Ao'cfober,Pib96m'}    Recent  Contributions  to  Pharmacy.  573 
THE  ACTION  OF  METHYL  ALCOHOL  ON  ACONITINE.  FORMATION 
OF  METHYL  BENZACONINE. 
Dunstan,  Tickle  and  Jackson  {Proc.  Chem.  Society,  1896,  p  159) 
state  that  when  aconitine  (or  a  salt)  is  heated  with  methyl  alcohol 
in  a  closed  tube,  between  1200  and  1300,  the  alkaloid  loses  one 
molecular  proportion  of  acetic  acid  and  takes  up  one  methyl  group, 
forming  methyl  benzaconine, 
C33H45N012  +  CH3OH  =  C32H45NOn  +  CH3COOH. 
The  authors  have  ascertained  the  composition  of  the  new  base  by 
combustion,  and  have  verified  the  same  by  estimation  of  the  quan- 
tity of  acetic  acid  separated  in  its  production  from  aconitine  by 
estimation  of  the  amount  of  benzoic  acid  separated  on  hydrolysis, 
and  also  by  determination  of  the  number  of  methoxyl  groups  pres- 
ent, which  shows  that  the  base  contains  one  more  group  than 
aconitine. 
Methyl  benzaconine  is  a  well-crystallized  base  (melting  point 
210-21 1 0  corr.)  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether  and  benzene,  and  most 
readily  crystallized  by  adding  light  petroleum  to  its  ethereal  solu- 
tion. It  forms  crystalline  salts,  the  hydrochloride  and  the  hydro- 
bromide  being  examples.  On  hydrolysis,  methyl  benzaconine  loses 
benzoic  acid,  forming  a  base  which  appears  to  be  methyl  aconine, 
but  which  needs  to  be  more  completely  investigated. 
Methyl  benzaconine  produces  a  well-marked  physiological  effect 
when  administered  to  animals  ;  but,  unlike  aconitine,  it  is  not  a 
powerful  poison. 
ON  ATISINE,  THE  ALKALOID  OF  ACONITUM  HETEROPHYLLUM. 
Jowett  (Proc.  Chem.  Soc,  1896,  p.  158)  has  investigated  the 
nature  and  properties  of  the  alkaloid  contained  in  the  roots  of  the 
non-toxic  Aconitum  heterophyllum.  This  alkaloid  was  examined 
by  Broughton  in  1873,  who  named  it  atisine,  and  ascribed  to  it  the 
formula  C46H74N205 ;  it  was  subsequently  examined  by  Wasowicz 
and  by  Alder  Wright. 
The  powdered  roots  were  extracted  by  percolation  with  a  mix- 
ture of  methyl  and  amyl  alcohol,  and  from  this  percolate  was 
obtained  the  crystalline  hydrochloride  or  hydriodide  by  a  method 
described  in  the  paper. 
