634 
Hydrastine  and  Derivatives. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1888. 
Hydrastine  picrate  C2iH2iN06C6H"2(N02)3'OH4-4H20,  is  thrown 
down  as  an  amorphous,  yellow  precipitate,  which  is  deposited  from  its 
boiling  alcoholic  solution  in  splendid  yellow  needles.  By  the  action  of 
ethyl  iodide  on  hydrastine  under  pressure,  a  well  crystallized  ethiodide, 
C2iH2iNOeEtI, 
can  be  obtained  of  the  form  ocP.  ooPoo  .f^  .(P.P^  ,)  melting  at  205° 
206°.  The  corresponding  chloride  could  only  be  obtained  in  a  gummy 
mass ;  its  solution  was  therefore  precipitated  with  platinum  and  gold 
chlorides  respectively,  and  the  corresponding  double  salts  were  obtained 
and  analyzed.  Both  are  amorphous,  the  platinochloride  being  light 
red,  melting  at  207°,  and  having  the  composition 
(C2iH2iNOe,EtCl)2PtCl4, 
and  the  aurochloride  being  yellow,  melting  at  about  110°,  and  having 
the  composition  C2iH2iN06EtCl,  A^uClg.  Hydrastine-ethylammonium 
hydroxide^  obtained  by  exactly  precipitating  the  iodine  from  hydrastine 
ethiodide  by  means  of  silver  oxide,  concentrating  the  filtrate,  and  al- 
lowing to  remain  over  sulphuric  acid,  appears  as  compact,  slightly 
colored  crystals,  which  are  purified  by  recrystallization  from  hot  water. 
Their  composition  is  C2iH2iN06Et*OH,  showing  that  the  hydrastine 
has  the  character  of  a  tertiary  base,  and  does  not,  as  Power  supposed, 
belong  to  the  imido-bases.  The  attempts  to  obtain  a  hydro-compound 
by  the  action  of  nascent  hydrogen  on  hydrastine,  both  in  acid  and 
alkaline  solution  were  unsuccessful.  The  evidence  as  to  the  existence 
of  a  third  alkaloid,  canadine,  was  doubtful. 
Action  of  Oxidizing  Agents  on  Hydrastine,  By  E.  Schmidt  and  F. 
Wilhelm. — Hydrastine,  when  treated  with  manganese  dioxide  and  sul- 
phuric acid,  yields  opianic  acid  and  hydrastinine.  Oxidation  with 
platinic  chloride  gives  the  same  products.  Potassium  permanganate 
in  alkaline  solution  produces  hemipinio  and  nicotinic  acids ;  in  acid 
solution  opianic  acid  is  produced,  as  one  of  the  authors  had  ascertained 
when  Freund  and  Will's  publication  of  the  same  fact  first  ap- 
peared. The  base  formed  simultaneously  was  not  isolated,  but  by  em- 
ploying barium  permanganate  hydrastinine  in  small  quantity  was  ob- 
tained along  with  opianic  acid.  Chromic  acid  yielded  the  same  two 
products. 
Comparing  narcotine  and  hydrastine,  E.  Schmidt  considers  that  the 
former  contains  three  raethoxyl-groups,  thus:  CigHi4(OMe)3N04, 
whilst  the  latter  contains  only  two,  thus :  Ci9Hi5(OMe)2N04.  Since 
