2iO  Aconine  and  Conversion  into  Aconitine.  { AnQAprii', im?m 
rotatory  [«]D — 771°.  The  base  was  obtained  from  the  pure  hydro- 
chloride by  decomposition  with  a  solution  of  silver  sulphate,  and 
decomposition  of  the  aconine  sulphate,  with  exactly  sufficient  baryta 
water.  The  solution  on  evaporation  furnished  a  hygroscopic,  brittle 
gum,  which  refused  to  crystallize.  It  melts  at  1320  (corr.).  Aco- 
nine is  very  soluble  in  water,  and  the  aqueous  solution  is  alkaline. 
When  dry  it  is  insoluble  in  ether  and  almost  insoluble  in  chloroform. 
On  analysis  it  afforded  numbers  agreeing  with  the  formula 
C26H41NOn,  which  is  that  suggested  by  Dunstan  and  Ince  as  a 
result  of  their  study  of  pure  aconitine.  Aconine  is  a  powerful 
reducing  agent,  precipitating  the  metals  from  solutions  of  gold  and 
silver  salts.  It  also  reduces  Fehling's  solution.  By  the  reaction  of 
auric  chloride  with  a  solution  of  aconine  hydrochloride,  an  amor- 
phous aurochloride  is  obtained  which  is  considerably  more  soluble 
in  water  than  the  corresponding  aconitine  salt.  The  physiological 
action  of  pure  aconine  is  being  investigated.  Its  aqueous  solution 
is  slightly  bitter,  and  gives  rise  to  a  burning  sensation  in  the  mouth, 
but  does  not  produce  the  tingling  which  is  characteristic  of  aconi- 
tine. In  respect  of  its  action  on  polarized  light,  aconine  exhibits 
the  same  peculiarity  as  aconitine.  Its  salts  are  laevo-rotatory,  whilst 
a  solution  of  the  free  base  is  dextro-rotatory  [«]D  +  23°.  When 
heated  with  alkalies  aconine  slowly  resinifies. 
The  study  of  the  hydrolysis  of  aconitine  has  led  to  the  conclusion 
that  aconitine  is  monobenzoyl  aconine  (C26H40(C6H5CO)NO11).  In 
order  to  substantiate  this  inference  from  the  analytical  results  and 
prove  that  aconine  really  stands  in  this  simple  relation  to  aconitine, 
experiments  were  made  with  a  view  of  reversing  the  hydrolysis  and 
reconverting  aconine  into  aconitine.  The  action  of  benzoic  anhy- 
dride on  aconine  at  different  temperatures  led  to  no  result,  not  a 
trace  of  aconitine  or  anhydro-aconitine  being  formed.  Since  aconine 
is  a  comparatively  strong  base,  it  seemed  likely  that  it  might  be 
competent  to  decompose  ethyl  benzoate  with  formation  of  aconitine, 
or  anhydro-aconitine  if  the  temperature  of  reaction  were  high, 
according  to  the  equations  (1)  C26H41NOn-j-C6H5CO  OC2H5==C26H40 
(C6H5CO)NOn  +  C2H5OH.  (2)  C33H45N012  =  H20  +  C^HfNQ1]L. 
Aconine  was  dissolved  in  alcohol,  the  alcoholic  solution  mixed  with 
rather  more  than  the  calculated  quantity  of  the  alkyl  salt,  and  the 
mixture  heated  in  a  closed  tube  for  three  hours  at  1300.  After 
removal  of  the  unaltered   ethyl   benzoate,  etc.,  a   base  soluble 
