340 
Chemical  Notes. 
Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
July,  1891, 
light  green  stripes  appear;  by  continuing  the  heating  the  liquid 
becomes  grass-green  and  then  dark  blue.  On  increasing  the  heat 
the  liquid  assumes  a  violet  color,  and  violet  vapors  are  given  off. 
The  reaction  is  said  to  be  very  delicate,  as  still  0-00005  Sm-  can  ^e 
recognized.  Other  alkaloids  show  similar  reactions  with  this  reagent, 
which  differ,  however,  in  some  respects  from  that  shown  by  cocaine. 
Ecgonine  does  not  show  this  reaction,  which  seems  to  be  due  to  the 
benzoyl  group,  as  benzoic  acid  is  thus  affected  with  the  same 
intensity  as  cocaine.  The  difference  between  the  alkaloids  is 
shown  by  the  following  :  Cocaine  is  dissolved  in  2  cc.  concentrated 
sulphuric  acid,  and  to  this  added  drop  by  drop  an  acid  (H2S04)  solu- 
tion of  potassium  permanganate,  when  a  violet  color  appears,  the 
solution  on  stirring  becoming  colorless  Ecgonine  treated  in  like 
manner  gives  with  the  first  drop  a  yellow  color,  and  when  more  is 
added  a  violet  color,  which  is  more  stable  than  that  obtained  with 
cocaine.  Iodopotassium  iodide  gives  with  cocaine  round  black 
globules,  while  with  ecgonine  it  causes  a  yellowish-red  precipitate 
gradually  crystallizing.  This  investigation  was  carried  on  with  the 
ultimate  intention  of  finding  how  cocaine  behaves  in  the  body. 
From  the  reactions  with  urine  of  a  person  who  had  taken  cocaine 
inwardly  it  seems  as  if  cocaine  is  fully  decomposed  in  the  human 
body,  at  least  the  urine  did  not  even  give  the  reactions  for 
ecgonine. 
On  the  principal  Constituent  of  the  Oil  of  Mentha  Pulegium,  Linn'e. 
— M.  Pleissner  (Annalen  262,  1—37)  obtained  by  distilling  in 
vacuum  an  oil  of  boiling  point  130-1310  C.  at  60  mm.  pressure. 
It  is  colorless,  specific  gravity  0-9323  at  200  C;  [«]D  =  +  22-89°. 
The  compound  has  the  formula  C10H16O  is  isomeric  with  camphor,  but 
differs  in  being  a  ketone,  wherefore  it  was  named  pulegone.  Among 
the  bodies  derived  from  this  we  have  the  monoxime,  differing  from 
camphoroxime  in  containing  H20,  which  remains  constant  in  all 
derivatives.  By  reducing  the  oxime  the  pulegonamine  was  obtained. 
Sodium  in  ether  converts  pulegone  into  left  menthol,  which  was 
identified  by  the  benzoate. 
Volatile  oil  of  Asafcetida. — F.  W.  Semmler  (Ber.  d.  D.  Chem.  Ges.y 
1891,  78)  found  in  the  above  (1),  two  terpenes ;  (2)  an  oxygenated 
body  (C10H16O)n  yielding  a  sesquiterpene  C15H24,  on  treatment  with 
sodium  ;  (3)  the  disulphides  C7H14S2,  and  (4)  CnH20S2.    With  zinc 
