594 
Notes  on  Solanaceous  Bases. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharrn. 
Nov.,  1892. 
8o°  or  900,  would  likewise  be  represented  by  the  equation  C18H1805  = 
C18H1604  +  H20. 
In  regard  to  oscine,  which  is  the  basic  product  of  the  splitting  up  of  hyos- 
cine,  the  acid  solution  of  it  was  evaporated  in  a  shallow  capsule  at  a  gentle 
heat,  the  residue  dissolved  in  water,  mixed  with  caustic  soda,  and  shaken  out 
with  chloroform.  On  evaporating  the  chloroform  solution,  the  oscine  crystal- 
lized in  rhombohedrons  and  short  prisms.  It  was  slightly  hygroscopic  and 
melted  at  io40,5.  Ladenburg  found  the  melting  point  of  the  base  1060,  the 
boiling  point  2400  to  2420.  Merck  found  it  241°  to  2430.  However, 
oscine  vaporizes  when  long  heated  to  ioo°  in  contact  with  air.  Analysis  of  this 
base,  dried  for  a  long  time  at  6o°  in  the  exsiccator,  gave  results  showing  that 
its  composition  is  represented  by  the  formula  C8H13N02. 
Oscine  dissolves  readily  in  water,  forming  a  strongly  basic  solution.  It  is 
not  precipitated  from  its  salts  by  ammonia,  but  it  is  separated  by  caustic  soda 
as  an  oily  liquid.  With  hydrochloric  acid  it  forms  a  crystallizable  salt.  When 
the  salt  is  mixed  with  a  concentrated  water  solution  of  platinum  chloride  fine 
orange-red,  apparently  rhombic,  prisms  are  formed,  which  can  be  readily 
recrystallized  from  boiling  water.  By  evaporating  the  solution  remaining  more 
of  the  salt  can  be  obtained.  The  salt  contains  water  of  crystallization, 
which  is  completely  separated  at  no0.  The  anhydrous  salt  then  melts  at  20O0 
to  2020  with  decomposition.  According  to  Merck  it  does  not  melt  below  2110 
to  2130.  Analysis  gave  results  showing  that  the  composition  of  the  air-dry  salt 
is  represented  by  the  formula  (CgHj 3N02)2,PtCl6H2  +  H20,  and  that  of  the 
anhydrous  salt  bythe  formula  (C8H13N02)2,PtCl6H2,  with  which  the  ana- 
lytical results,  obtained  by  Merck,  are  in  agreement.  Further,  the  results 
obtained  by  Ladenburg  and  Roth1  for  the  "  oxytropine  "  salt  and  by  Merling2 
for  the  same  platinum  salt,  are  also  in  accordance  with  these  formulae.  Mer- 
ling gives  4-9  and  4*96  per  cent,  for  the  amount  of  water,  instead  of  2^43  per 
cent.  ;  but,  probably,  the  salt  analyzed  was  still  moist,  as  he  states  that  the 
crystals  "effloresced  on  exposure  to  the  air,"  though  this  cannot  be  observed 
with  the  carefully  dried  salt.  It  is,  on  the  other  hand,  to  me  unaccountable 
that  L,adenburg  should  have  obtained  for  this  salt  analytical  results  correspond- 
ing closely  with  the  formula  (C8H15N0)2,PtCl6H2. 
For  the  corresponding  oscine  gold  salt,  the  formula  would  beC8H13N02, 
AuCl4H,  but  I  have  not  analyzed  it.  I  have,  however,  investigated  the  beha- 
vior of  oscine  with  methyl  iodide,  statements  regarding  which  have  also  been 
made  by  Ladenburg. 
When  oscine  is  brought  together  with  methyl  iodide,  combination  at  once 
takes  place  with  evolution  of  heat.  It  is  advantageous  to  use  a  solution  in 
methyl  alcohol  and  to  have  a  slight  excess  of  methyl  iodide.  On  evaporating 
the  solution,  after  a  short  time,  and  recrystallizing  the  residue  from  water,  the 
iodide  is  obtained  in  colorless  rhombohedral  crystals,  which  are  anhydrous  and 
readily  soluble  in  water.  Its  composition  is  therefore  represented  by  the  for- 
mula C8H13N02,CH3I,  which  agrees  with  the  iodine  determinations  made  by 
Ladenburg  and  Roth.3    They  adopted  the  formula  C8H15NO,CH3I,  errone- 
1  Berichte,  vii,  p.  153. 
2  Ibid. ,  xvii,  p .  384. 
3  Ibid.,  xvii,  p.  151. 
