NOTE  ON  ATROPIA. 
229 
In  the  fall  of  1862,  I  continued  my  researches  at  Goettingen 
under  the  guidance  of  Prof.  Geuther,  and  at  his  suggestion  en- 
deavored to  perform  the  splitting  of  atropia  by  means  of  a  con- 
centrated solution  of  soda.  The  same  alkaloid  was  used  for 
these  experiments,  one  part  with  6  of  caustic  soda  and  15  parts 
of  water  heated  in  a  flask  connected  with  a  condenser,  the  far 
end  of  which  was  joined  air-tight  to  a  small  flask,  and  this  was 
again  connected  by  means  of  a  glass  tube  with  another  flask 
containing  dilute  hydrochloric  acid.* 
After  boiling  the  alkaline  mixture  for  about  an  hour,  at  first 
with  occasional  shaking  of  the  flask,  a  period  arrives  when  the 
oily  drops  of  the  alkaloid  floating  on  the  surface  agglomerate 
and  adhere  to  the  sides  of  the  vessel ;  and  the  vapours  which 
before  were  visible  in  the  receiver  appear  no  longer.  The  ope- 
ration is  now  interrupted,  the  whole  of  the  original  atropia 
being  converted  into  a  volatile  base  and  an  acid,  the  soda-salt 
of  which  latter  is  the  pale  resinous  mass,  which,  though  much 
denser  than  at  first,  is  still  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  excess 
of  soda  lye  ;  further  heating  would  cause  it  to  assume  a  brown 
color,  while  products  of  a  secondary  decomposition  would  like- 
wise result. 
After  the  mixture  has  become  cooled,  water  is  added  with  care; 
this  dissolves  the  excess  of  caustic  soda ;  the  resinous  salt  re- 
mains floating  on  the  surface  of  the  solution,  and  can  be  washed 
in  this  manner,  at  least  from  the  portion  of  soda  adhering  on  the 
outside.  The  cake  is  then  dissolved  in  water  and  treated  with 
carbonic  acid,  then  evaporated  to  dryness,  on  the  water  bath 
towards  the  last,  and  freed  from  the  carbonate  of  soda  by  means 
of  alcohol.  The  alcoholic  solution  was  evaporated  in  a  little 
flask,  and  when  cold  the  residue  again  dissolved,  this  time  in  ab- 
*  In  a  paper  on  "  PJiosphomolybdic  Acid  as  a  test  for  Alkaloids  "  (Pro- 
ceedings Amer.  Pharm.  Association  for  1862,  p.  229-232. — Amer.  Journ. 
Pharm.,  vol.  xxxv.  p.  63. — Chemical  News)  will  fee  found  an  account  of  an 
experiment  made  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  presence  of  ammo- 
nia in  Extract  of  Belladonna  ;  the  latter  was  mixed  with  caustic  soda  lye, 
and  at  the  ordinary  temperature  a  current  of  hydrogen  gas  passed  through 
its  solution  ;  this  gave  off  an  alkaline  vapor  of  an  odor  resembling  that 
of  conia,  producing  white  fumes  with  acetic  acid,  and  its  solution  in  nitric 
acid  gave  a  precipitate  with  phosphomolybdic  acid.  F.  F.  M. 
