Am.  Jour.  Pharrn. 
Jan.,  1892. 
Alkaloid  of  Java  Coca-leaves. 
45 
in  radiating  crystals.  It  melts  at  490,  reacts  strongly  alkaline  in 
alcoholic  solution,  is  easily  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform, 
benzene,  and  light  petroleum,  and  is  optically  inactive.  The  hydro- 
chloride, obtained  by  passing  hydrogen  chloride  into  an  ethereal 
solution  of  the  base,  crystallizes  in  white  needles,  and  melts  at  271  °. 
The  platinochloride  is  obtained  as  a  flesh-colored  precipitate,  and  is 
insoluble  in  water,  alcohol  and  ether.  The  aurochloride  crystallizes 
from  water  in  beautiful,  yellow  needles,  melts  at  2080,  and  is  spar- 
ingly soluble.  Mercuric  chloride  causes  a  crystalline  precipitate 
when  added  to  a  solution  of  the  hydrochloride.  Picric  acids  give  a 
sparingly  soluble  precipitate,  crystallizing  in  yellow  needles. 
When  the  above  base  or  its  salts  is  heated  with  hydrochloric  acid 
in  a  reflux  apparatus  for  some  hours,  it  is  completely  decomposed 
into  benzoic  acid  and  pseudotropine. 
Psetidotropine,  CsH15NO,  is  obtained  from  the  products  of  hydro- 
lysis of  the  above  base  after  the  benzoic  acid  has  been  extracted 
with  ether.  The  acid  solution  is  evaporated  to  dryness,  and  the 
hydrochloride  either  decomposed  with  silver  oxide  or  excess  of 
strong  sodium  hydroxide  is  added,  and  the  base  extracted  with 
ether.  It  has  a  strongly  alkaline  reaction,  crystallizes  in  beautiful 
needles,  melts  at  106-1070,  boils  at  240-241 0  (corr.),  and  is  easily 
soluble  in  water,  alcohol,  and  benzene,  and  is  precipitated  from  the 
latter  solvent  by  light  petroleum.  The  base  is,  no  doubt,  identical 
with  Ladenburg's  pseudotropine,  although  the  aurochloride  melts 
at  225 °,  whereas  Ladenburg's  melted  at  1980.  The  hydrochloride 
crystallizes  in  needles,  is  somewhat  hygroscopic,  and  easily  soluble 
in  alcohol.  The  aurochloride  crystallizes  from  wTater  in  beautiful, 
yellow  needles,  and  is  easily  soluble  in  alcohol  and  hot  water.  The 
platinochloride,  when  first  prepared,  is  so  soluble  that  it  is  necessary 
to  evaporate  the  solution  almost  to  dryness  before  crystallization 
takes  place ;  the  crystallized  salt  is,  however,  difficult  to  dissolve  in 
water,  and  is  precipitated  on  the  addition  of  alcohol.  Pseudotro- 
pine hydrochloride  yields,  with  mercuric  chloride,  a  white  precipi- 
tate ;  with  picric  acid,  an  easily  soluble  salt,  crystallizing  in  yellow 
needles. 
The  author  has  synthesized  benzoylpseudotropeine  by  heating 
pseudotropine  (3  grams)  with  water  (1-5  grams)  and  benzoic  anhy- 
dride (I  y±  mols.)  on  the  sand-bath  for  1^  hours  at  the  boiling 
point  of  the  mixture.  The  synthetical  base  is  entirely  similar  to 
the  natural  one. 
