ON  CICUTA  MACULATA. 
293 
quantity  of  caustic  potassa  was  then  added  to  the  solution,  and 
the  mixture  distilled ;  the  distillate  had  the  strong  mouse-like 
odor  peculiar  to  conia,  and  was  slightly  ammoniacal.  It  produced 
a  white  precipitate  with  an  infusion  of  galls,  (tannate  of  conia,) 
and  a  white  one  with  a  few  drops  of  a  weak  tincture  of  iodine- 
Part  of  the  distillate  was  saturated  with  sulphuric  acid  and  eva- 
porated to  dryness.  The  crystalline  mass  was  treated  with 
alcohol  of  97  per  cent.,  which  left  a  residue  of  sulphate  of 
ammonia.  The  alcoholic  solution  by  evaporation  afforded  a  crys- 
talline product,  which  gave  off  a  very  powerful  odor  of  conia 
when  a  few  drops  of  solution  of  potassa  was  added  to  a  portion 
of  it.  If  too  great  an  excess  of  potassa  is  used  in  the  process, 
it  probably  decomposes  a  considerable  part  of  the  conia,  as  it  is 
well  known  that  this  alkaloid,  under  such  circumstances,  is 
changed.  This  accounts  for  the  presence  of  the  ammoniacal 
salt,  which  could  not  have  come  from  the  seeds,  as  sulphate  of 
ammonia  is  insoluble  in  the  ethereo-alcoholic  menstruum  used  in 
the  preliminary  steps  of  the  process. 
The  seeds  contain  a  large  portion  of  dark  brown  coloring 
matter,  which  is  dissolved  out  by  alcohol  and  water ;  and  also 
contain  chlorophylle  as  their  color  would  infer,  the  presence  of 
which  is  evinced  by  the  ethereal  tincture  having  a  dark  green 
color. 
Two  ounces  of  the  bruised  seeds  were  boiled  with  milk  of  lime 
and  filtered,  the  lime  salt  thus  formed  with  the  acid  was  carefully 
decomposed  by  sulphuric  acid,  and  the  solution  filtered.  This  was 
evaporated  to  dryness,  and  treated  with  warm  water,  to  which 
some  ani-nal  charcoal  was  added,  and  boiled,  the  charcoal  was 
filtered  out,  and  the  solution  again  evaporated  to  dryness,  and 
then  treated  with  alcohol  as  long  as  that  liquid  gave  an  acid  re- 
action to  litmus.  This  was  also  evaporated  to  dryness,  and  dis- 
solved in  water,  which  solution,  on  being  evaporated  in  a  capsule, 
deposited  the  acid  in  a  crystalline  form,  which  I  presume  is  ihs 
substance  found  by  Peschier  in  Conium  maculatum,  and  designated 
by  him  as  coniic  acid.  It  is  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether  and  water, 
and  is  carbonized  and  destroyed  by  heat,  The  solution  of  sub- 
acetate  of  lead  is  precipitated;  this  aeid  and  the  lead  salt  when 
dissolved  by  nitric  acid,  is  not  precipitated  by  chloride  of  barium. 
From  the  foregoing  experiments  the  seeds  of  Cicuta  maculata 
