398  Chemical  Notes. 
sufficient  amount  to  bring  4  molecules  of  oxygen  to  act  upon  1  mole- 
cule of  the  quinia.  On  washing  the  precipitated  manganese  dioxide 
with  dilute  alcohol,  a  substance  crystallizing  in  sharply  formed  white 
prisms  is  extracted.  Its  aqueous  solution  reacts  neutral,  and  it  is  pre- 
cipitated by  metallic  salts.  Skraup  calls  this  quitenin.  Its  formula  is 
C19H22N204+4H20. 
The  oxydation  of  quinia  was  also  carried  out  with  chromic  acid,  the 
resulting  product  being  neutralized  with  barium  hydrate,  and  the  con- 
centrated solution  of  the  barium  salt  decomposed  with  dilute  hydro- 
chloric acid.  The  acid  so  obtained  was  called  quininic  acid,  and 
possesses  the  formula  CnH9N03.  This  acid,  the  author  thinks,  may  be 
the  alcohol  or  phenol  of  lepidin,  a  homologue  of  chinolin. — Ber.  der 
Chem.  Ges.,  xii,  p.  1104. 
On  artificial  Atropia. — As  is  known,  atropia  on  treatment  with 
barium  hydrate  is  decomposed  into  tropine  and  tropaic  acid,  according  to 
the  reaction  : 
C17H23NOs+H2O=C8H16NO+C9H10O3. 
The  first,  and  perhaps  most  important  step  in  the  synthesis  of  atro- 
pia is  the  re-combination  of  these  decomposition  products  to  form  the 
alkaloid  again.  This  Ladenburg  has  just  accomplished  by  treating  the 
iropate  of  tropin  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  at  ioo°.  The  tropin 
tropate  used  was  in  colorless  crystals  and  gave  no  reaction  for  atropia, 
even  when  in  15  per  cent,  solution  showing  no  action  upon  the  eye. 
After  the  treatment  for  some  time,  with  an  excess  of  dilute  hydro- 
chloric acid,  an  oil  separated  out  which,  when  purified,  solidified  to  a 
mass  of  colorless  needles.  The  author  was  unable  to  find  any  differ- 
ence between  the  artificial  atropia  so  prepared  and  the  purest  natural 
atropia. — Ber.  der  Chem.  Ges.,  xii,  p.  941. 
Preliminary  notice  of  a  new  volatile  Alkaloid. — Spigelia  marilandica  or 
pink-root  has  been  known  for  many  years  to  possess  peculiar  medicinal 
properties,  seemingly  indicative  of  the  presence  of  an  alkaloid.  W. 
L.  Dudley  has  made  an  effort  to  extract  this  alkaloid,  and  gives  the 
following  tabular  statement  of  its  properties  as  compared  with  those  of 
nicotina,  conia  and  lobelina: 
