AmDec.yiS6arm'}         Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica.  615 
Conessine  and  wrightine.-On  page  301  of  Amee.  Jour.  Phar.,  1882, 
the  use  of  this  alkaloid  has  been  noticed,  as  prepared  from  the  East 
Indian  conessi  bark,  which  is  obtained  from  Wrightia  (Holarrhena, 
DeC.)  antidysenterica,  R.  Brown. 
Some  years  ago  German  missionaries  had  brought  from  tropical 
Africa  a  bark,  that  had  been  found  very  useful  in  the  treatment  of 
dysentery.  Wiggers  regarded  this  bark  as  identical  with  East  Indian 
conessi  bark,  andN.  Wulfsberg  (Dissertation,  Gottingen,  1880)  showed 
that  it  was  derived  from  Holarrhena  africana,  DeCand.  A.  Faust  and 
A.  Abich  isolated  from  this  bark  an  alkaloid,  which  in  a  somewhat 
impure  condition,  was  examined  physiologically  under  Prof.  Marine's 
supervision  by  A.  Keidel  (Dissert.,  Gottingeu,  1878).  This  alkaloid 
has  been  recently  prepared  in  a  pure  state  from  the  African  bark  by 
Prof.  Polstorff  and  P.  Schirmer  (Ber.  D.  Chem.  Ges.,  1886,  p.  78) 
who  obtained  from  15  and  23  kilos  respectively  14  and  30  gm.  of  pure 
conessine.  Its  preparation  is  tedious  owing  to  the  presence  of  persist- 
ently adhering  impurities.  The  outlines  of  the  process  are  as  follows  : 
The  infusion  made  with  acidulated  water,  is  concentrated;  by  the 
careful  addition  of  ammonia  considerable  quantities  of  coloring  matter, 
calcium  and  aluminium  compounds  are  precipitated ;  excess  of  ammonia 
separates  the  alkaloid  in  whitish  floccules ;  its  acetic  solution  is  decolor- 
ized by  animal  charcoal,  precipitated  by  ammonia,  and  the  alkaloid 
repeatedly  recrystallized  from  hot  alcohol,  some  hot  water  being  added 
to  the  solution. 
Conessine  has  the  composition  C12H20N,  crystallizes  in  radiating 
groups  of  delicate  silky  needles,  and  after  drying  forms  a  light  white 
powder,  melting  at  121'5°C.  It  is  very  sparingly  soluble  in  water, 
dissolves  freely  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform  and  benzol,  volatilizes 
merely  in  traces  with  the  vapors  of  water,  and  has  a  very  bitter  taste. 
The  salts  are  best  prepared  by  treating  the  ethereal  solution  of  the  al- 
kaloid with  acid.  The  hydrochlorate,  C12H20N\HCl.H2O,  crystallizes 
in  needles  and  like  the  nitrate,  is  permanent  on  exposure,  while 
the  sulphate  is  deliquescent.  The  picrate  crystallizes  from  diluted 
alcohol  in  yellow  needles.  The  double  salts  with  the  chlorides  of 
platinum,  gold  and  mercury,  the  iodides  of  meythl-  and  ethyl-cones- 
sine,  and  the  methylconessine-hydroxide  were  likewise  prepared  and 
examined. 
H.  Warnecke  (Berichte,  1886,  p.  60)  prepared  the  alkaloid  wriglitine 
from  the  seeds  of  Wrightia  antidysenterica.    On  prolonged  heating  to 
