Am.  Jour.  Phann. ") 
Aug.,  1879.  j" 
Bidara  Laut. 
water  to  these  acid  solutions  a  superb  blue  fluorescence  is  immediately 
produced.  Concentrated  sulphuric  acid  containing  bichromate  of  potash 
colors  the  crystals  an  intense  blue-green,  passing  to  violet  and  then  to 
purple;  upon  adding  water  a  crimson  liquid  is  immediately  produced. 
The  mother  liquor  from  which  the  above  crystalline  body  was 
obtained  left,  upon  spontaneous  evaporation,  an  amorphous  nitrogenous 
residue,  possessing  alkaloidal  properties.  It  resembled  alstonine  among 
other  points  in  solubility,  except  that  it  was  only  slightly  soluble  in 
boiling  water,  to  which  it  imparted  a  strongly  alkaline  reaction.  It 
differed  also  in  its  behavior  with  the  concentrated  mineral  acids.  Sul- 
phuric and  hydrochloric  acids  dissolved  it  with  a  greenish-brown  tint; 
whilst  with  nitric  acid  it  gave  a  splendid  crimson-red,  in  this  resembling 
more  closely  the  substance  obtained  by  Mueller  and  Rummel.  But 
.the  acid  solutions  of  the  amorphous  alkaloid  gave  no  fluorescence. 
In  considering  the  question  whether  the  amorphous  body  might  not 
be  identical  with  the  crystalline,  differing  only  in  being  less  pure,  Ober- 
lin  and  Schlagdenhauffen  are  of  opinion  that  they  are  two  bodies,  but 
possibly  related  to  each  other  in  a  manner  similar  to  quinia  and  quini- 
cine,  and  they  are  engaged  in  experiments  to  clear  up  this  point.  Mean- 
while they  propose  for  the  amorphous  alkaloidal  substances  the  name  of 
"Alstonicine." — Pharm.  Jour,  and  Trans. ^  June  28,  1879. 
BIDARA  LAUT.i 
By  Henry  G.  Greenish. 
Bidara  laut  has  already  been  the  subject  of  several  communications 
to  the  "Pharmaceutisch  Weekblad"  during  the  past  two  years.  In  a 
critique  on  the  Plantkundig  Woordenbook  voor  Nederlandsch  Indie, 
which  appeared  in  the  issue  of  that  journal  for  January  14,  1877,  the 
botanical  source  of  Bidara  laut  is  referred  to  a  species  of  Sisyphus^  of  the 
natural  order  Rhamnaceae,  plants  of  which  order  are  characterized  by 
their  tonic  properties. 
Dr.  E.  A.  Van  der  Burg,  in  the  same  journal  for  January  28,  1877, 
remarks  that  the  wood,  according  to  his  analysis,  contained  brucia  in 
quantity  apparently  considerable  (though  not  estimated),  and  that 
strychnia  and  other  alkaloids  were  absent.    From  information  received 
1  Reprint  from  Pharmaceutical  Journal  and  Transactions,  June  14th,  communi- 
cated by  the  author. 
