458 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
Am.  Jonr.  Pharm. 
Sept.,  1885. 
satiny  scales,  which  on  exposure  become  dull  glossy.  It  is  insoluble 
in  water  and  alkalies,  freely  soluble  in  chloroform,  ether  and  hot 
alcohol,  and  less  freely  soluble  in  petroleum  benzin  and  cold  alcohol. 
Its  chloroformic  solution  like  the  solutions  of  quebrachol,  cholesterin 
and  phytosterin,  on  being  agitated  with  sulphuric  acid  sp.  gr.  1*76 
acquires  a  blood  red  color.  The  scales  contain  5*93  per  cent.  (1  mol.) 
of  water,  which  they  begin  to  lose  at  15°  C.  Cupreol  melts  at  140°  C, 
volatilizes  at  a  higher  temperature,  crystallizes  from  petroleum  benzin 
or  ether  in  anhydrous  long  needles,  and  when  heated  with  acetic  or 
propionic  anhydrides,  yields  the  corresponding  crystalline  esters. 
Cinchol  crystallizes  with  1  HgO  in  needle-shaped  scales  or  in  broad 
lamina,  melts  at  139°C.,  is  somewhat  less  strongly  Isevogyrate,  and 
otherwise  resembles  cupreol. 
The  author  examined  also  Kerner's  cinchocerotin  (see  "  Am.  Jour. 
Phar.,"  1883,  p.  357),  from  which  cinchol  and  acetyl  cinchol  were 
prepared,  differing  from  the  preceding  merely  in  haying  a  slightly 
lower  melting  point. — Liebig\^  Annakn,  vol.  228,  p.  288-298. 
Myodonine  and  lycaconitine,  two  amorphous  alkaloids  have  been 
obtained  by  Dragendorff  and  Spohn  Phar.  Zeitsch.  f.  Russl.,'^  1884, 
No.  20-24)  and  were  shown  to  yield,  with  soda,  the  decomposition  pro- 
ducts lycoctonine  and  acolyctine,  discovered  by  Hiibschmann  in  1865; 
also  a  nitrogenated  acid  lycodonic  acid.  The  rhizome  and  rootlets  of 
Aconitum  Lycoctonum  were  treated  by  Dnquesnel's  process  for  aconi- 
tine. 
Lycaconitine  melts  at  about  112°C.,  is  freely  soluble  in  ether,  alco- 
hol, chloroform,  benzol,  and  acidulated  water,  has  a  bitter  taste,  and 
yields  amorphous  salts,  the  solutions  of  which  are  precipitated  by  the 
various  alkaloidal  group  reagents.  Sulphuric  acid  dissolves  it  with  a 
brownish  cherry-red  color;  sulphuric  acid  and  sugar,  color  reddish 
brown  or  black-brown  ;  sulphuric  acid  and  bromine  color  transiently 
violet,  then  brown,  and  more  or  less  deep  violet  colorations  are  pro- 
duced by  Froehde's  reagent,  vanadio-sulphuric  acid,  selenio-sulphuric 
acid  and  warm  syrupy  phosphoric  acid. 
From  experiments  on  different  animals  made  by  Dr.  Jacobowsky 
(Thesis,  Dorpat,  1884),  it  ap[)ears  that  this  alkaloid  is  an  energetic 
poison,  resembling  curare  in  its  action,  is  constipating,  is  partly  excreted 
in  the  urine  and  faeces,  and  partly  decomposed  into  compounds  which 
are  apparently  not  poisonous. 
Myoctonine  melts  near  144°C.,  has  a  bitter  taste,  is  sparingly  soluble 
