552      DEPORTMENT  OF  ALKALOIDS  WITH  REAGENTS,  ETC. 
salts  of  veratria  comport  themselves  like  those  of  strychnia  and 
brucia.  However,  the  veratria  separates  readily  upon  boiling, 
even  from  dilute  solutions. 
5.  If  veratria  is  acted  upon  by  concentrated  nitric  acid,  it 
agglutinates  into  small  resinous  lumps,  which  afterwards  dis- 
solve slowly  in  the  acid.  If  the  veratria  is  pure  the  solution  is 
colorless. 
6.  If  the  veratria  is  treated  with  concentrated  sulphuric  acid, 
it  also  agglutinates  at  first  into  small  resinous  lumps  ;  but  these 
dissolve  with  great  readiness  to  a  faint  yellow  fluid,  the  color  of 
which  gradually  increases  in  depth  and  intensity,  and  changes 
afterwards  to  a  reddish-yellow,  then  to  an  intense  blood-red. 
The  color  persists  two  or  three  hours,  then  disappears  gradually. 
Addition  of  sulphuric  acid,  containing  nitric  acid,  or  of  binoxide 
of  manganese,  causes  no  great  change  in  color.  If  the  fluid  is 
then  diluted  with  water,  and  ammonia  added  until  the  reaction 
is  nearly  neutral,  a  yellowish  solution  is  obtained,  in  which  am- 
monia added  in  excess  produces  a  greenish  light-brown  precipi- 
tate, (J.  Erdmann.) 
7.  Sulphocyanide  of  'potassium  produces  only  in  concentrated 
solutions  of  salts  of  veratria  flocculent-gelatinous  precipitates. 
8.  Addition  of  chlorine-water  to  the  solution  of  a  salt  of 
veratria  imparts  to  the  fluid  a  yellowish  tint,  which,  upon  addi- 
tion of  ammonia,  changes  to  a  faint  brownish  color.  In  concen- 
trated solutions  chlorine  produces  a  white  precipitate. 
9.  Cold  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid  dissolves  veratria  to  a 
colorless  solution,  which,  on  prolonged  boiling,  assumes  a  red 
color  that  finally  becomes  very  intense  and  resembles  that  of 
permanganate  of  potassa.  The  colored  liquid  remains  unaltered 
for  a  long  time.    This  reaction  is  very  sensitive.  Trapp.* 
Recapitulation  and  remarks. 
The  alkaloids  of  the  third  group  also  are  precipitated  by 
many  other  reagents  besides  those  above  mentioned,  as,  for  in- 
stance, by  tincture  of  galls,  bichloride  of  platinum,  solution  of 
iodine  in  iodide  of  potassium,  phosphomolybdic  acid,  &c.  But 
*  Polytechnisches  Notizblatt,  1863,  96. 
