164  Alkaloid  from  Chrysanthemum  Flowers.  {^M^rch.X"11' 
down  to  30  litres,  treated  with  neutral  lead  acetate  and  basic  acetate 
of  lead,  neutralized  with  soda,  filtered,  and  the  excess  of  lead 
removed  by  passing  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  After  filtration,  the 
liquid  is  concentrated  to  about  2  litres,  boiled  for  some  time  with 
dilute  sulphuric  acid,  filtered,  and  again  boiled  until  no  more  resin- 
ous matters  are  formed.  The  liquid  is  then  decolorized  with  ani- 
mal black  'and  an  excess  of  the  double  iodide  of  potassium  and 
bismuth  added,  when  a  heavy,  bright  red,  crystalline  powder  con- 
taining the  whole  of  the  alkaloid  is  deposited. 
The  pure  alkaloid  chrysanthemine,  C14H28N203,  is  a  colorless  syrup 
which,  when  kept  in  a  vacuum,  partially  crystallizes  in  tufts  of  silky 
needles,  and  may  be  heated  without  decomposition  to  ioo°,but  not 
beyond  that  temperature.  It  dissolves  in  water  forming  alkaline 
solutions  which  absorb  carbonic  anhydride  from  the  air;  it  is  also 
soluble  in  ethyl  and  methyl  alcohols,  but  not  in  ether,  chloroform, 
or  benzene.  Salts  of  chrysanthemine  yield,  with  the  double  iodide 
of  potassium  and  bismuth,  orange-red,  flocculent  precipitates  which 
become  crystalline  and  bright  red  on  agitation  ;  with  the  double 
iodide  of  mercury  and  potassium,  a  yellowish-white  precipitate  ; 
with  the  iodide  of  platinum  and  sodium,  a  brown  precipitate;  with 
auric  trichloride,  a  yellow,  crystalline  precipitate  which  dissolves  on 
heating  and  is  re-deposited  on  cooling  ;  no  precipitate  is  formed 
with  platinic  chloride,  picric  acid,  tannin,  or  mercuric  chloride.  The 
base  is  optically  inactive  and  physiologically  innocuous.  Its  salts  are 
for  the  most  part  soluble  in  water  and  even  deliquescent ;  the 
aurochloride  and  the  double  iodide  of  bismuth  and  chrysanthemine 
are  insoluble.  It  is  a  bi-acid  base,  but  in  dilute  solutions  it  behaves 
towards  acids  as  if  it  were  mon-acid.  Both  the  hydrochlorides  crys- 
tallize in  small,  colorless,  deliquescent  needles,  very  readily  soluble 
in  water  and  alcohol,  but  only  moderately  in  hot  water.  The 
aurochloride  and  platino chloride  are  very  soluble  in  water. 
On  heating  chrysanthemine  with  an  excess  of  methyl  iodide  for 
two  days  at  ioo°,  two  methyl  groups  are  taken  up,  and  it  is  partly 
converted  into  a  new  base  in  which  both  nitrogen  atoms  are  com- 
bined with  hydrogen.  The  two  bases  can  be  separated  by  taking 
advantage  of  the  great  difference  in  the  solubility  of  their  platino- 
chlorides  in  water.  The  platinochloride  of  the  new  base,  C16H32N2 
03,H2PtCl6,  crystallizes  in  small,  orange-colored  needles,  dissolves 
very  sparingly  in  water,  but  moderately  in  hot  water  slightly  acidi- 
