252 
Experiments  on  Strychnine, 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pliarra . 
(      May,  1885. 
which  appear  to  be  ethyl-methyl-paracoumaric  acid,  2*9  parts  of  the 
extract  consisted  of  fat  with  the  odorous  principle;  a  minute  portion  of 
this  oily  liquid  dropped  upon  clothes  renders  them  highly  odorous  for 
a  considerable  length  of  time,  the  odor  recalling  that  of  hyacinths. — 
Phar.  Jour,  and  Tians.,  Nov.  8,  1884,  p.  361. 
SOME  EXPERIMENTS  ON  STRYCHNINE. 
By  W.  a.  Shenstone, 
Lecturer  on  Cheniistrij  in  Clifton  College. 
In  1883  Trans.,"  p.  101),  I  read  a  paper  before  the  Society  show- 
ing that  brucine  contains  two  methoxyl  groups,  and  is  probably  a 
dimethoxyl  derivative  of  strychnine,  as  rej)resented  by  the  formula 
C2,H2,j(CH30)2N202.  I  have  been  unavoidably  delayed  in  the  further 
examination  of  this  question,  but  am  now  working  upon  it  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Mr.  A.  Richardson. 
Meanwhile,  my  experimental  results  have  been  in  some  degree  con- 
firmed by  the  work  of  A.  Hans-sen  (^er.,  vol.  17,  ]).  2266),  who  has  obtained 
methyl  chloride  and  a  complementary  base  from  brucine  by  the  use 
of  the  same  reagent  that  I  employed,  viz.,  hydrochloric  acid.  Appa- 
rently Hanssen  was  unaware  of  my  exj)eriments,  and  he  has  not 
carried  the  action  so  far  as  I  did,  nor  has  he  noticed  its  probable 
l)earing  on  the  relationship  between  the  two  alkaloids  in  nux  vomica 
beans.  Since  this  relation  between  these  bodies  occurred  to  me,  I 
have  been  much  interested  in  the  constitution  of  strychnine,  and, 
amid  many  interruptions,  have  lately  made  the  experiments  recorded 
in  this  paper.  Meanwhile  several  other  chemists  have  also  turned 
their  attention  to  the  subject.  Thus,  Plugge  ('X1iem.  News,"  1883), 
by  oxidizing  it  with  potassium  permanganate,  has  obtained  an  acid, 
CiiHjiN03,H20 ;  Hanriot  has  re-examined  nitrostryclyiine ;  Gold- 
schmidt  {Ber.^  vol.  15,  p.  1977)  has  recognized,  qualitatively,  indole  as  a 
product  of  the  distillation  of  strychnine  with  caustic  potash ;  and 
Scichilone  and  Magnanimi  ("  Gazzetta,"  vol.  12,  p.  444)  believe  that  by 
distillation  with  zinc-dust  they  have  obtained  a  new  isomeride  of 
the  known  lutidines  from  strychnine. 
At  the  end  of  my  last  paper,  I  expressed  my  intention  of  working 
on  strychnine  in  future,  as  I  had  reason  for  thinking  it  would  prove 
more  satisfactory  than  brucine  ;  and  at  the  subsequent  suggestion  of 
