822 
ON  CONHYDMNE. 
this  may  be  easily  got  rid  of  merely  by  pressing  the  crystals  ; 
for  this  purpose  the  sublimed  crystalline  crust  is  detached  from 
the  neck  of  the  retort,  and  put  into  a  glass  vessel  which  is  im- 
mersed in  a  freezing  mixture  ;  by  this  means  the  crystals  are 
rendered  more  compact,  whilst  at  the  same  time  their  mass  in- 
creases, because  the  coniine  passing  over  with  them  contains  a 
considerable  quantity  of  the  substance  in  solution  ;  they  are  then 
pressed  strongly  between  Swedish  filtering-paper,  and  finally  pu- 
rified completely  by  repeated  recrystallization  from  ether.  The 
substance  thus  purified,  when  completely  dried  under  the  air- 
pump,  forms  perfectly  colorless,  nacreous,  iridescent,  crytalline 
laminae,  of  a  coniine-like  odor.  Five  Vienna  hundredweights 
—  280  kilogrms.  of  freshly  collected  flowers,  when  treated  as 
above  described,  gave  17  grms.  of  pure  crystals  ;  but  even  per- 
fectly ripe  seeds  furnished  it  in  considerable  quantity  together 
with  the  ordinary  coniine,  and  it  must  be  left  undecided  for  the 
present  whether  the  quantity  in  the  ripe  seeds  is  essentially  less 
than  in  the  fresh  flowers.  The  latter  were  collected  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  Pesth  and  Ofen,  and  the  ripe  seeds  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Stuhlweissenburg. 
The  investigation  of  this  crystallized  substance  furnished  the 
following  facts.  It  fuses  when  slightly  heated,  and  may  be 
gradually  sublimed  even  below  212°  F.  At  higher  temperatures 
it  volatilizes  rapidly  and  without  residue,  diffusing  to  great  dis- 
tances the  peculiar  odor  of  coniine,  or  one  very  nearly  allied  to 
it.  It  is  tolerably  soluble  in  water,  and  readily  soluble  in  ether 
and  alcohol ;  the  solution  has  a  strong  alkaline  reaction.  Even 
at  the  ordinary  temperature  it  expels  ammonia  from  its  com- 
pounds, but  it  appears  to  be  separated  from  its  salts  by  coniine ; 
its  aqueous,  alcoholic,  or  ethereal  solution,  neutralized  with  mu- 
riatic acid,  furnished  no  crystals  either  by  slow  or  rapid  evapo- 
ration ;  but  when  the  alcoholic  solution,  neutralized  with  muri- 
atic acid,  was  mixed  with  alcoholic  solution  of  perchloride  of 
platinum,  taking  care  that  the  latter  should  not  be  in  excess,  and 
this  mixture  was  left  first  of  all  in  vacuo  over  sulphuric  acid,  and 
as  soon  as  crystals  began  to  be  formed  at  the  edge,  placed  to 
evaporate  in  the  air,  remarkably  beautiful,  large,  hyacinth-red 
crystals  were  obtained,  which  were  determined  by  Prof.  Peters. 
