578 
Antipyrine. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\       Nov.,  1884. 
a  thick  jelly,  another  point  which  marks  the  alkaloid  soluble  in  caustic 
soda  solution  as  peculiar  and  one  hitherto  unobserved. 
At  present  we  are  not  in  a  position,  from  dearth  of  material,  to  carry 
our  examination  of  this  subject  further,  but  the  results  above  described 
are,  we  think,  sufficiently  definite  to  justify  our  dissent  from  Dr.  Hesse's 
statement  that  homoquinine  is  a  modification  of  quinine  and  that  it  is 
completely  convertible  into  quinine.  The  more  precise  interpretation 
of  these  results  must  be  left  until  we  are  able  to  obtain  a  more  adequate 
supply  of  material  than  the  two  or  three  grains  of  homoquinine  crystals 
we  have  operated  upon  hitherto.  It  may,  however,  be  suggested  that 
these  results,  taken  together  with  those  by  which  Dr.  Hesse  has  proved 
the  individuality  of  homoquinine,  furnish  evidence  that  this  latter 
alkaloid  is  susceptible  of  being  split  into  two  other  alkaloids,  one  of 
them  being  either  quinine  or  a  base  closely  resembling  it,  the  other  an 
alkaloid  not  hitherto  observed,  to  wdiich  we  will  provisionally  give  the 
name  of  "cupreine."  Our  results  also  explain  why  homoquinine  is  not 
found  in  the  commercial  quinine  sulphate  made  from  cuprea  bark. — 
Phar.  Jour,  and  Tram.,  Sept.  20,  1884. 
Antipyrine  is  the  name  given  by  Dr.  Knorr  of  Munich  to  an  alka- 
loid, prepared  by  him  synthetically  from  coal  tar.  It  contains  oxygen, 
appears  in  commerce  in  the  form  of  a  white  crystalline  powder,  some- 
what resembling  salicylic  acid  in  appearance,  is  inodorous  and  nearly 
tasteless,  and  is  freely  soluble  in  water ;  it  combines  with  acids,  form- 
ing salts  from  which  alkalies  liberate  the  base.  Antipyrine  is  colored 
intensely  red  by  ferric  chloride  and  other  oxidizing  agents,  the  effect 
being  produced  even  by  dust  containing  iron,  w7hich  causes  red  spots 
upon  the  crystalline  powder ;  it  requires  therefore  to  be  kept  in  well 
closed  bottles,  wdiich  should  also  be  protected  from  the  light,  since  long 
continued  exposure  to  light  causes  likewise  a  red  tinge. 
The  alkaloid  has  been  found,  by  Prof.  Filehne  of  Erlangen  and  by 
other  physicians,  to  be  an  excellent  remedy  in  high  fevers  for  lessening 
the  temperature  2°  or  3°  C.  without  producing  other  unpleasant  effects 
and  mostly  without  sudorific  action ;  from  3  to  5  Gm.  are  required  for 
this  purpose,  and  are  divided  into  three  does,  to  be  given  in  intervals 
of  one  hour,  previously  dissolved  in  water  or  wine.  The  dose  of  anti- 
pyrine may  be  stated  to  be  1  to  2  Gm.  for  adults,  and  0'5  to  1  Gm. 
for  children. 
