Ana.  Jour.  Pharm.  ! 
July,  1890.  / 
Chemical  Notes. 
339 
which  has  the  composition  C30  H38  O10.  Picrasmin  contains  C29  H34 
O10  m.  p.  2i2°-2i6°  C;  C29  H3i  O10  (C  H2)6  m.  p.  204-205,  C29  Hu 
O10  (C  H2)7  m.  P.  209°-2i2°  C,  and  two  bodies  melting  at  231-234 
and  239-2470  C.  respectively.  Picrasmin  m.  p.  204°-205°  treated, 
like  quassiin  yields  picrasmic  acid  C33  O10  -|-  5  H20.  Distilla- 
tion with  soda-lime  yields  fluorescent  hydrocarbons  very  likely  of 
the  anthracene  group.  From  this  it  is  evident  that  the  two  bitter 
principles  are  not  identical  as  has  been  supposed.  Besides  these 
bitter  principles  both  woods  seem  to  contain  also  small  quantities  of 
an  alkaloid.  A  body  from  Q.  amara,  which  dissolves  in  acidulated 
alcohol  with  an  ultramarine  blue  fluorescence  and  crystallizes  in 
yellowish  prisms,  seems  to  be  an  alkaloid. 
Ephedrine  and  Isoephedrine. — Dr.  N.  Nagai  (Tokio  Chem.  Society, 
through  Chem.  Zeit.,  1890,-  p.  441)  obtained  the  alkaloid  ephedrine 
from  the  stem  of  Ephedra  vulgaris  (ma-oh).  The  composition  is 
C10H15NO  ;  by  oxidation  the  alkaloid  is  split  into  benzoic  acid,  mono- 
methylamine  and  oxalic  acid.  Isoephedrine  m.  p.  1140  C,  is 
obtained  by  heating  ephedrine  m.  p.  300  C,  with  hydrochloric  acid 
in  a  closed  tube  to  1800  C.  The  constitution  of  ephedrine  is  C6  H5 
CH2  CH  (N  H  C  H3)  CH2OH,and  that  of  isoephedrine  is  C6  Hr, 
CH2  C  (OH)  (NH  CH3)  C  H3. 
On  Lobeline. — H.  Paschkis  and  A.  Smita  [Akademie  d.  Wis$en.y 
Wien,  April  17,  1890,  through  Chem.  Zeit.,  1890,  594)  use  the  fol- 
lowing method  for  preparing  lobeline  :  The  herb  of  Lobelia  inflata 
is  extracted  with  water  acidified  with  acetic  acid,  the  extract  partly 
evaporated,  made  alkaline  and  extracted  with  ether.  An  extract 
was  taken  up  with  water  and  being  acid  was  made  alkaline  and 
shaken  with  ether.  The  ether  was  evaporated  and  the  alkaloid 
obtained  as  a  thick  oil  of  a  yellow  color.  For  purifying,  the  alka- 
loid was  dissolved  in  ether,  shaken  with  water  acidulated  with 
hydrochloric  acid,  then  made  alkaline  and  taken  up  with  ether. 
This  was  repeated  three  times,  the  ethereal  solution  then  dried  with 
potassium  hydrate,  and  the  ether  distilled  in  an  atmosphere  of 
hydrogen.  The  free  alkaloid  or  the  sulphate  was  suspended  in  10 
per  cent,  potassium  hydrate  solution  and  treated  with  4  per  cent, 
potassium  permanganate,  until  the  green  color  disappeared  only 
slowly.  The  mixture  was  then  filtered,  acidified  with  sulphuric  acid, 
extracted  with  ether,  this  evaporated  and  residue  recrystallized  from 
water.    This  proved  to  be  benzoic  acid 
