I IO 
Chemistry  of  Ipecacuanha. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      March,  1901. 
Calculated  for 
KmHBr.  C15Ho2N02.HBr  or 
Commercial  CaoH^NaO^HBr. 
Crystalline.  Anhydrous.  Anhydrous. 
Emetine  66-90  75-25  75-38 
Hydrobromic  acid  22-01  24*75  24*62 
Water  11-09  —  — 
ioo-  IOO"  IOO' 
The  commercial  salt  appears  to  approximate  to  a  salt  having  the 
following  composition : 
Emetine  67*95 
HBr  22-19 
Water  9-86 
ioo- 
which  corresponds  with  the  formula  C15H22N02HBr.2H20  or  CgoH^- 
N2042HBr.4H20. 
Emetine  hydrobromide  becomes  anhydrous  at  100°  C,  and  the 
crystalline  salt  effloresces  on  exposure  to  air,  until  it'  has  the  compo- 
sition approximating  to  a  salt  with  the  above  composition,  when  it 
remains  constant.  It  is  a  permanent  salt,  undergoing  no  alteration 
in  color  after  being  kept  for  some  months.  It  is  readily  soluble  in 
water,  but  much  less  so  than  emetine  hydrochloride,  difficultly  solu- 
ble  in  absolute  alcohol  or  in  chloroform. 
Emetine  hydriodide  was  obtained  in  the  form  of  silky  needles  by 
slow  evaporation  of  its  alcoholic  solutions,  and  the  nitrate  in  crystal- 
line tufts  by  dissolving  the  nitrate  in  alcohol  and  adding  ether. 
The  mercury  salt  was  obtained  in  granular  crystals,  which  melt 
to  a  resin  in  hot  water  on  adding  mercuric  chloride  to  emetine  hy- 
drochloride. The  chromate,  picrate,  ferricyanide  and  the  gold  salt 
have  also  been  obtained.  The  sulphate,  acetate  and  oxalate  are 
very  soluble  in  water  or  alcohol,  and  apparently  uncrystallizable. 
CEPHAELINE. 
This  base,  when  precipitated  from  a  solution  of  its  salts  by  am- 
monia, is  colorless  ;  but,  like  emetine,  it  soon  acquires  a  yellow  color 
on  exposure  to  light.  It  is  very  much  less  soluble  in  ether  than  eme- 
tine and  is  very  sparingly  soluble  in  cold  petroleum  spirit,  but  with 
the  aid  of  heat  is  more  freely  dissolved,  and  on  cooling  the  solution 
is  again  deposited  in  a  flocculent  form.  On  evaporation  of  a  solution 
