When a little water is added to the alcoholic; solution of brucine, and the mixture is put to evaporate spontaneously, the brueine crystal lises in colourless, transparent, oblique four-sided prisms. By rapid evaporation, pearly scales or crystals, in the form of cauliflowers, aro obtained. These crystals contain water ; they have a strong bitter taste, which remains for a long time. When the hydrate is heated rather below 212' Fehr., it melts and loses abotit 16 per cent. of its weight of water; the fused mass is a non-crystallised body resembling wax in appearance. It is flecomposcd by a strong heat.
Brucine requires 850 parts of cold water and 500 of boiling water for solution. It is readily soluble in alcohol, and even in spirit of wine of specific gravity : the volatile oils dissolve a small portion of it, but neither the fixed oils nor ether take it up. One of the distinguishing characters of brucine is that the rod or yellow colour which nitric acid imparts to it is changed to a fine violet by protochloride of tin.
The salts of brucine have a bitter taste, and most of them arc crystalline ; they are decomposed not only by the alkalies and alkaline earths, but by morphine and strychnine, which precipitate brucine.
:Nitrate of brucine 2HON0,,. + 4 Aq.) is obtained by adding nitric acid to brucine. It crystallises in quadrilateral prisms, terminated by dihedral summits. When heated, it becomes first rod, then black, and afterwards detonates with disengagement of light.
Ilydrochlurate of brucine crystallises in quadri ' lateral prisms obliquely truncated, which are sometimes as fine as hair. It does not alter by exposure to the air.
,Sulphates of brueine. The 'neutral sulphate S,0,„ 2H0, +14 Aq.) is very soluble in water, and crystallises in long quadrilateral needles. Alcohol dissolves it iu small quantity. The supersulplude crystallises readily when a little acid is added to the neutral sulphate.
Oxalate of brucine crystallises in long needles, especially when it contains excess of acid.
Phosphates of brucine. The neutral salt occurs in prisms ; but the supersalt crystallises in large square tables, which dissolve readily in water, and effloresce by exposure to the air.
Acetate of brucine is very soluble, but uncrystallisable.
Many other salts of brucine, corresponding to the strychnine salts, have also been obtained. Bromobrucine occurs in
needles ; and the iodubrucincs are amorphous powders. Tho nitro compound, or cacotheline as it is termed, is the product of the action of strong nitric acid upon brucine; nitrate of mdthyl, oxalic acid, biuoxide of nitrogen, and water, being at the same time produced. The composition of cacotheline is it is a feeble base. Ethyl- and methyl-brucine . are obtained in the same way as, and have properties similar to, the corresponding strychnine salts.
3. Igasurine. According to M. Desnoix, this alkaloid is contained in the mother liquors from the preparation of strychnine and bnicine. He gives it the name igasurinc from igasur, the native name of St. Ignatius' beans [ST11TC111:0S Ignatii,in NAT. IIIST. DIV.] ; and describes it as a colourless precipitate, becoming crystalline if left in the mother liquor. Igasurine differs from brucine in being more soluble in boiling water, and in being precipitated by bicarbonate of potash or soda in presence of tartaric acid ; it otherwise much resembles brucine. Its physiological action is intermediate between strychnine and brucino. M. Schntzenbcrger has examined several specimens of igasurine, and asserts that by treating with cold water he obtained nine new alkaloids or igeuntrincs from them. Their formula and relations to strychnine and brucine are as follow :— The above bases are said to resemble brucine in their chemical characters, but are more soluble in water and alcohol. M. Schutzen berger considers them as produCts of the successive transformations of brucine under the influence of vital force, and suspects the existence of several more.
Igasuric acid may be prepared from any of the mother liquors resulting from the preparation of the nux vomica alkaloids. Such aolutione are saturated with magnesia, boiled, evaporated, precipitated by acetate of lead, the precipitate decomposed by sulphuretted hydro gen, and the filtered liquor evaporated to a syrupy consistence. Igasuric acid then slowly crystallises out in hard cryeadline grains, very soluble in water and alcohol, and of an acid styptic taste. The igasurates are mostly soluble in alcohol or water, and crystallise with difficulty.