AN  ALKALOID  FROM  SEEDS  OF  RICINUS  COMMUNIS.  425 
Concentrated  hydrochloric  acid  dissolves  ricinine,  but  the 
hydrochlorate  of  the  base,  which  is  doubtless  produced  in  this 
reaction,  appears  to  be  readily  decomposed  both  by  evaporation 
and  dilution.  A  solution  of  ricinine  in  hydrochloric  acid  does 
not  give  a  precipitate  with  a  concentrated  aqueous  solution  of 
bichloride  of  platinum,  but  on  evaporating  a  mixture  of  these 
bodies  well-defined  octahedra  and  modifications  of  octahedra 
having  a  deep  orange  color  crystallize  out. 
On  mixing  together  cold  saturated  aqueous  solutions  of  rici- 
nine and  perchloride  of  mercury  no  change  is  at  first  observed, 
but  if  the  mixture  be  allowed  to  stand  for  a  few  minutes  a  mass 
of  beautiful  silky  crystals,  arranged  in  radiate  tufts,  is  formed ; 
which  is  so  solid  that  the  vessel  in  which  the  experiment  is  per- 
formed may  be  inverted  without  any  fear  of  its  contents  falling 
out.  The  mercurial  compound  of  ricinine  is  soluble  in  water 
and  in  alcohol,  menstrua  from  which  it  may  be  purified  by 
crystallization. 
If  ordinary  castor-oil  be  shaken  up  with  water,  the  water 
decanted  and  evaporated  to  dryness,  a  small  quantity  of  resin- 
ous residue  is  left,  which,  when  treated  with  boiling  benzol, 
partly  dissolves.  If  the  benzolic  solution  of  this  residue  be 
allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously,  a  small  quantity  of  white 
crystals  are  obtained,  which,  so  far  as  one  can  judge  from  their 
physical  properties,  are  ricinine. 
Neither  ricinine  nor  the  resinoid  body  which  falls  when  the 
alcoholic  solution  of  the  aqueous  extract  of  the  seeds  is  allowed 
to  cool,  is  the  purgative  principle  of  castor-oil  or  of  the  seeds 
from  which  it  is  expressed,  for  I  administered  two  grains  of 
each  of  these  educts  to  a  rabbit  more  than  a  month  ago,  and 
the  animal  has  not  evinced  the  slightest  inconvenience,  tem- 
porary or  otherwise.  The  true  active  principles  of  officinal 
Euphorbiacese  I  am  still  seeking,  and  the  nature  of  the  results 
which  I  have  already  obtained,  induce  me  to  indulge  in  the 
hope  that  before  long  I  shall  be  enabled  to  publish  an  account 
of  them.  I  may  be  permitted  to  conclude  this  imperfect  account 
of  ricinine  by  stating  that  I  have  obtained  a  similar  if  not  iden- 
tical body  from  croton  seeds,  and,  so  far  as  I  have  yet  dis- 
covered, differing  in  several  important  characters  from  those 
described  as  belonging  to  cascarilline,  an  alkaloid  discovered  by 
