Am  Tour.  Pharm.  \  Detection  of  Cocaine,  Heroine  and  Veronal.  66^ 
October,  19 19.    J  •'  * 
drops  of  nitric  acid,  and  the  residue  moistened  with  a  little  alcoholic 
solution  of  caustic  potash,  it  yields  the  characteristic  odor  of  benzoic 
ether  (meadowsweet). 
Pisani  (Rend.  Soc.  Chetn.  ltd.,  191 4.  6,  132)  states  that  with  a 
2  per  cent,  solution  of  hexamethylene  tetramine  in  strong  sulphuric 
acid  a  wine-red  color  is  produced,  becoming  more  intense  as  the 
temperature  rises.  I  am  unable  to  confirm  this,  as,  under  the  con- 
ditions specified,  no  reaction  is  obtained  beyond  a  slight  charring 
produced  by  the  rise  of  temperature. 
The  resorcinol  and  strong  sulphuric  acid  test  proposed  originally 
by  M.  Goeldner  (Zcitsch,  anal,  Chem.,  1901.  40.  820)  is  quite  falla- 
cious, as  shown  by  L.  A.  Ryan  (/.  Amer.  Chcm.  Soc,  1915.  37. 
i960),  the  lavender-blue  color  supposed  to  be  indicative  of  cocaine 
being  caused  by  traces  of  nitrous  or  nitric  acid  in  the  sulphuric  acid 
employed. 
Cocaine  gives  with  a  permanganate  solution,  under  certain  con- 
ditions, distinct  and  characteristic  crystals,  but  special  precautions 
are  needed  to  get  a  satisfactory  result.  The  modification  of  the  test 
proposed  by  E.  H.  Hankin  (Analyst,  191 1.  36.  2) .  where  the  alkaloid 
is  dissolved  in  a  saturated  alum  solution  and  added  to  a  dried  film 
of  potassium  permanganate  on  a  microscope  slide,  gives  excellent 
results  and  the  crystals  are  quite  definite.  The  concentration  of 
cocaine  in  the  alum  solution  should  not  be  less  than  1  part  in  10.000. 
Although  the  salts  of  many  alkaloids  yield  a  precipitate  with 
potassium  chromate.  cocaine  hydrochloride  gives  no  precipitate  until 
after  the  addition  of  a  few  drops  of  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid. 
Morphine  and  heroine  give  no  reaction  with  potassium  chromate 
solution  in  either  neutral  or  acid  solution. 
Wagner's  solution  (  iodine  in  potassium  iodide  )  throws  down  a 
brownish-red  precipitate  with  salts  of  this  alkaloid  that  appear  as 
dark  brown  oily  drops  when  examined  microscopically.  The  same 
result  was  obtained  with  this  reagent  when  cocaine  hydrochloride 
was  dissolved  in  saturated  alum.  Sodium  phospho-molybdate  gives 
a  curdy  yellowish-white  precipitate  soluble  in  ammonia  to  a  very 
pale  bluish-green  solution. 
