A.m.  J  our.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1893. 
Chemistry  of  Ipecacuanha. 
485 
could  be  relied  upon  when  applied  to  the  examination  of  different 
samples  of  the  commercial  drug  or  of  its  medicinal  preparations. 
In  prosecuting  this  inquiry  reference  has,  of  course,  been  made  to 
the  observations  of  previous  experimenters ;  but  instead  of  deriving 
much  assistance  from  the  published  statements  of  their  results,  we 
have  found  that  they  lead  to  considerable  uncertainty  respecting 
the  chemical  identity  of  the  substance.  Thus,  for  instance,  in 
the  description  of  emetine  given  by  Lefort,1  it  is  stated  to  be  very 
readily  soluble  in  solutions  of  caustic  soda  or  potash,  and  that  in 
such  solutions  emetine  rapidly  undergoes  alteration  by  absorbing 
oxygen  from  the  atmosphere.  We  have  found  that  this  is  not  the 
case  with  the  alkaloid  supplied  by  Merck  as  pure  emetine,  or  with 
that  which  we  have  ourselves  obtained  from  ipecacuanha.  Even  on 
precipitating  the  base  from  solutions  of  its  salts  with  caustic  alkalies 
the  precipitate  formed  is  not  dissolved  again  on  adding  an  excess  of 
caustic  alkali.  There  are  similar  discrepancies  between  the  state- 
ments as  to  the  physical  characters  of  the  alkaloid  of  ipecacuanha. 
Most  authorities  describe  it  as  being  perfectly  amorphous,  some 
state  that  it  is  susceptible  of  crystallization,  under  certain  conditions, 
while  others  again  describe  it,  without  any  qualification,  as  having 
the  form  of  "  needles  "2  or  "  crystals."3  The  statements  as  to  the 
melting  point  of  the  alkaloid  also  differ  considerably.  In  addition  to 
these  discordant  statements,  we  have  found,  in  experimenting  with 
several  samples  of  ipecacuanha,  that  the  alkaloid  is  not  homo- 
geneous, but  a  mixture  of  two  or  more  different  substances. 
Under  these  circumstances  it  appeared  to  be  premature  to  attempt 
the  determination  of  emetine,  as  a  means  of  ascertaining  the  rela- 
tive value  of  samples  of  ipecacuanha  or  of  its  medicinal  prepara- 
tions, and  we  have  therefore  directed  our  attention  to  the  general 
chemical  examination  of  the  alkaloid  constituents  of  the  drug,  as  a 
necessary  preliminary  to  the  endeavor  to  devise  some  practically 
applicable  method  of  valuation.  This  inquiry  is  not  yet  sufficiently 
advanced  for  the  publication  of  the  results  as  a  whole;  but  some 
points  which  have  been  made  out,  are  of  sufficient  interest  to  be 
worth  mention  in  anticipation  of  a  more  complete  account. 
From  the  examination  of  a  number  of  different  samples  of  ipeca- 
1  Am.  Journ.  Pharm.,  1869,  307. 
2  Watts'  "Dictionary,"  ii,  431. 
3  Thorpe's  "Dictionary,"  iii,  916. 
