Am.  Jour.  Phaem,  ) 
April  1, 1871.  / 
Goniin. 
161 
with  water,  and  the  liquid  dialyzes  completely  in  eight  days. — Arehiv 
d.  Fharm.  1870,  Oct  9. 
Preparation  of  Coca. — Dr.  Ullersperger  (N.  Repert.  f.  Pharm. 
1870,  Octbr.  631 — 633)  brings  to  the  notice  of  the  German  pharma- 
cists and  physicians  eight  preparations  of  coca  made  by  A.  Dante 
JFerroni,  in  Florence.  ;  namely,  three  syrups,  troches,  arrowroot, 
wine,  chocolate  and  balsam.  These  preparations  evidently  belong  to 
that  class  of  nostrums  of  which  the  pretended  composition  is  given 
without  the  process. 
Resin  of  Tampico  Jalap. — Prof.  H.  Spirgatis  calls  it  tampicin  ;  it 
resembles  convolvulin,  the  resin  of  true  jalap,  in  appearance,  but  is 
soluble  in  ether,  like  jalapin,  the  resin  of  fusiform  jalap,  from  which, 
however,  it  differs  in  composition  ;  it  is  a  glucoside,  and  undergoes  by 
chemical  agents  changes  analogous  to  those  occurring  under  similar 
circumstances  with  the  other  two  resins  named.  The  composition  of 
tampicin  is  O^^r^fi^^.  Its  medical  properties  are  similar  to  those  of 
true  jalap  resin,  but  it  appears  to  be  less  reliable.  On  account  of 
the  small  quantity  of  resin  which  tampico  jalap  contains,  and  the 
greater  loss  of  alcohol,  its  cost  is  higher  than  that  of  convolvulin. — 
N.  Repert.  f.  Pharm.  1870,  Aug.  452—459. 
CONEIN. 
Prof.  J.  Lawrence  Smith  kindly  sends  the  following  very  inter- 
esting item  translated  from  the  Bericht.  Beut.  Chem.  (resell.,  Decem- 
ber, 1870  : 
"  The  first  artificial  production  of  a  Vegetable  Alkaloid  (Coniin)  by 
Hugo  Schiff.  This  alkaloid  has  been  heretofore  only  known  as  the 
product  of  the  plant.  For  some  months  he  has  been  engaged  in  ex- 
amining the  reaction  of  ammonia  and  the  aminbases  on  aldehyde,  and 
one  of  the  products  then  discovered  was  butyric  aldehyde.  Latterly 
he  has  been  examining  the  reaction  of  an  alcoholic  solution  of  ammo- 
nia in  this  butyric  aldehyde  at  a  temperature  of  212°  Fahr.,  and 
from  this  he  obtained  two  bases,  which  he  calls  Tetrabutyraldin  and 
Dibutyraldin.  By  heating  this  last  until  it  distills,  the  first  product 
is  a  neutral  oily  substance ;  and  the  substance  which  comes  over  last 
is  a  strong  alkaline  base  that  proved  to  be  coniin,  having  the  poison- 
ous and  other  physiological  properties  of  the  natural  coniin.  The 
amount  produced  is  yet  small  and  costly  ;  but  the  history  of  chemistry 
11 
