72 
Remarhs  on  Ricinin, 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharr. 
t     Feb.  1, 1871. 
elusion  that  Dr.  Tusou's  ricinine  is  a  compound  of  magnesia  and  of 
an  organic  acid,  the  formula  of  this  body  being — 
C,iH^0„Mg,+6H,0." 
That  the  bodies  obtained  by  Dr.  Werner  and  myself  from  castor 
seeds  are  totally  different,  I  hope  to  render  evident  in  the  present 
communication. 
I  have  in  my  possession  two  small  specimens  of  ricinine ;  one  was 
prepared  from  the  so-called  castor-cake  obtained  from  India,  the 
other  from  castor-cake  obtained  from  Italy.  These  specimens  possess 
the  undermentioned  properties  : — 
1.  Cautiously  heated  on  a  glass  plate  they  melt  and  form  a  color- 
less mobile  liquid,  which,  on  cooling,  solidifies  into  a  whorl  of  acicular 
crystals. 
2.  Heated  between  two  watch-glasses  they  sublime,  apparently 
without  decomposition. 
3.  Strongly  heated  on  platinum  foil,  they  first  melt,  then  burn  with 
a  highly  luminous  flame,  and  leave  no  ash. 
4.  Heated  with  solid  potassium  hydrate,  they  evolve  ammonia, 
proving  that  they  contain  nitrogen. 
5.  On  estimating  the  amount  of  nitrogen  by  Peligot's  method,  the 
specimen  of  ricinine  procured  from  Indian  castor-cake  contained  20*79 
per  cent.,  while  that  from  Italian  cake  contained  20*39  per  cent. 
6.  A  solution  of  ricinine  in  hydrocholoric  acid  mixed  with  one  of 
platinic  chloride  yields,  on  evaporation,  well  defined  orange  octa- 
hedra. 
7.  Cold  saturated  aqueous  solutions  of  ricinine  and  mercuric  chlo- 
ride, if  mixed  together  and  allowed  to  stand,  deposit  fasciculi  of 
acicular  crystals. 
A  comparison  of  the  foregoing  epitomised  account  of  ricinine  with 
the  description  of  the  m*agnesium  compound  obtained  by  Dr.  Werner 
from  ricinus  seeds,  therefore  clearly  indicates  that  the  two  bodies  are 
entirely  different. 
That  ricinine  is  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  alkaloid  I  hope  yet  to 
demonstrate  by  its  complete  investigation  so  soon  as  I  shall  become 
possessed  of  a  large  supply  of  castor-cake,  now,  I  believe,  on  its 
way  from  Calcutta. — Qhem.  J^ews,  London,  Nov.  11,  1870. 
