ON  THE  COLOR-TESTS  OF  STRYCHNIA,  ETC. 
231 
Chloroform  was  resorted  to,  for  its  solvent  and  volatile  proper- 
ties. Thus,  100  parts  of  it,  according  to  M.  Pettenkqffer,  at 
ordinary  temperatures  dissolve  20-16  parts  of  strychnia,  and 
only  0-57  parts  of  morphia.  A  fluidrachm  of  it,  holding  the 
strychnia  in  solution,  will  evaporate  spontaneously  in  a  few 
minutes  if  placed  upon  a  saucer  or  plate. 
As  the  solution  of  potassa  dissolves  morphia  and  rejects 
strychnia,  while  chloroform  has  the  reverse  property  of  taking 
up  the  strychnia  and  rejecting  the  morphia,  it  must  be  evident 
that  the  conjoint  use  of  these  fluids  would  effect  an  entire  sepa- 
ration of  the  two  alkaloids — the  morphia  being  held  by  the  pot- 
assa, and  the  strychnia  by  the  chloroform. 
Another  important  practical  advantage  in  the  use  of  these 
fluids  is  found  in  their  different  specific  gravities.  The  chloro- 
form, being  the  heavier,  sinks  to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  con- 
taining them,  and  thus  a  separation  is  easily  accomplished. 
The  eliminating  properties  of  the  three  fluids  were  determined 
in  the  following  way  : — 
JSxpt.  3.  One  grain  of  strychnia  and  three  grains  of  opium 
were  macerated  for  three  days  in  a  mixture  of  equal  measures  of 
acetic  acid  and  water ;  then  filtered,  and  to  the  clear  liquid 
equal  bulks  of  the  caustic  solution  and  chloroform  were  added, 
and  the  whole  well  shaken  together.  Upon  subsidence,  the 
chloroform  was  separated,  and  a  part  of  it  evaporated  on  a  plate. 
The  deposit,  thu3  obtained,  was  treated  with  sulphuric  acid  and 
the  bichromate  of  potassa,  in  the  manner  before  described,  when 
a  fine  play  of  test-colors  resulted. 
In  this  and  the  subsequent  experiments,  care  was  always  ob- 
served to  have  the  caustic  solution  in  sufficient  excess  over  the 
acetic  acid  to  dissolve  the  morphia,  and  leave  the  solution  alka- 
line to  test  paper. 
Having  thus  determined  the  practicability  of  regaining  the 
strychnia,  in  a  separate  state,  from  a  solution  in  which  it  had 
been  associated  with  the  various  alkaloids  of  opium,  I  proceeded, 
in  the  next  instance,  to  the  examination  of  its  relations  to  mor- 
phia in  the  presence  of  organic  matter.  For  this  purpose  a 
nutritive  mass  was  prepared  as  the  representative  of  the  con- 
tents of  a  man's  stomach,  if  death  should  occur  soon  after  a 
meal.    The  mass  consisted  of  two  ounces  of  minced-meat  (such 
