46  Mydriatic  Alkaloid  in  Lettuce.  {AmiSS^^arm' 
The  author  has  no  doubt  that  a  series  of  pseudotropeines,  corre- 
sponding to  the  tropeines,  can  be  prepared  from  pseudotropine.  He 
has  prepared  the  following  : 
Cinnamylpseudotropeine,  C6HuNO(C9H70  >,  is  obtained  from 
pseudotropine  and  cinnamic  anhydride,  melts  at  87-880,  and  is 
very  easily  soluble  in  cold  alcohol,  ether,  and  benzene,  somewhat 
less  so  in  light  petroleum.  The  hydrochloride  is  obtained  as  a 
white,  crystalline  precipitate  on  passing  hydrogen  chloride  into  an 
ethereal  solution  of  the  base,  and  is  easily  soluble  in  alcohol  and 
water.  The  picrate,  platinochloride,  and  aurochloride  are  similar  to 
those  of  benzoylpseudotropeine. 
THE  EXISTENCE  OF  A  MYDRIATIC  ALKALOID  IN 
LETTUCE.1 
By  T.  S.  Dyhond. 
From  the  Research  Laboratory  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain. 
The  attention  of  the  author  was  drawn  a  few  months  ago  to  the 
mydriatic  action  of  an  extract  prepared  at  Hitchin  from  common 
lettuce,  Lactiica  sativa,  when  in  flower.  On  examination,  the 
mydriatic  action  was  found  to  be  due  to  an  alkaloid.  The  extract 
closely  resembled  belladonna  extract  in  appearance,  smell  and  taste; 
but  a  dose  of  5  grains  had  been  without  injurious  effects.  Three 
other  commercial  extracts  of  lettuce  were  examined,  viz  :  an  extract 
of  wild  lettuce,  Lacluca  virosa,  prepared  according  to  the  directions 
of  the  British  Pharmacopoeia,  the  history  of  which  was  unknown, 
and  extracts  of  both  the  wild  and  the  cultivated  lettuce,  prepared 
at  Market  Deeping,  in  Lincolnshire.  An  extract  of  that  variety  of 
the  cultivated  plant  known  as  Cos  lettuce  was  also  examined. 
They  all  contained  an  alkaloid  which  had  a  very  marked  power  of 
dilating  the  pupil  of  the  eye.  Finally,  a  dried  specimen  of  wild 
lettuce,  collected  when  in  flower,  was  examined.  It  contained  a 
mydriatic  alkaloid. 
The  impure  alkaloid  obtained  from  the  extract  was  a  light  brown 
syrup,  which  possessed  powerful  mydriatic  properties.  In  order  to 
purify  it,  it  was  converted  into  the  oxalate.    The  alkaloid  recovered 
1  The  substance  of  a  communication  made  to  the  Chemical  Society  on 
December  3d  ;  reprinted  from  Pharm.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  Dec.  5,  1891,  p.  449. 
