86 
Chemical  Notes, 
(  Am  Jour.  Pharra. 
1       Feb.,  i85o: 
ble  in  water  and  weak  alcohol,  insoluble  in  absolute  alcohol.  The- 
neutral   potassium  salt  is  a  yellowish-white,  loose,  amorphous  mass 
the  acid  potassium  salt,  C^^Hg2NOjgK,  forms  small  crystalline  grains  of 
an  intensely  sweet  taste,  and  behaves  with  reagents  like  the  acid  ammo- 
nium salt.    The  lead  salt  is  an  amorphous  precipitate.    The  free  acid 
prepared  from  the  lead  salt  is  amorphous,  decomposes  already  at  loo^ 
and  reduces  Fehling's  solution  rapidly. — Jnn.  Ch.  und  Phar.^   ^97 y 
p.  105. 
Contributions  to  the  Knowledge  of  ^inamin. — -Oudemans  has  studied 
this  alkaloid  discovered  by  Hesse  in  the  Cinchona  succiruhra.  Hesse- 
had  given  the  composition  at  first  as  C20H26N2O0,  but  later  changed: 
this  to  CjgH2^N202.  Oudemans'  analysis  of  the  free  base  appeared  to 
substantiate  the  first  formula,  but  the  iodine  determinations  in  the  well- 
crvstallized  iodhydrate  corresponded  better  w^ith  the  second  formula,  so 
the  matter  is  left  uncertain.  The  following  reactions  appear  to  be 
characteristic  of  quinamin: 
If  a  drop  of  the  solution  of  a  quinamin  salt  be  carefully  added  tc^ 
concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  which  contains  a  small  amount  of  nitric 
acid,  there  is  produced  a  chestnut-brown  color  at  the  point  of  contact 
if  the  solution  be  concentrated,  orange  colored  in  case  the  solution  be 
more  dilute,  and,  on  continued  dilution  with  water,  at  first  a  purple- 
color  and  then  a  faint  rose-red  color. 
If  one  writes  upon  paper  with  a  not  too  concentrated  solution  of 
quinamin,  in  a  slight  excess  of  sulphuric  acid,  and  lays  the  paper  with 
the  written  side  down  upon  a  watch  crystal,  in  which  have  been  placed' 
a  little  sulphuric  acid  and  a  few  crystals  of  potassium  chlorate,  the- 
writing  becomes  brownish  or  olive  colored.  On  taking  the  paper  away 
ihe  written  characters  gradually  become  rose  colored. — Ber.  der  Chern.. 
Ges.^  xii,  p.  2101. 
On  Pilocarpina. — Alex.  Poehl  delivered  an  address  upon  this  alkaloid/ 
at  the  Baden-Baden  Meeting  of  the  German  Scientific  Association. 
The  pilocarpine  remains  unaltered,  even  after  two  days'  heating  witb 
hydrochloric  acid  or  with  baryta  water.  On  the  contrary,  the  distillate 
gotten  by  heating  the  alkaloid  with  caustic  soda  solution  contains  a 
body  probably  identical  with  coniae.  The  paper  contains,  besides,., 
notices  on  the  detection  of  pilocarpine  when  mixed  with  ^her  poisons, 
on  the  color  reaction  with  potassium  bichromate  and  sulphuric  acid, 
and  the  spectrum  thus  obtained,  and  finally  on  the  method  of  its  quanr- 
