574  Recent  Contributions  to  Pharmacy.  {A^cSberrPi89a6rm" 
Atisine,  for  which  the  author  adopted  the  formula  C22H31"N02, 
could  only  be  obtained  as  a  colorless  varnish,  soluble  in  alcohol, 
ether  and  chloroform,  slightly  soluble  in  water  and  insoluble  in 
petroleum  ether.  Its  alcoholic  solution  was  lsevo-rotatory  [«]  d  = 
—  19  6°,  and  though  the  base  was  amorphous  it  yielded  a  series  of 
crystalline  salts. 
Atisine  hydrochloride,  C22H31N02HC1,  crystallized  either  from 
water  or  from  a  mixture  of  alcohol  and  ether  in  well-defined  prisms, 
which  melted  at  296°  (corr.),  and  were  freely  soluble  in  water  or 
alcohol,  but  insoluble  in  ether.  The  aqueous  solution  of  the  salt 
was  dextro-rotatory  [«]  d  =  +  18-46°. 
Atisine  hydrobromide,  C22H31N02H  Br,  crystallized  from  water  or 
a  mixture  of  alcohol  and  ether,  either  singly  or  in  rosettes  of 
needles,  which  melted  at  273°  (corr.).  The  salt  was  freely  soluble 
in  water  and  alcohol,  but  insoluble  in  ether  or  petroleum  ether,  and 
in  aqueous  solution  it  was  dextro-rotatory  [a]  d  =  -\-  24-3°. 
Atisine  hydriodide,  C22H31N02H1,  crystallized  from  hot  water  or 
alcohol  in  well-defined  plates  or  tables,  melting  at  279-2800  (corr.), 
soluble  in  hot  water  or  alcohol,  but  sparingly  soluble  in  cold  water. 
Its  aqueous  solution  was  dextro-rotatory  [a]  d  =  27  40.  This  salt 
could  not  apparently  be  prepared  by  the  direct  action  of  hydrogen 
iodide  upon  the  base,  but  was  easily  prepared  by  precipitating  a 
solution  of  any  salt  of  atisine  with  potassio-mercuric  iodide,  and 
decomposing  the  precipitate  with  hydrogen  sulphide. 
The  nitrate  (melting  point  252°  corr.)  and  platinichloride  (melt- 
ing point  2290  corr.)  were  also  obtained  as  well-defined  crystalline 
salts,  but  the  auri-chloride  could  only  be  obtained  as  an  amorphous 
powder.  The  results  of  the  analyses  of  a  number  of  pure  salts  led 
to  the  adoption  of  the  formula  C22H31N02  for  the  base. 
The  alkaloid  was  shown  to  contain  no  methoxyl  groups. 
When  either  the  base  or  its  salts  were  mixed  with  alkalis  or 
acids  in  either  alcoholic  or  aqueous  solution,  no  fission  of  the  mole- 
cule took  place,  but  a  new  base,  atisine  monohydrate,  C22H31N02H20, 
was  formed.  Neither  this  base  nor  any  of  its  salts  could  be  obtained 
in  the  crystalline  condition,  but  analyses  of  the  auri-chloride  and 
platinichloride  confirmed  the  formula  given  above. 
A  preliminary  examination  of  the  physiological  action  of  the 
nitrate,  by  Dr.  Cash,  F.R.S.,  showed  that  the  alkaloid  is  non-toxic, 
and  that  its  action  somewhat  resembles  aconine. 
