58o 
Benzoyl-Pseadotropeine. 
A.m  Jour.  Pharm. 
Nov.,  L88& 
only  half  as  poisonous  as  cocaine  ;  local  anaesthesia  was  produced 
more  rapidly  than  by  cocaine,  and  apparently  by  less  concentrated 
solutions.  Dr.  Chadbourne  proposes  to  substitute  for  the  name 
benzoyl-pseudotropeine  that  of  "  tropacocaine  "  as  being  more  suited 
for  medical  use,  and  suggestive  of  the  chemical  relations  of  this  base 
to  atropine  and  cocaine.  That  name,  however,  would  be  chemically 
inappropriate  because  the  base  is  not  an  analogue  of  cocaine,  but  is 
really  one  of  the  class  named  by  Ladenburg  <•  tropeines." 
In  the  last  number  of  the  Anna/en,  Dr.  O.  Hesse  has  given  a 
statement  of  the  results  obtained  by  him  in  the  examination  of 
benzoyl-pseudotropeine  and  the  products  of  its  decomposition.  The 
base  has  the  form  of  colorless  plates  of  fatty  lustre ;  it  melts  at  480 
(Liebermann  gives  490  C),  but  in  other  respects  the  observations  of 
Hesse  agree  with  those  of  Liebermann.  The  composition  of  the 
base  is  represented  by  the  formula  C15H19M02. 
The  hydrochloride,  C15H19N02,HC1,  is  very  soluble  in  water. 
When  crystallized  from  alcohol  it  has  the  form  of  large  rhombic 
crystals,  and  when  precipitated  from  alcoholic  solution  by  ether 
the  form  of  extended  laminse.  The  salt  melts  at  2690  C.  (Lieber- 
mann gives  27 1 0  C),  and  it  is  scarcely  soluble  in  ether.  Its  water 
solution  is  optically  inactive. 
The  platinum  jtf//(CigH19"N02)2,  PtCl6H2,  obtained  by  precipitation, 
forms  small  pale  yellow  needles  sparingly  soluble  in  water.  Lieber- 
mann described  the  salt  as  amorphous. 
On  treating  a  solution  of  benzoyl  pseudotropeine  in  methylic 
alcohol  with  methyl  iodide,  colorless  crystals  soon  separate,  which 
consist  of  henzoyUpseudotropeine-methyl  iodide,  C15H19N02,CH3I, 
which  is  tolerably  soluble  in  hot  methylic  or  ethylic  alcohol.  The 
corresponding  chloride,  C15H19N02,CH3C1,  obtained  by  treatment 
with  freshly  precipitated  silver  chloride,  crystallizes  on  evaporating 
the  solution  in  stout  prisms  or  needles.  The  platinum  salt 
(C15Hl9N02CH3)2,PtCl6  -f  2H20,  has  the  form  of  orange-colored 
needles,  sparingly  soluble  in  cold  water.  The  gold  salt, 
(C15H19N02CH3)2,  AuCl4,  has  the  form  of  a  yellow  crystalline  pre- 
cipitate, sparingly  soluble  in  cold  water.  When  a  water  solution  of 
the  iodide  is  shaken  with  freshly  precipitated  silver  oxide  a  strongly 
basic  solution  of  the  benzoyl-pseudotropeine  hydroxide  is  obtained, 
and  on  evaporating  this  solution  in  the  exsiccator  an  almost  color- 
less residue  is  obtained,  which  is  readily  soluble  in  water. 
