Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
A.ug.,  1890.  J 
Chemical  Notes. 
399 
J2140  C.  (Ladenburg,  1980  C),  and  an  analysis  yielded  results  cor- 
responding to  C17H21N04.  The  hydrobromide  above  referred  to 
had  the  composition  C17H21N04HBr  -f  3H2Q,  and  is  the  salt  of  the 
above  alkaloid.  Schutte  found  the  same  also  in  Atropa  Bella- 
donna, Duboisia  myoporoides  and  Datura  Stramonium. 
Solanidine  from  Potato  sprouts. — A.  Jorissen  and  L.  Grosjean 
{Bulletin  de  l'Acad.  Belgique,  1890  (3),  xix,  245)  obtained  from 
fresh  sprouts,  besides  solanine  and  solaneine,  which,  on  boiling  with 
dilute  mineral  acids,  yield  solanidine,  also  the  latter  alkaloid.  The 
fresh  sprouts  are  treated  in  a  closed  vessel  for  some  days  with 
officinal  ether.  This  is  decanted,  filtered,  and  the  solvent  recov- 
ered. The  residue  is  treated  with  alcoholic  potassium  hydrate  to 
saponify  the  oil,  the  soap  dissolved  with  water,  and  the  residue 
dissolved  in  hot  alcohol.  By  repeated  crystallization  from  alcohol 
and  ether,  the  authors  obtained  pure  solanidine.  The  fresh  sprouts, 
containing  90  per  cent,  water,  yield  I  •  5  per  cent.,  but  the  dry  no  alka- 
loid extractible  with  ether.  A  new  reaction  for  solanidine  is  the 
following  :  A  solution  of  solanidine  in  glacial  acetic  acid  is  evapo- 
rated to  dryness  on  a  water  bath  in  a  porcelain  dish ;  the  residue, 
treated  with  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid  and  ferric  chloride, 
turns  yellow,  and  heated  again  until  dry,  it  turns  violet. 
The  composition  of  Digitonm. — The  digitalin  of  commerce  con- 
sists, according  to  Schmiedeberg,  of  digitoxin,  digitonin,  digitalin, 
and  digitalein.  Ludwig,  Delffs,  Walz  and  Kosmann  found  that  on 
heating  commercial  digitalin  with  dilute  acid  a  substance  was 
obtained  which  reduces  Fehling's  test.  Schmiedeberg  made  the 
same  observation  with  his  purified  digitonin,  and  found  also  a 
body  which  is  insoluble  in  water,  which  he  named  digitogenin.  H. 
Kiliani  (Ber.  d.  Deutsch.  chem.  Gesell.,  1890,  1555)  made  an  investi- 
gation of  a  commercial  digitalin  which  was  almost  completely 
soluble  in  water.  The  hydrolysis  was  carried  on  as  follows:  1  pt. 
•commercial  amorphous  digitalin  was  dissolved  in  10  pts.  water; 
then  1  pt.  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid  sp.  gr.  1-19  was  added  and 
the  solution  heated  on  a  water-bath  for  six  hours.  A  precipitate  is 
formed  which  is  separated  by  filtration  and  washing  with  cold  water. 
The  soluble  decomposition  products  are  galactose  and  dextrose,  and 
the  insoluble  one  is  the  digitogenin  of  Schmiedeberg.  The  composi- 
tion of  the  latter  is  very  likely  C15H2iOv  while  digitonin  is  very 
likely  C^H^O^. 
