312 
Studies  in  Plant  Mutation. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1906. 
environment.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  principle  formed  stimulates 
the  metabolic  process,  the  form  may  be  preserved  despite  the  change 
of  environment.  As  an  experimental  test  of  the  action  of  alkaloids 
upon  the  metabolic  process,  a  study  of  the  action  of  active  principles 
upon  plant  diastases  has  been  made.  The  method  was  to  digest 
2  c.c.  of  a  water  extract  of  the  plant  (i :  io)  with  2  c.c.  of  dilute 
starch  solution  and  I  c.c.  of  a  I  per  cent,  alkaloid  solution  (=0-2 
per  cent,  of  the  mixture)  for  15-60  minutes  at  30°-40°  C,  titrating 
with  dilute  iodine  solution  after  cooling.  The  amount  of  iodine 
solution  needed  to  produce  the  same  color  as  the  water-control 
showed  comparatively  the  amount  of  starch  changed  to  sugar.  The 
results  are  expressed  in  percentages  of  the  water  control. 
0 
<L> 
4; 
V 
a 
6 
Control  —  100  .  . 
conitin 
nemom 
[orphin 
erberin 
t  rychni 
rucine. 
tropiue 
igitaliti 
uinine. 
eratrin 
< 
< 
m 
(Si 
n 
< 
Q 
Ol 
> 
Ranunculacese  : 
Anemone    .  . 
200 
66 
66 
66 
66 
100 
Delphinium  . 
200 
50 
75 
75 
150 
100 
Fumariaceae : 
Corydalis  .  .  . 
116 
83 
1000 
Papaveraceae  : 
Kschscholtzia 
102 
142 
1S3 
58 
53 
73 
73 
91 
44 
Cruciferae : 
Sisymbrium  . 
162 
50 
98 
75' 
54 
88 
78 
85 
33 
Iyiliaceae  : 
Brodiaea  .  .  . 
142 
1000 
85 
85 
128 
114 
114 
(flower)  16 
minutes  at40° 
(1 
1000 
87 
1000 
1000 
1000 
87 
62 
1000 
1000 
(flower)  34 
minutes  at  360 
it 
277 
100 
175 
175 
250 
275 
225 
375 
275 
(leaf.) 
[Anemone  contains  anemonol ;  Delphinium,  delphinine,  very  similar  to  aconitine  of 
Aconitum  ;  Corydalis  contains  berberine ;  Eschscholtzia,  chelidonine  and  other  alkaloids, 
possibly  morphine;  glucosides,  yielding  oil  of  mustard,  are  characteristic  of  Cruciferae,  and 
veratrine  is  the  characteristic  alkaloid  of  Iyiliaceae  ;  strychnine  and  brucine  come  from 
Strychnos  Nux-vomica  ;  atropine  from  Atropa  Belladonna  ;  quinine  irom  Cinchona.] 
The  preceding  table  gives  the  first  series  of  diastase  tests  made. 
It  here  appears  that  the  alkaloid  characteristic  of  a  family  aids  the 
diastatic  activity  of  the  members  of  that  family;  thus,  aconitine  with 
Ranunculacese,  berberine  with  Fumariaceae,  morphine  and  berbe- 
rine with  Papaveraceae,  veratrine  with  Liliaceae. 
This  favoring  action  almost  appears  to  run  parallel  with  the 
natural  relation  of  the  family ;  thus,  aconitine  and  morphine  with 
Ranunculaceae,  Fumariaceae,  and  Papaveraceae. 
