ALKALOIDS  OF  THE  GENUS  ACONITUM. 
An  extract  which  he  prepared  from  bikh-tubers  had  the  physio- 
logical effects  of  aconitia. 
HUbschmann  discovered  in  Aconitum  Lycoctonum  two  alka- 
loids— Ijcoctonina  and  acolyctina — which  latter  he  found  proba- 
bly identical  with  his  napellina,  which  is  uncrystallizable,  insolu- 
ble in  ether,  and  not  precipitated  by  ammonia  from  its  saline 
solutions.  Lycoctonina,  obtained  from  its  discoverer,  was  found 
by  Dr.  F.  to  be  in  white  light  prisms  and  needles,  of  alkaline 
reaction,  fusible  and  congealing  to  an  amorphous  vitreous  mass, 
which,  moistened  with  water,  at  once  forms  little  bunches  of 
crystals ;  fusion  and  recrystallization  occur  without  change  of 
weight.  It  is  readily  soluble  in  chloroform,  sulphide  of  carbon, 
ether,  alcohol,  oil  of  turpentine,  amylic  alcohol,  sweet  oil  of 
almonds,  and  petroleum  ether,  but  requires  about  800  p.  of 
water  for  solution ;  no  color  reactions  could  be  obtained  with 
sulphuric,  nitric,  chromic,  or  concentrated  phosphoric  acids. 
The  author  sums  up  his  results  as  follows : 
1.  Aconitia  is  contained  in  the  tubers  of  the  blue  flowering 
European  species  of  aconitum,  particularly  A.  napellus. 
2.  Also  in  similar  species  of  the  himalaya  mountains,  partly 
called  bikh ;  among  them  is  also  Ac,  napellus  (likewise  Ae. 
Lycoctonum.) 
3.  Aconitia  is  wanting,  according  to  HUbschmann,  in  Ac.  Ly- 
coctonum^ which  has  yellow  flowers. 
4.  Aconitia  has  the  following  properties  :  It  becomes  soft  in 
boiling  water,  and  imparts  a  violet  color,  lasting  in  the  cold  for 
several  days,  to  phosphoric  acid,  which  has  been  evaporated  as 
far  as  possible  in  the  water-bath,  and  has  a  temperature  of  80 
to  100°  G.  The  aqueous  solution  has  a  bitter  taste  free  of  acri- 
mony, is  not  precipitated  by  bichloride  of  platinum,  but  yields, 
with  iodohydrargyrate  of  potassium,  an  uncrystallizable  precipi- 
tate. It  is  very  readily  soluble  in  ether,  chloroform  and  alcohol 
(five  parts  75  per  cent,  alcohol  at  15°  C.  dissolve  one  part.)  It 
is  anhydrous  and  fuses  near  120°  C.  It  forms  a  monochlor- 
hydrate  ;  the  nitrate  crystallizes  well ;  the  free  base  may  be  in 
indistinct  microscopic  crystals. 
5.  All  aconitia  from  England,  examined  by  the  author,  agreed 
