}      Alkaloids  of  Pomegranate  Bark.  4 1 7 
by  mixing  the  powdered  bark  with  a  milk  of  lime,  exhausting  with 
water,  shaking  the  resulting  liquor  with  chloroform  and  neutralizing 
the  latter  with  dilute  acid.  A  solution  of  the  mixed  alkaloids  is  thus 
obtained  in  which  one  or  other  of  them  predominates,  according  to 
the  source  of  the  bark.  Two  of  the  four  alkaloids  are  displaced  from 
their  salts  by  bicarbonate  of  soda  and  two  are  not.  This  solution  is 
therefore  treated  with  an  excess  of  bicarbonate  of/  soda  and  shaken 
with  chloroform,  and  this  in  its  turn  is  agitated  with  dilute  sulphuric 
acid.  The  resulting  solution  contains  the  sulphates  of  two  alkaloids, 
to  which  the  names  of  methylpelletierine  "  and  " pseudopelletierine" 
have  been  given.  Caustic  potash  is  then  added  to  the  first  liquor,  and 
upon  repeating  the  treatment  with  chloroform  and  acid  there  is  obtained 
a  solution  of  the. sulphates  of  "  pelletierine  "  and  "  isopelletierine." 
Methylpelletierine . — In  isolating  this  alkaloid  the  author  has  adopted 
a  method  of  fractional  saturations.  The  mixture  of  sulphates  obtained 
by  treatment  with  bicarbonate  of  soda  is  partially  decomposed  by  an 
alkali,  then  shaken  with  chloroform,  and  this  afterwards  with  an  acid. 
The  methylpelletierine  is  concentrated  in  the  first  portion  set  free,  and 
after  this  treatment  has  been  sufficiently  repeated  a  point  is  reached  at 
which  the  rotary  (dextro)  power  of  the  product  is  no  longer  augmented, 
and  the  salt  so  produced  the  author  considers  to  be  pure.  To  obtain 
free  methylpelletierine  a  concentrated  solution  of  one  of  its  salts  is 
decomposed  by  an  alkali,  and  the  alkaloid  liberated  is  dehydrated  over 
fragments  of  potash  and  distilled  in  a  current  of  hydrogen. 
This  alkaloid  is  liquid.  Analysis  of  its  hydrochlorate,  which  has  a 
rotatory  power  of  «^  =  4~  22°,  gave  results  corresponding  with  the  for- 
mula CjgHg^NgOg.  It  dissolves  in  twenty-five  times  its  weight  of 
water  at  I2°C.,  is  very  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether  and  chloroform,  and 
boils  at  2i5°C. 
The  salts  of  methylpelletierine  are  extremely  hygrometric. 
Pseudopelletierine  is  a  crystalline  alkaloid,  and  is  obtained  by  concen- 
trating the  liquid  from  which  the  methylpelletierine  has  been  removed, 
treating  it  with  caustic  potash  and  shaking  with  ether.  Upon  evapo- 
ration of  the  solvent  crystals  are  left,  which  can  be  obtained  quite  pure 
by  repeated  recrystallization.  The  composition  of  this  alkaloid  is 
represented  by  the  formula  CiyH3yN202. 
Pelletierine, — The  solution  of  sulphates  obtained  by  the  action  of 
caustic  alkali  is  evaporated  over  sulphuric  acid,  and  when  the  residual 
mass  is  dry  it  is  exposed  to  the  air  upon  folds  of  blotting  paper.  It 
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