ON  THE  DETECTION  OF  STRYCHNINE. 
59 
ON  THE  DETECTION  OF  STRYCHNINE. 
By  Richard  Hagen. 
The  author  has  investigated  this  subject  in  the  laboratory  and 
under  the  guidance  of  von  Gorup-Besanez.  He  was  induced  to 
this  by  the  statements  of  von  Sicherer,  that  the  well-known  re- 
action with  bichromate  of  potash  and  concentrated  sulphuric  acid 
fails  when  the  strychnine  is  mixed  with  tartrate  of  antimony  or 
tartrates  in  general,  or  with  free  tartaric  acid. 
He  first  ascertained  that  the  reactions  with  bichromate  of 
potash,  or  ferridcyanide  of  potassium  and  concentrated  sulphuric 
acid,  and  with  peroxide  of  lead  and  sulphuric  acid  containing 
nitric  acid,  never  fail  when  pure  strychnine  is  employed,  whether 
by  itself  or  mixed  with  a  large  quantity  of  sugar,  if  proper  care 
be  taken ;  this  is  particularly  important,  as  these  reactions  have 
been  described  as  uncertain  by  incompetent  persons  in  various 
medical  journals.  He  then  passed  to  the  testing  of  some  salts 
of  strychnine. 
I.  With  nitrate  of  strychnine  the  reaction  with  bichromate 
of  potash  or  peroxide  of  lead  and  concentrated  sulphuric  acid, 
occurs  just  as  distinctly  and  persistently  as  with  pure  strychnine. 
II.  This  is  also  the  case  with  muriate  of  strychnine,  with 
which  the  characteristic  color  even  appears  to  be  more  beautiful 
than  with  pure  strychnine  or  the  nitrate. 
III.  Acetate  of  strychnine  also  gives  the  above  mentioned  re- 
actions with  equal  distinctness. 
Mixtures  of  pure  strychnine  and  tartrate  of  antimony  in  vari- 
ous proportions  were  tested  with  bichromate  of  potash  and  sul- 
phuric acid. 
a.  Of  a  mixture  of  equal  weights  of  strychnine  and  tartrate 
of  antimony,  weighing  2  grs.  in  all,  a  fourth  part  was  put  into  a 
watch-glass,  and  treated  with  4  or  5  drops  of  concentrated  sul- 
phuric acid  ;  the  whole  was  then  worked  into  a  uniform  mass  by 
means  of  a  small  pestle.  On  the  addition  of  a  drop  of  a  mode- 
rately concentrated  solution  of  bichromate  of  potash  to  this  mass, 
a  very  beautiful  bluish-violet  stripe  was  immediately  formed 
around  it.  On  moving  the  watch-glass  to  and  fro,  the  coloration 
spread  through  the  whole  mass,  and  increased  in  intensity  on 
the  addition  of  another  drop  of  the  solution  of  bichromate  of 
