Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
February,  1901.  J 
Chemistry  of  Ipecacuanha. 
63 
alcohol  mixed  with  lime  and,  after  evaporating  off  the  alcohol,  the 
dry  residue  was  extracted  with  ether.  The  base  was  then  further 
purified  until  almost  colorless  and  it  was  then  assumed  to  be  abso- 
lutely pure.    Analysis  corresponded  with  the  formula  C28H40N2O5. 
1 
Found. 
2 

3 
Calculated. 
6979 
69-47 
69-01 
69-42 
H  
8-i5 
8-i8 
8*14 
8-27 
5*15 
5-84 
5  49 
578 
O  
16-30 
16:51 
17*36 
16-53 
In  further  confirmation  of  that  formula,  an  analysis  of  the  nitrate 
showed  that  its  composition  was  represented  by  the  formula  C28H40- 
NA.2NO3H. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  chemical  character  of  the  substances 
subjected  to  analysis  for  the  purpose  of  the  investigations  already 
referred  to,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  commercial  emetine  was 
impure  and  sometimes  contaminated  with  a  considerable  amount  of 
resin  or  of  the  constituent  of  ipecacuanha  which  to  some  extent  re- 
sembles tannin. 
Podwyssotzki,1  who  pointed  out  that  fact,  proposed  to  remove  the 
impurity  by  means  of  ferric  chloride.  The  product  thus  obtained 
was  snow  white,  it  melted  at  62°-6$°  C,  had  a  strongly  alkaline 
reaction,  was  readily  soluble  in  ether  and  very  sparingly  soluble  in 
water.  By  the  slow  evaporation  of  an  ether  solution  of  the  base 
partial  crystallization  occurred,  but  none  of  the  salts  were  obtained 
in  a  crystalline  form.  The  base  was  sparingly  soluble  in  cold  petro- 
leum spirit  or  benzine,  but  easily  soluble  when  heated,  separating 
again,  on  cooling,  in  white  flocks. 
Some  years  after,  the  alkaloid  of  ipecacuanha  was  again  submitted 
to  investigation  by  Kunz,2  who  adopted  a  modified  form  of  the 
method  of  preparation  suggested  by  Podwyssotzki.  Kunz's  product 
was  amorphous  and  colorless,  but  it  rapidly  became  yellow  on  ex- 
posure. It  was  "  by  no  means  insoluble  in  caustic  alkalies,"  very 
sparingly  soluble  in  cold  water,  cold  petroleum  spirit  or  ether,  but 
1  Pharm.  Zeits.fur  Russland,  XIX,  1  ;  Pharm.  Journ.,  3,  X,  642. 
2  "  Beitrage  zur  Kenntniss  des  Emetine,"  Archiv  der  Pharm.,  XXV,  461. 
