Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  | 
August,  1884.  J 
Nomenclature  of  the  Alkaloids. 
441 
12'5,  18*4,  2*6  and  10*2  grams  of  yellowish  white  crude  "daturine." 
From  50  to  70  per  cent,  of  this  crude  daturine  consisted  of  pure  atro- 
pine melting  at  115°  to  115'5°C.  Moreover,  a  preparation  of  crude 
"daturine"  received  from  Herr  Trommsdorff,  of  Erfurt,  from  which  a 
first  crystallization  had  been  removed,  yielded  still  nearly  45  per  cent, 
of  pure  atropine.  Similar  relations  were  also  observed  in  the  crude 
"atropine"  from  belladonna  root.  Ten  grams  of  crude  "atropine  pre- 
pared by  the  author  yielded  in  repeated  spontaneous  evaporation  of  its 
solution  in  alcohol  between  five  and  six  grams  of  shining  acicular 
crystals  of  atropine,  melting  at  115°  to  115,5°C.  Similarly  ten  grams 
of  crude  "atropine,"  supplied  by  Herr  Trommsdorff,  contained  rather 
over  six  grams  of  pure  atropine.  It  appeared  probable  that  the  mother- 
liquors  still  contained  considerable  quantities  of  atropine,  probably 
hindered  from  crystallizing  by  the  admixture  of  other  bases,  and  in 
this  respect  no  essential  difference  was  observed  between  the  mother- 
liquors  of  crude  "atropine"  and  those  of  crude  "daturine." 
In  the  crude  mixtures  from  belladonna  root  and  thorn-apple  seed 
examined  by  the  author,  and  mostly  prepared  by  him,  the  larger  pro- 
portion of  each  sample  consisted,  as  mentioned  above,  of  atropine.  The 
remaining  and  smaller  portion,  which  was  much  more  difficult  to 
crystallize,  consisted  of  hyoscyamine  and  probably  other  bases,  and 
their  decomposition  products.  The  relative  proportions  would  appear, 
however,  not  to  be  constant,  otherwise  it  would  be  difficult  to  reconcile 
with  this  experience  Ladenburg^s  statement  that  in  Datura  Stramonium 
he  found  the  light  alkaloid,  hyoscyamine,  to  preponderate.  The 
author  mentions  that  under  both  the  names  "atropine"  and  "daturine" 
he  has  met  in  commerce  with  beautifully  crystallized  specimens  of 
alkaloid  that  proved  to  be  chemically  and  physically  identical. 
As  therefore  the  investigation  of  Laden  burg  does  not,  any  more  than 
that  of  the  author,  connect  the  name  "daturine"  with  a  particular 
chemical  individuality,  the  author  thinks  it  desirable,  in  order  to  avoid 
doubt  and  error,  that  this  name  should  be  dropped  out  from  chemical 
literature  and  prices  current,  and  that  the  alkaloids  should  be  described 
by  the  names  agreeing  with  their  chemical  characters.  Consequently, 
leaving  out  of  the  question  hyoscine,  which  Ladenburg  found  in  the 
henbane  together  with  hyoscyamine,  Herr  Schmidt  would  provisionally 
characterize  only  two  plant  bases  having  a  mydriatic  action:  atropine, 
melting  at  115°  to  115,5°C,  and  hyoscyamine,  melting  at  108'5°C. 
Duboisine  is,  according  to  Ladenburg,  in  the  pure  condition,  identical 
