Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1890. 
Dextro  cocaine . 
623 
heated,  stirring  well  with  the  thermometer  till  complete  solution. 
In  the  case  of  genuine  castor  oil  this  will  be  between  380  and  430 
C,  possibly  lower  than  the  former ;  whilst  if  any  foreign  oil  be  pre- 
sent, the  temperature  will  be  much  higher;  and  in  gross  adultera- 
tion, some  oil  may  not  be  dissolved  even  at  the  boiling  point  of  the 
mixture. 
TOTTINGTON,  Oct.  20,  I89O. 
DEXTROCOCAINE.1 
By  A.  Einhorn  and  A.  Marquardt. 
According  to  Einhorn's  formula  for  cocaine,  two  asymmetrical 
carbon-atoms  are  present  in  the  molecule  ;  if  this  is  correct,  similar 
optical  isomerides  should  exist  to  those  of  atropine.  Experiments 
made  to  convert  cocaine  directly  into  an  isomeric  base  have  not 
been  attended  with  success,  but  similar  experiments  with  ecgonine, 
one  of  its  decomposition-products,  have  given  the  desired  result, 
for  this  compound  and  all  its  derivatives,  including  cocaine  itself, 
are  converted  into  dextro-ecgonine  by  warming  with  an  aqueous 
solution  of  potassium  hydroxide  on  the  water-bath. 
The  best  material  for  the  preparation  of  dextro-ecgonine  is  the 
mixture  of  alkaloids  obtained  as  a  bye-product  in  the  preparation 
of  cocaine,  which  must  be  warmed  with  the  aqueous  potash  for 
18-24  hours.  Dextro-ecgonine,  C9H15N03,  crystallizes  in  tables 
which  seem  to  be  hemimorphous,  and  melts  at  2540.  On  heating 
with  acetic  acid  saturated  with  hydrogen  chloride,  it  yields  the 
same  anhydroecgonine  as  is  obtained  from  ordinary  ecgonine, 
whence  it  would  appear  that  the  optical  activity  is  due  to  the 
asymmetrical  carbon-atom  in  the  side  chain.  The  hydrochloride, 
C9H15NOs,HCl,  crystallizes  from  alcohol  in  monoclinic  prisms;  an 
aqueous  solution  containing  4-4  per  cent.,  in  a  tube  2  dcm.  in  length, 
rotated  the  plane  of  polarization  1-6°  to  the  right.  The  aurochlo- 
ride,  C9H15N03,HAuCl4,  forms  small,  yellow  plates,  which  melt 
with  decomposition  at  2200.  Its  methyl  ether,  C10H17NO3,  obtained 
by  suspending  dextro-ecgonine  in  methyl  alcohol,  and  passing  in 
hydrogen  chloride,  crystallizes  from  alcohol  in  prisms  melting 
at  2150. 
1  Ber.y  23,  468-474  and  979-988.  Reprinted  from  Jour.  Chetn.  Soc,  June  and 
August,  1890. 
