GLEANINGS  FROM  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
397 
Rhoeagenine,  whose  salts  are  analogous  to  the  corresponding 
salts  of  papaverine,  may  accordingly  be  viewed  as  dioxypapave- 
rine,  and  cryptopine  as  oxylanthopine  : 
Papaverine,  C21H21NO4+O2  =  C2iH2iNOg  Rhoeagenine. 
Lanthopine,  C23H25N04  -1-0  =  C23H25NO5  Cryptopine. 
An  intermediate  alkaloid  between  papaverine  and  lanthopine 
has  as  yet  not  been  found  in  opium,  very  likely  because  in  the 
processes  of  vegetable  life  it  may  readily  be  transmuted  into 
narcotine — CgaHggNO^ ;  the  formula  of  such  an  alkaloid  ought 
to  be  C22H23NO4. 
Whether  meconidine  is  closely  related  to  the  papaverine  series 
or  to  papaverine  itself  is  not  evident,  neither  from  its  formula 
nor  from  its  deportment ;  it  contains  two  equiv.  H  more  than 
papaverine ;  perhaps  both  alkaloids  are  forms  of  successive 
transmutations  of  the  vital  processes  within  the  plant. 
It  may  here  opportunely  be  remembered  that  meconidine  is 
homologous  to  the  alkaloid  of  another  Papaveracea,  to  sanguina- 
rin — CigHj^NO^,  which  is  said  to  be  identical  with  chelery- 
thrine,  the  alkaloid  of  chelidonium  majus. 
Contributions  to  the  Knowledge  of  the  Aconitine  Alkaloids. — 
Fliickiger,  in  a  paper  on  the  alkaloids  of  the  aconite  tubers, 
arrived  at  the  following  conclusions  : 
1.  Aconitine  is  contained  in  the  European  aconites  with  blue 
flowers,  especially  in  Aconitum  Napellus^  L. ;  it  is  also  con- 
tained in  similar  species  of  the  Hirnalaya^  which  are  known  un- 
der the  name  of  Bikh,  and  among  which  is  also  Aconitum  Na- 
pellus.  Aconitum  Lycoctonum^  L.  (with  yellow  flowers),  accord- 
ing to  Hiibschmann's  researches,  is  void  of  aconitine. 
2.  Aconitine  has  the  following  properties  :  It  softens  in  boil- 
ing water,  and  colors  concentrated  hot  phosphoric  acid  purple, 
which  color  is  retained,  when  cool,  for  several  days.  The  watery 
solution  of  aconitine  tastes  bitter,  not  acrid ;  it  is  not  precipi- 
tated by  platinic  chloride  solution,  but  gives  a  voluminous  amor- 
phous precipitate  with  potassium  iodo-hydrargyrate.  Aconitine 
dissolves  readily  in  ether,  alcohol  and  chloroform ;  it  is  anhy- 
drous, melts  near  120°  C,  not  at  80°  C. ;  it  forms  a  monochlor- 
