296 
Cytisine  and  Ulexine. 
Am  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1893. 
separated  out  in  the  liver  gets  into  the  spleen,  lymphatic  glands  and 
marrow,  and  is  used  up  in  the  formation  of  blood  ;  a  part  goes  into 
the  kidneys. 
CYTISINE  AND  ULEXINE.1 
By  A.  Partheil. 
The  author  has  already  stated  (1891)  that  cytisine  from  laburnum 
and  other  varieties  of  Cytisus  is  identical  with  Gerrard's  ulexine  from 
Ulex  europceus,  and  that  it  has  the  formula  CuHuN20.  For  the 
preparation  of  the  alkaloid  from  either  source,  the  pulverized  seeds 
are  extracted  in  a  percolator  with  60  per  cent,  alcohol  acidified 
with  acetic  acid  ;  chloroform  is  to  be  recommended  for  extracting 
the  free  base,  but  its  application,  in  the  manner  described  by  Buchka 
and  Magalhaes  (1891),  is  not  desirable,  as  an  emulsion  is  formed. 
Gerrard  and  Symon  state  that  a  second  base  is  present  along  with 
ulexine  in  the  seeds  of  Ulex  enropoeus,  but  the  author  failed  to 
recognize  it ;  he  has,  however,  separated  choline  from  the  seeds  of 
the  Cytisus  species. 
Small  quantities  of  cytisine  base  may  be  freed  from  the  accom- 
panying coloring  matters  by  crystallization  from  boiling  light  petro- 
leum ;  the  pure  base  crystallizes  from  absolute  alcohol  in  large,  color- 
less, anhydrous  prisms  which  are  not  deliquescent,  melts  at  150- 
1 5 3 °,  and  is  readily  soluble  in  water,  alcohol  and  chloroform,  less  so 
in  benzene  and  amyl  alcohol,  almost  insoluble  in  cold  light  petro- 
leum, and  insoluble  in  pure  ether.  Its  specific  rotatory  power  in 
aqueous  solution  is  [a]  D]_°  ==  —  119-57,  and  analysis  confirmed 
the  formula  given  above.  For  the  detection  of  the  alkaloid,  Magal- 
haes' reaction  serves  ;  this  consists  in  adding  thymol  to  a  solution 
of  cytisine  in  concentrated  sulphuric  acid  and  heating,  when  a 
yellow  coloration,  finally  passing  into  an  intense  red,  is  produced. 
The  author  next  describes  a  number  of  derivatives  of  cytisine, 
most  of  which  are  already  known,  and  compares  them  with  the 
corresponding  derivatives  of  ulexine,  thereby  proving  the  identity 
of  the  two  alkaloids.  Among  these  are  the  nitrate,  CnHuN20,HN03 
-f-  H20,  which  has  a  specific  rotatory  power  in  aqueous  solution 
[a]D17°  =  —  82-4,  the  two  platinochlorides  (CnH14N20)2,H2PtCl6  and 
CnHuN20,H2PtCl6  +  2^  H20,  the  aurochloride  melting  at  212- 
2 1 30,  the  acetyl  derivative  melting  at  2080,  and  the  methiodide 
1  Arch.  Pharm.,  230,  448-498  ;  Jour.  Chem.  Soc,  1893,  Abstr.  i,  p.  119. 
