486  Chemistry  of  Ipecacuanha.  { Am'octu,ri893.arm' 
cuanha  we  have  ascertained  that  the  alkaloid  existing  in  this  drug 
is  for  the  most  part  a  perfectly  amorphous  substance,  of  marked 
alkalinity,  forming  definite  neutral  salts  which  are  also  amorphous, 
and,  like  the  base  they  contain,  uncrystallizable  by  any  means  we 
have  been  able  to  apply.  Hence  it  would  appear  that  the  want  of 
a  simple  method  of  obtaining  crystallized  emetine  is  likely  to  remain 
a  constant  quantity,  and  that,  in  point  of  fact,  the  determination  of 
emetine  is  at  the  present  time  only  approximately  possible,  inas- 
much as  the  substance  is  unknown. 
Further,  we  have  found  that  this  amorphous  alkaloid  is  associated 
with  others  which  are  distinctly  crystalline  and  very  different  from 
the  amorphous  alkaloid  in  physical  characters.  This  fact  we  have 
established  beyond  doubt,  and  we  are  of  opinion  that  it  will  serve 
to  account  for  some  of  the  discordant  statements  which  have  been 
made  in  regard  to  the  alkaloid  of  ipecacuanha.  Thus,  for  instance, 
it  is  stated  by  Kunz,1  as  well  as  Lefort  and  Wurtz,2  and  Podwis- 
sotzki,3  that  although  the  substance  described  by  them  as  emetine 
was  generally  amorphous,  they  sometimes  obtained  the  alkaloid  in 
the  form  of  distinctly  crystalline  needles,  by  rapid  evaporation  of  an 
ether  solution.  On  several  occasions  we  have  observed  a  similar 
formation  of  very  delicate  silky  crystals  when  the  ether  solution  of 
the  alkaloid  from  ipecacuanha  was  left  for  some  time.  Sometimes 
the  formation  of  these  crystals  took  place  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
ether  solution  appeared  to  become  quite  solid ;  but  on  recrystalliza- 
tion  from  ether  the  apparently  solid  mass  could  be  separated  into  an 
amorphous  portion  and  a  crystalline  substance  that  was  much  less 
soluble  and,  in  proportion  as  it  was  purified,  was  found  to  have  a 
melting  point  of  900  to  980  C.,  which  is  very  much  higher  than 
that  given  for  emetine  by  any  observer.  Consequently  the  desider- 
atum of  crystallization,  assumed  to  be  necessary  for  the  determina- 
tion of  emetine,  would  not,  if  it  were  attainable,  suffice  for  that 
purpose,  since  other  alkaloids  are  present  which  would  still  have 
to  be  separated  in  order  to  obtain  definite  results. 
The  crystalline  alkaloid  above  referred  to  is  very  much  less 
soluble  in  ether,  chloroform,  or  benzine  than  the  amorphous  alka- 
loid with  which  it  is  associated  ;  but,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  it  is 
1  Archiv  der  Pharmacie  [3],  xxv,  465. 
2  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  1877,  460. 
3  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  1880,  p.  206. 
