352  Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica.  {^'^'jn^'';^^^'''^' 
GLEANINGS  IN  MATERIA  MEDICA. 
By  the  Editor. 
DiciriGhonine,  C^^^^^Nfi^  according  to  O.  Hesse,  exists  in  the  bark 
of  Cinchona  rosulenta  and  C.  succiriibra,  chiefly  in  the  branch  bark  of 
red  cincliona.  It  may  be  obtained  by  fractional  precipitation  with 
Fulphocyanide  from  the  mixed  amorphous  alkaloids  before  melting, 
but  not  from  commercial  chinoidine,  the  dark  colored  compounds  pre- 
venting crystallization.  The  bark  of  C.  rosulenta  is  the  best  material, 
containing,  besides  cinchonidine,  homocinchonidine,  cinchonine  and 
traces  of  quinamine  and  conquinamine,  about  0*2  to  0*3  per  cent,  of 
dicinchonine.  The  neutral  sulphate  solution  is  treated  with  Rochelle 
salt  for  separating  the  first  two  alkaloids,  then  with  excess  of  ammonia 
and  shaken  with  small  quantities  of  ether,  whereby  most  of  the 
cinchonine  is  left  behind;  the  ether  solution  is  agitated  with  dilute 
acetic  acid,  and  this  liquid  neutralized  and  precipitated  in  fractions  by 
potassium  sulphocyanide,  the  first  and  third  fractious  being  mixed  with 
the  other  bases.  The  dicinchonine  sulphocyanide  is  treated  with 
caustic  soda  solution,  the  mixture  extracted  with  ether  the  ether  solu- 
tion washed  with  water  and  evaporated,  the  residue  dissolved  in  alcohol, 
neutralized  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  evaporated  when  dicinchonine 
hvdrochlorate  crystallizes.  The  free  base  is  easily  soluble  in  ether, 
acetone,  alcohol,  chloroform  and  in  benzol,  less  freely  soluble  in  Avater 
and  petroleum  benzin,  insoluble  in  caustic  soda ;  the  alcohol  solution 
has  an  alkaline  reaction  and  a  bitter  taste  and  is  dextrorotatory ; 
chlorine  and  ammonia  do  not  produce  a  green  color.  The  hydro- 
chlorate  crystallizes  in  anhydrous  four-sided  prisms  which  are  often 
nearly  cubical,  and  readily  dissolve  in  water  and  alcohol.  The 
chloroplatinate  forms  orange  yellow  flocks,  readily  soluble  in  hydro- 
chloric acid.  The  hydriodate  is  in  stout  crystals,  soluble  in  water,  but 
insoluble  in  concentrated  solution  of  sodium  chloride  or  potassium 
iodide.  The  sulphocyanide  is  amorphous  and  separates  from  hot  water 
as  an  oily  layer.  The  oxalate  is  obtained  in  firm  crystals  on  gradually 
adding  an  ether  solution  of  oxalic  acid  to  an  ether  solution  of  the  base; 
the  salt  is  freely  soluble  in  cold  water.  On  heating  the  alkaloid  for  6 
hours  with  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid  to  between  140°  and  160° 
C,  it  is  completely  converted  into  diapocinchonine ;  and  the  same  base 
is  probably  contained  in  the  dark  colored  mass  formed  by  heating 
