39° 
Pelletierina. 
{Am  Jour.  Pharro. 
Aug.,  1878. 
Pelletierina  is  of  an  oleaginous  consistence  and  is  colorless  when 
obtained  by  evaporation  of  its  etherial  or  chloroformic  solution  in  a 
vacuum,  but  when  the  solution  is  distilled  in  the  open  air  the  alkaloid 
becomes  slightly  yellow.  A  match  dipped  in  pelletierina  burns  like 
one  saturated  with  an  essential  oil. 
Pelletierina  is  volatile,  and  has  a  slightly  stupefying  aromatic  odor. 
It  gives  off  vapor  at  the  ordinary  temperature,  and  the  oil  spots  that  it 
forms  on  paper  disappear  after  exposure  to  the  air  for  a  short  time.  It 
boils  at  about  i8o°C,  becoming  strongly  colored  in  the  air,  but  it 
commences  to  distil  at  a  much  lower  point.  The  alkaloid  is  very 
soluble  in  water,  alcohol,  ether,  and  especially  in  chloroform,  which 
readily  removes  it  from  aqueous  solutions. 
Pelletierina  is  a  powerful  alkali,  saturating  acids  to  form  salts.  Upon 
bringing  near  to  it  a  rod  dipped  in  hydrochloric  acid  white  fumes  are 
formed  as  with  ammonia.  It  does  not  precipitate  solutions  of  the 
metals  of  the  earths  and  alkaline  earths,  but  it  does  precipitate  solu- 
tions of  most  of  the  true  metals.  Thus  it  gives  a  white  precipitate 
with  salts  of  lead,  mercury,  zinc  and  silver,  the  last  two  being  redis- 
solved  in  excess  of  pelletierina.  With  nitrate  of  cobalt  and  with  sul- 
phate of  copper  it  gives  blue  precipitates  which  are  not  redissolved  in 
excess.  It  does  not  precipitate  chloride  of  platinum,  but  it  precipi- 
tates the  chlorides  of  palladium  and  of  gold,  the  last  precipitate  being 
reduced  by  heat.  Further,  like  other  alkaloids,  it  is  precipitated  by 
tannin,  bromine  water,  iodo-iodide  of  potassium,  iodide  of  mercury 
and  potassium,  iodide  of  potassium  and  cadmium  and  phosphomolybdic 
acid.  The  precipitate  formed  with  tannin  is  soluble  in  an  excess  of 
the  reagent  ;  that  formed  with  bromine  water  is  soluble  in  an  excess  of 
pelletierina. 
The  author  has  prepared  the  sulphate,  hydrochlorate  and  nitrate  of 
pelletierina  in  crystals.  These  salts  are  extremely  hygroscopic.  Ob- 
tained by  evaporation  of  their  solutions  in  a  dry  vacuum  they  are  col- 
orless. If  the  neutral  solutions  are  evaporated  in  a  stove  they  become 
colored  yellow,  and  at  the  same  time  by  loss  of  part  of  the  base  they 
acquire  an  acid  reaction.  The  salts  have  a  slight  odor,  and  their  taste: 
is  bitter  and  aromatic. — Phar.  "Jour,  and  Trans.,  June  22,  1878. 
