■^""Mar^S?*^"*}    ^'^(^^i^G^^l  Researches  and  Investigations.  263 
ing  point  for  his  exhaustive  research,  the  author  selected  the  so-called 
officinal  veratrine,  which  is  said  to  be  completely  soluble  in  ether. 
The  following  results  were  obtained : 
1.  The  pure  officinal  veratrine  consists  of  a  very  homogenous,  ex- 
ternally amorphous  mixture  of  two  isomeric  alkaloids,  having  the 
formula  CgjH^gNOg,  of  which  the  one  is  crystallizable  and  practi- 
cally insoluble  in  water — crystallized  veratrine  (cevadine  of  Wright 
and  Lulf), — the  other  uncrystallizable,  but  soluble  in  water.  The 
latter  is  called  by  the  author  veratridine ;  it  is  identical  with  the 
soluble  veratrine  of  Weigelin  and  E.  Schmidt.  Relatively  small 
amounts  of  the  first  mentioned  alkaloid  suffice  to  render  the  latter 
insoluble  in  water,  and  on  the  other  hand  small  amounts  of  the  latter 
are  sufficient  to  prevent  the  crystallization  of  the  former. 
2.  By  boiling  with  an  alcoholic  solution  of  barium  hydrate,  both  of 
these  alkaloids  are  split  in  the  following  manner :  (a)  Crystallized 
veratrine  is  decomposed  into  angelic  acid  and  amorphous  cevidine : 
C3,H,,NO,  +  2H,0  =  C,H30,  +  C,,H,,NO,. 
(6)  Veratridine  is  decomposed  into  veratric  acid  and  amorphous 
veratroine,  according  to  the  equation  : 
2C3,H«NO,  +  2H,0  =  C,H,„0,  +  C„  H,,N,0,,. 
The  cevidine,  C27  H45  forms  a  yellowish- white  powder,  having 
an  alkaline  reaction  and  peculiar  sw;eetish  taste.  Veratroine  forms 
after  drying  and  trituration  a  yellowish-white  powder,  the  dust  of 
which  incites  violent  sneezing  and  coughing.  It  is  sparingly  soluble 
in  water,  but  readily  soluble  in  chloroform,  ether,  amylic  alcohol, 
benzol  and  carbon  bisulphide. — Ibid.,  No.  24,  1883,  p.  360,  from  Arch, 
der  Fham.,  21,  p.  81. 
The  Detection  of  Acetal.  By  M.  Grodzki. — As  acetal  has  recently 
found  more  frequent  application  for  medicinal  purposes,  a  method  was 
desired  whereby  even  small  amounts  might  be  detected. 
Acetal  is  converted  by  acids,  in  aqueous  solution,  into  aldehyde  and 
alcohol,  both  of  which  in  alkaline  solution  with  iodine  yield  iodoform, 
while  acetal  itself  is  not  thus  affected.  If,  therefore,  to  a  dilute 
aqueous  solution  of  acetal  a  few  drops  of  hydrochloric  acid  are  added, 
and  subsequently  solution  of  sodium  hydrate  and  solution  of  iodine,  a 
dense,  yellow  precipitate  of  iodoform  is  produced. 
The  high  molecular  weight  of  iodoform  renders  possible  the  detec- 
tion of  even  very  small  amounts  of  acetal. — Ibid.,  p.  363  from  Ber. 
d.  Deutsch.  Chem.  Ges.,  16,  p.  512. 
