348  Assay  of  Nux  Vomica.  {^j^'SSl""' 
abstracts  all  of  the  "  added  "  alkaloids  from  the  magma,  a  question 
may  arise  as  to  whether  natural  alkaloidal  compounds  are  also 
totally  disintegrated.  Artificial  solutions  of  alkaloids  and  of  alka- 
loidal  salts  may  behave  quite  differently  from  those  of  natural  com- 
bination, and,  if  the  ferric  magma  does  not  completely  decompose 
the  natural  alkaloidal  compound  it  is  probable  that  the  chloroform 
will  fail  to  abstract  the  alkaloid  from  the  amount  unaffected. 
With  a  view  to  satisfy  those  to  whom  such  a  question  may  occur, 
as  it  did  long  since  to  the  writer,  the  following  experiments  are 
introduced. 
■A  young  lady  operator  made  an  abstraction  of  the  iron  magma, 
without  unusual  precautions,  of  5  cc.  each  of  thirteen  fluid  extracts. 
The  ferric  magma  from  each  was  separately  exposed  to  a  tempera- 
ture of  1400  F.,  with  occasional  stirring,  until  all  the  adhering 
chloroform  had  evaporated.  It  was  not  bitter.  Then  it  was 
digested  with  excess  of  diluted  sulphuric  acid  and  filtered.  The 
clear  filtrate  was  not  bitter  in  any  instance.1  This  sense  of  taste 
with  these  intensely  bitter  alkaloids  some  will  consider  the  most 
conclusive  evidence  of  the  absolute  abstraction  of  the  strychnine 
and  brucine.  However,  each  filtrate  was  subsequently  tested  for 
alkaloid  with  Mayer's  reagent,  but  without  reaction.  In  order  to 
find  if  it  were  possible  for  the  sulphates  of  iron  and  sodium  present 
to  obscure  the  action  with  Mayer's  test  solution,  minute  amounts 
of  solution  of  strychnine  and  brucine  (one  minim  of  a  solution  of 
0010  gm.  each,  in  5  cc.)  were  added  to  the  acid  solution  in  a  test 
tube,  when  the  characteristic  cloudiness  instantly  appeared.  The 
iron  and  soda  magma  had  thoroughly  dissociated  the  natural  alka- 
loidal compound  and  the  abstraction  of  the  alkaloid  therefrom  was 
so  complete  that  neither  the  sense  of  taste  nor  Mayer's  test  were 
able  to  detect  traces  of  alkaloid  in  either  the  magma  or  a  solution 
of  it.2 
(8)  Commercial  Fluid  Extracts  of  Nux  Vomica  Thirteen  speci- 
mens of  fluid  extract  of  nux  vomica  were  procured  in  the  drug 
1  One  part  of  strychnine  in  500,000  parts  of  solution  is  bitter.  (U.  S.  D.) 
Brucine  is  more  bitter  than  strychnine.  (Lyons.) 
2  The  use  of  this  iron  magma  is  the  principal  innovation  known  as  my 
method  of  assay.  It  is  but  one  step  in  alkaloidal  determinations,  however,  the 
subsequent  manipulations  having  long  been  well  established. 
