Am AngMiSaf™1' }  Conversion  of  Aconitine  into  Isaconitine.  411 
The  equations  of  the  movement  of  matter  permit  us  thus  to 
reduce  these  three  sciences  to  a  single  formula,  the  numerical  terms 
of  which  are  not  yet  known,  but  from  which  we  mav  logically 
deduce  every  observable  phenomenon. — Comptes  Rendi/s,  cxvi,  p. 
1057,  from  Chem.  News,  1893,  279. 
CONVERSION  OF  ACONITINE  INTO  ISACONITINE.1 
By  Wyndham  R.  Dunstan,  M.A.,  F.R.S.,  and  Francis  H.  Carr. 
From  the  Research  Laboratory  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society. 
In  a  previous  communication  it  has  been  shown  that  the  roots  of 
Aconitum  Napellns  contain,  besides  the  highly  poisonous  aconitine, 
an  almost  non-poisonous  isomeride  isaconitine.  The  constitutional 
relationship  of  the  two  alkaloids  is  evidently  an  intimate  one,  since 
each  alike  furnishes  the  same  hydrolytic  products,  viz  :  aconine  and 
benzoic  acid.  The  authors  now  show  that  when  aconitine  hydrobro- 
mide  (m.  p.  1630)  is  heated  in  aqueous  solution  it  very  gradually 
changes  into  the  isomeric  isaconitine  hydrobromide  (m.  p.  282 °). 
The  change  is  facilitated  by  the  presence  of  a  small  quantity 
(1-2  per  cent.)  of  free  hydrobromic  acid,  but  is  not  assisted  if  suf- 
ficient is  present  to  induce  hydrolysis  of  a  large  proportion  of 
aconitine. 
The  isaconitine  was  identified  not  only  by  the  high  melting  point 
of  its  salt,  but  also  by  the  formation  and  analysis  of  the  character- 
istic auchlorisaconitine.  No  similar  change  could  be  detected  in 
aconitine  nitrate  when  this  salt  is  heated  either  in  neutral  or  acid 
solution,  neither  could  the  conversion  be  effected  by  heating  aconi- 
tine with  glacial  acetic  acid,  although  in  this  case  anhydro-aconitine 
is  produced  if  the  heating  is  continued  for  eighteen  hours  at  1 20°. 
Dissolution  of  aconitine  in  concentrated  sulphuric  acid  fails  to  con- 
vert it  into  isaconitine,  even  after  gently  heating,  and  aconitine 
sulphate  does  not  appear  to  undergo  any  conversion  when  it  is 
heated  for  many  hours  in  contact  with  very  dilute  sulphuric  acid.  No 
isaconitine  seems  to  be  produced  during  the  hydrolysis  of  aconitine 
by  cold  soda  solution.  The  authors  are  making  further  experiments 
in  the  hope  of  gaining  information  with  regard  to  the  mechanism  of 
the  conversion  of  aconitine  hydrobromide  into  isaconitine  hydro- 
bromide. 
1  The  substance  of  a  communication  made  to  the  Chemical  Society  on 
June  15.    Reprinted  from  Pharm.  Jour.  Trans.,  June  24,  1893,  p.  1045. 
