Am.  Jour.  Pharo. 
Jan.,  1S88. 
Coca  Bases. 
turns  the  plane  of  polarized  light  rather  more  strongly  to  the  left  than 
cocaine  does. 
CocaidinCj  when  perfectly  dried,  attracts  water  from  the  atmosphere 
and  then  cakes  together.  It  is  free  from  odor  and  does  not  volatilize 
with  water  vapor.  When  boiled  with  an  alcoholic  solution  of  baryta 
it  splits  up,  yielding  benzoic  acid,  but  what  other  product  is  then 
formed  has  not  yet  been  ascertained. 
Cocaidine  hydrochlorate  has  the  form  of  an  almost  colorless  varnish, 
readily  soluble  in  water  or  alcohol,  and  but  slightly  hygroscopic.  It 
is  without  smell,  tastes  intensely  bitter,  and  does  not  appear  to  pro- 
duce irritation  of  the  mucous  membrane.  The  platiuochloride  has  a 
composition  represented  by  the  formula — 
(Ci,H2iN04)PtCl6H2+3H20. 
As  regards  hygrine,  the  statements  of  Lossen  in  reference  to  it  are 
somewhat  ambiguous,  inasmuch  as  it  appears  that  in  part  they  apply 
to  the  substance  obtained  directly  from  the  coca  leaves  that  would 
have  still  contained  cocaidine,  and  in  part,  also,  to  the  product  ob- 
tained from  it  by  distillation  with  water.  So  much,  however,  is  cer- 
tain, that  hygrine  is  a  liquid  as  the  name  indicates,  and  that  it  is  capa- 
ble of  being  distilled  with  water  vapor. 
Since  cocaine,  cocaidine  and  cocamine  are  neither  of  them  volatiliz- 
able  when  boiled  with  water,  nor  capable  of  yielding  volatile  bases  by 
such  treatment,  these  circumstances  would  point  to  a  possible  mode  by 
which  hygrine  could  be  obtained  if  it  were  present.  My  observations 
in  this  respect  are  in  complete  accord  with  those  of  Stockman  and 
Howard,  according  to  whom  the  crude  amorphous  cocaine'^  yields, 
when  subjected  to  distillation  with  water,  small  quantities  of  an  oily 
basic  substance.  The  mother-liquor  obtained  as  a  bye-product  in  the 
purification  of  cocaidine  is  the  most  suitable  source  from  which  this 
oily  base  may  be  prepared.  This  liquid  is  mixed  with  some  caustic 
soda  and  shaken  out  with  ether,  the  ether  solution  evaporated,  and 
the  residue  distilled  with  water  to  drive  over  the  hygrine.  The  dis- 
tillate is  mixed  with  hydrochloric  acid  in  slight  excess,  evaporated  ta 
dryness,  and  the  hygrine  separated  from  the  residue  by  shaking  with 
caustic  soda  and  ether.  The  brown  oily  residue  obtained  on  evaporat- 
ing the  ether  is  treated  with  dilute  acetic  acid,  which  separates  a  dark 
brown  smeary  mass,  and  the  perfectly  clear  filtered  solution  is  mixed 
with  excess  of  caustic  soda  and  shaken  out  with  ether. 
The  hygrine  left  on  evaporating  the  ether  solution  obtained  in  the 
