150 
Tests  for  Vegetable  Alkaloids. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I      March,  1884. 
but  non-rotatory  sugars.  Possibly,  however,  the  action  of  this  fermen- 
tible  substance  on  a  polarized  ray  is  only  masked. 
The  isolation  and  complete  chemical  and  physical  investigation  of 
the  saccharoid  principle  or  principles  in  tobacco  remain  to  be  accom- 
plished. I  should  myself  proceed  with  this  work,  but  am  assured  by 
a  friend  that  he  has  already  commenced  and  intends  to  complete  and 
to  publish  the  results  of  such  a  research. — Pharm.  Jour.  Trans.,  Jau.  12, 
TESTS  FOR  VEGETABLE  ALKALOIDS. 
By  R.  Palm. 
The  author  has  shown  previously  that  the  alkaloids  are  precipitated 
by  solutions  of  alkaline  sulphides  or  persulphides,  and  moreover  that 
in  contact  with  a  solution  of  sodium  thioantimonate,  solutions  of  the 
alkaloid  salts  form  characteristically  colored  precipitates  consisting  of 
the  alkaloid  hydrosulphides  mixed  with  antimony  sulphide.  When 
the  solutions  of  the  alkaloid  and  reagent  are  dilute,  these  precipitates 
appear  as  colorless  turbidities,  which  become  yellow  on  exposure  to  the 
air ;  whilst  with  concentrated  solutions  they  are  yellow  to  reddish 
brown,  and  in  saturated  solutions  they  form  resinous  masses.  The 
precipitation  is  more  complete  in  dilute  solutkms,  and  is  accelerated  by 
gently  heating,  or  by  the  addition  of  strong  alcohol.  In  most  cases 
the  yellow  precipitates  are  dissolved  by  excess  of  the  thioantimonate ; 
they  are,  with  few  exceptions,  amorphous,  and  dilute  acids  only  par- 
tially separate  the  alkaloid  from  them.  The  chemical  composition  of 
the  precipitates  has  not  been  determined.  Sodium  thioantimonate 
produces  the  following  changes  with  the  alkaloids  referred  to.  With 
quinine  sulphate  in  dilute  neutral  solutions,  a  white  turbidity ;  in 
stronger  solutions,  yellow  flocks,  which  on  shaking  form  resinous 
lumps  and  become  darker.  When  hot  solutions  of  the  quinine  salt 
and  reagent  are  mixed,  resinous  masses  form  at  once,  which  when  dry 
fall  to  a  fine  yellow  powder  like  lead  iodide.  With  cinchonine  sul- 
phate, in  dilute  solutions,  dark  yellow  (leather  color)  flocks  form  at 
once;  they  do  not  coagulate  either  on  standing  or  heating.  With 
quinidine  sulphate,  the  effect  is  almost  exactly  the  same  as  with  the 
quinine  salt,  with  the  exception  that  the  whole  of  the  precipitate  does 
not  become  resinous,  and  when  dry  is  of  a  darker  yellow  color  (an 
intense  dark  chrome-yellow) :  the  precipitation  is  also  more  complete. 
With  morphine  hydrochloride  in  dilute  solutions,  yellow  flocks  are  at 
