644  Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  { Am,j£°  j892?rm' 
crystalline  form  and  the  amount  of  platinum  of  the  platinum  salt.  He  gave 
C17H21N02  as  the  formula  of  this  base. 
I  have  already  been  able  to  show  that  atropamine  is  readil}'  convertible  by 
the  action  of  baryta  water,  as  well  as  hydrochloric  acid  into  belladonnine  ;  and 
that  the  base,  so  obtained,  possesses  characters  which  correspond  well  with 
Merling's  description  of  belladonnine.  I  may  here  add  that  by  repeatedly 
evaporating  a  solution  of  atropamine  hydrochloride,  at  about  8o°,  the  atropa- 
mine salt  may  be  quantitatively  converted,  slightly  acidulated  with  hydro- 
chloric acid,  into  hydrochloride  of  belladonnine.  When,  likewise,  a  solution 
of  atropamine  hydro  chloride  in  moderately  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid,  is 
warmed,  the  splitting  up  of  the  atropamine  is  preceded  by  its  conversion  into 
belladonnine,  which  may  be  separated,  as  hydrochloride,  by  precipitation  by 
sodium  chloride.  In  both  instances  there  is  obtained  belladonnine  hydro- 
chloride, which  is  amorphous,  and  may  be  distinguished  from  the  original 
atropamine  hydrochloride  by  its  behavior  with  platinum  or  gold  chlorides. 
(8)  Apoatropine. — This  base  was  obtained  by  Pesci, 1  by  the  action  of 
nitric  acid  upon  atropine  ;  and  also  by  Iyadeuburg, 2  by  repeatedly  evaporating 
a  solution  of  tropine  atropate,  mixed  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid.  Laden- 
burg  named  the  base  atrop3'l-tropeine.  Merck  obtained  apoatropine  as  a  sec- 
ondary product  in  the  preparation  of  atropine  ;  it  was  therefore  probably  pro- 
daced  by  the  action  of  an  acid  upon  the  atropine.  According  to  Pesci,  it  is 
rapidty  converted  into  atropic  acid  and  tropine  when  boiled  with  baryta  water, 
and  in  this  respect  it  differs  from  belladonnine,  as  well  as  from  atropamine. 
Otherwise  it  possesses,  according  to  Merck,  apparently,  the  same  characters  as 
atropamine,  though  with  the  following  differences  : 
Apoatropine. 
Free  base,  Needles,  melts  at  6o°  to  620 
Hydrochloride,  Laminae,   "     2370  to  2390 
Platinum  salt,  Scales,   .  "     2120  to  2140 
Gold  salt,  Long  needles,   "  iio°toiii° 
Atropamine 
Free  base  Amorphous,   melts  below  6oc 
Hydrochloride,   .  Laminae,   "   at  2360 
Platinum  salt,  Scales  and  needles   "at  2030  to  2040 
Gold  salt,  Brilliant  laminae,   "   at  1120 
As  a  further  distinction  between  apoatropine  and  atropamine,  it  ma}T  be  men- 
tioned that  apoatropine  is  produced  by  the  action  of  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  ; 
while  atropamine  is,  in  that  way,  destroyed  and  converted  into  beHadonnine, 
Hence  it  is  evident  that,  notwithstanding  Merck's  assertion,  atropamine  can- 
not be  identical  with  apoatropine. 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
Philadelphia,  November  15,  1892. 
The  meeting  was  called  to  order  ;  E.  M.  Boring,  Ph.  G.,  was  elected  Chair- 
man, and  the  reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  October  meeting  was  dispensed 
with. 
1  Berichte,  xv,  p.  530,  and  Gazetta  Chim.,  xi,  p.  53S ;  xii,  p.  60. 
-  Annalen,  cxvii,  p.  102. 
