234 
ALKALOIDS  OF  THE  GENUS  ACONITUM. 
after  the  addition  of  nitric  acid ;  it  has  an  alkaline  reaction,  and 
a  burning,  not  bitter,  taste.  True  aconitia,  however,  dissolves 
in  2  p.  ether,  in  2*6  p.  chloroform,  and  in  4*2  p.  alcohol,  without 
separating  in  distinct  crystals ;  it  is  colored  yellowish  by  cold 
sulphuric  acid,  has  an  alkaline  reaction,  and  a  bitter,  scarcely 
somewhat  acrid  taste. 
The  author  confirms  the  statements  of  Hiibschmann,  and  adds 
that  pseudaconitia  loses  nothing  in  weight  at  100°  C;  the  crys- 
tals from  hot  alcohol  constitute  thick  prisms,  which  are  not 
colored  by  hot  concentrated  phosphoric  acid.  True  aconitia 
sustains  no  loss  at  100°  C,  fuses  between  110  and  120°  without 
decomposition,  and  produces  a  violet  color,  which  lasts  for  sev- 
eral days,  with  hot,  concentrated  phosphoric  acid. 
Dr.  F.  obtained  some  aconitia  from  T.  Morson  &  Son,  also  of 
Hopkins  &  Williams,  in  London.  The  former  possessed  a  purely 
bitter,  not  in  the  least  acrid  taste,  and  gave  the  phosphoric  acid 
reaction  both  before  and  after  fusion.  The  aqueous  solution  of 
the  latter  was  bitter  and  distinctly  acrid,  but  the  reaction  with 
phosphoric  acid  was  more  of  a  brownish  color. 
The  author  also  obtained  from  Mr.  Thomas  B.  Groves,  of 
Weymouth,  aconitia,  purchased  of  Morson  &  Son  in  1860  and 
in  1856 ;  also  samples  made  by  Groves,  marked  respectively 
amorphous  aconitia  from  Ac.  napellus,  crystalline  aconitia  from 
the  nitrate,  and  nitrate  of  aconitia.  The  first  sample  gave  a 
purely  violet  color  with  phosphoric  acid ;  2,  3,  and  4  were  col- 
ored brownish,  or  greyish  violet. 
It  must  be  concluded  from  this,  that  the  aconitia  used  in 
England  does  not  differ  to  any  great  extent  from  that  used  on 
the  continent. 
The  London  house  of  Roller  &  Widemann  met,  in  1868,  with 
a  very  cheap  aconitia,  which  was  examined  by  Merck  (Ph.  Journ. 
and  Transact,  x.  248),  who  found  it  soluble  with  difiQculty  in 
ether  and  alcohol ;  it  crystallized  readily  from  the  latter,  and 
was  not  altered  by  boiling  water.  These  are  properties  of 
pseudaconitia. 
The  author  ascertained  that  aconitia  is  made  in  England  of 
the  East  Indian  tubers,  as  well  as  of  those  from  Switzerland. 
