734  News  Items  and  Personal  Notes       j  Am5crri92iharin* 
tract  of  the  leaves  of  Mitragyne  speciosa  (N.  O.  Rubiacece)  when 
dissolved  in  glacial  acetic  acid,  freed  from  chlorophyll  and  resin  by 
addition  of  water,  and  made  alkaline  with  ammonia,  yields  an  amor- 
phous precipitate,  which  when  dissolved  in  20%  acetic  acid  and 
treated  with  a  hot  aqueous  solution  of  picric  acid  yields  a  crude  pic- 
rate,  C22H3105N.C6H307N8,  orange-red  needles  from  methyl 
alcohol,  m.p.  223 0 — 2240  C,  representing  0.3%  of  the  initial  weight 
of  the  leaves.  The  free  alkaloid  is  obtained  by  dissolving  the  pic- 
rate  in  boiling  glacial  acetic  acid  and  pouring  into  dilute  ammonia, 
filtering  while  hot.  The  new  alkaloid,  for  whch  the  name  mitra- 
gynine  is  suggested,  is  a  colorless  amorphous  solid,  m.  p.  102 0 — 1060 
C,  distilling  unchanged  at  2300 — 2400  (5  mm.)  ;  it  contains  three 
methoxy  groups,  but  no  N-methyl  groups,  and  is  probably 
Ci7H22N(OCH3)  (C02CH3)2.  Hydrolysis  with  sodium  ethoxide 
gives  a  dicarboxylic  acid,  m.p.  280°.  Both  this  acid  and  alkaloid 
give  the  indole  reaction  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  'vanillin.  The  ace- 
tate, mono-  and  trichloro-acetates,  and  the  hydrochloride  are  de- 
scribed. Similar  treatment  of  the  leaves  of  M.  diversifolia  gives 
an  alkaloid,  for  which  the  name  mitraversine  is  suggested,  having 
m-  P-  237°  C.  molecular  weight  328,  and  containing  2  methoxy 
groups.  The  hydrochloride  melts  at  2080 — 2100.  It  is  probably 
C22H2604N2. — P.  V.  M.,  through  Journ.  of  Soc.  of  Chem.  hid 
NEWS  ITEMS  AND  PERSONAL  NOTES 
Free  Public  Lecture  Course,  192 1- 1922,  Philadelphia  Col- 
lege of  Pharmacy  and  Science,  145  North  Tenth  Street. 
First  Lecture.  Thursday  evening,  October  6,  192 1.  "The  Chemistry 
of  Other  Worlds."  By  Prof.  Henry  Leffmann,  A.  M.,  M.  D., 
Lecturer  on  Research,  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  and 
Science;  Hon.  Prof.  Organic  Chemistry,  Wagner  Free  Institute 
of  Science,  etc. 
Modern  astronomy,  especially  by  the  aid  of  photography,  has 
enabled  us  to  obtain  much  information  about  the  physical  and  chem- 
ical nature  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  In  addition  to  the  members  of 
our  own  system — sun,  moon  and  planets — immense  numbers  of  fixed 
stars  exist,  which  with  comets,  nebulae  and  meteors,  have  furnished 
