a m.  Jour.  Pbarm. \  Adrenalin  C2Q 
November,  1901.  /  -  siarenauu. 
with  repeated  washing  with  cold  water  until  it  is  no  longer  alkaline. 
This  oily  substance  had  been  kept  over  several  months,  still  it 
showed  no  signs  of  crystallization  but  dried  up  to  a  transparent 
amber  colored  brittle  mass. 
I  have  tried  it  with  different  solvents  in  view  of  crystallizing  but 
thus  far  in  vain,  and  concluded  that  this  portion  of  the  benzoyl 
compounds  is  not  crystallizable. 
The  other  portion  of  the  benzoyl  compounds  is  crystalline,  but 
without  any  deflaed  form,  and  dissolves  very  easily  in  ether  and 
alcohol,  from  which  solution  again  the  similarly  formed  substance 
can  be  obtained  by  evaporation  of  either  alcohol  or  ether. 
Analyses  of  both  compounds  are  not  yet  finished  on  account  of 
lack  of  pure  substance,  but  I  hope  I  will  be  able  to  report  before 
long. 
Action  of  Potassium  Hydroxide  on  Adrenalin  :  To  caustic  potash, 
fused  in  a  silver  dish  at  as  low  temperature  as  possible,  adrenalin 
(about  one-quarter  in  weight)  is  carefully  added  when  the  mass  will 
swell  up,  emitting  noxious  odor  which  partly  has  the  smell  recalling 
homologous  pyridins.  As  soon  as  the  swelling  subsides  and  the 
mass  uniformly  fuses,  the  dish  is  removed  from  fire  and  cooled  and 
then  dissolved  in  water.  This  aqueous  solution  is  now  shaken  with 
ether  which  takes  up  a  substance  which  discharges  a  peculiar  pene- 
trating odor  of  indol  or  skatol,  but  substance  is  in  such  a  small 
quantity  that  prohibits  further  manipulations  for  chemical  proof,  I 
think  it  is  proper  to  attribute  this  production  of  skatol  or  indol 
smelling  substance  to  the  contamination  of  albuminous  matters 
which  is  practically  unavoidable  in  case  of  crude  adrenalin. 
The  portion  separated  from  ether  is  acidulated  with  hydrochloric 
acid  and  again  shaken  with  ether  which  leaves  beautiful  needle 
crystals  on  evaporation.  These  crystals  are  the  mixture  of  two 
substances  with  almost  similar  reaction  toward  ferric  chloride.  On 
determining  the  melting  point  of  the  crystals  respectively,  it  was 
found  that  one  melts  at  about  100°  C.  while  the  other  melts  at 
about  1900  C.  Both  are  easily  soluble  in  water  as  well  as  in  alcohol. 
Ferric  chloride  colors  the  solution  of  the  crystals  a  beautiful  emerald 
green  which  turns  red  by  careful  addition  of  sodium  carbonate  solu- 
tion. Silver  nitrate  and  Fehling's  solution  are  reduced  by  them  and 
lead  acetate  produces  a  voluminous  precipitate. 
I  could  not  obtain  enough  quantity  of  both  crystals,  so  as  they 
