It  is  soluble  in  1*14  parts  by  mea- 
sure of  boiling  rectified  spirit  (density  -840),  but  on  cooling  only 
about      part  is  retained  in  solution. 
It  is  moderately  soluble  in  sulphuric  ether,  much  more  so  in 
acetic  ether,  and  quite  remarkably  so  in  chloroform, — compara- 
ble to  camphor  in  this  liquid,  or  powdered  sugar  in  water. 
It  burns  entirely  away  on  platinum  foil.  When  heated  with 
soda  lime,  abundance  of  ammoniacal  vapor  is  given  off. 
Aconella  is  precipitated  from  watery  solutions  by  tincture  of 
iodine. 
Tannin  does  not  precipitate  the  muriate,  but  the  oxalate  is 
precipitated  by  it.  Corrosive  sublimate  precipitates  aconella,  as 
do  also  the  terchloride  of  gold  and  the  chloride  of  platinum. 
One  remarkable  character  belonging  to  it  is  its  great  tendency 
to  crystallize,  equalling,  perhaps,  in  this  respect  even  canthari- 
din  itself,  and  thus  permitting  of  its  being  confounded  with  but 
very  few  other  bodies. 
It  will  be  unnecessary  to  give  more  than  one  very  striking  ex- 
ample to  prove  this.  On  evaporating  two  ounces  of  a  cold  sat- 
urated spiritous  solution  containing  about  three  grains  of  the 
alkaloid  to  dryness,  in  a  flat  Berlin  dish,  and  at  a  heat  of  about 
120°  Fahr. ;  instead  of  drying  up,  as  might  have  been  antici- 
pated, in  an  amorphous  state,  every  particle  of  the  substance 
showed  itself  in  a  beautiful  crystalline  condition,  white  shining 
needles  covering  the  whole  bottom  of  the  dish. 
Although  insoluble  in  water,  it  is  very  soluble  in  all  the  acids 
