100 
ON THE EXTRACTION OF STRYCHNIA. 
stand for six or eight hours, then separate the precipitate, 
and submit it to strong pressure. Heat the liquid to the 
boiling point, and add a slight excess of sulphuric acid ; sul- 
phate of lime is formed, which is allowed to subside, and 
the supernatant liquor is evaporated to about four pints; to 
this, one ounce of powdered quick lime is added, and the 
process above described, repeated. The precipitate result- 
ing from this process, is pressed and added to the former : 
they are then dried and reduced to powder; this powder is 
digested in about ten pints of proof spirit, with a gentle heat. 
The spirit dissolves the brucia, the colouring matter, and a 
little of the strychnia, which may be recovered by evapora. 
ting the liquid, and allowing it to crystallize. The precipi- 
tate thus freed from brucia and colouring matter, and re- 
duced to powder, is digested at twice, in ten pints of spirit 
of wine, sp. gr. 823. The solutions, which will be nearly 
colourless, are filtered, and four-fifths of the spirit recovered 
by distillation. On allowing the remaining solution to cool 
and stand for a day, the strychnia will be found at the bot- 
tom of the vessel, in the form of a while crystalline powder 
in a yellowish supernatant liquor. The liquor is to be de- 
canted off, and the strychnia washed with proof spirit, which 
removes any remaining portion of brucia, and renders it 
chemically pure by one crystallization. — Pharm. Journ. 
from Journal de Pharmacie aV%flnvers. 
