A  knowledge  of  the  different  solubilities  of
the  alkaloids  will  be  found  an  important
auxiliary  in  their  analysis.  The  following  is
a  summary  of  the  relative  solubility  of  the
most  important  of  them.  The  figures  denote
the  number  of  parts  of  the  liquid  required  for
their  solution : —

Absolute  alcohol. —  Strychnine  insoluble ;
brucine  soluble.
Amylic  alcohol. — Solanine  (1061) ;  digitalin
sparingly  soluble ;  morphine  (133) ;  strychnine
(122) ;  veratrine,  brucine,  atropine,  aconitine,
and  picrotoxin,  freely  soluble.
Benzol. — All  the  poisonous  alkaloids,  except
solanine,  are  soluble  in  benzol.
Chloroform. — Solanine  (50,000) ;  morphine
(6550) ;  strychnine  (8) ;  the  rest  freely  soluble.
JBaer,— Solanme  (9000) ;  morphine  (7725) ;
strychnine  (1400);  aconitine  (777);  brucine
(440) ;  veratrine  (108) ;  atropine,  picrotoxm,'
and  digitalin,  very  soluble.
Water  {cold). —  Strychnine  (8333) ;  veratrine
(7860);  morphine  (4166);  aconitine  (1783);
solanine  (1750) ;  brucine  (900) ;  atropine
(414) ;  picrotoxin  (150) ;  digitalin  very  soluble.
The  principal  Alkaloids  and  their  Salts,  in
the  state  of  powder,  or  with  '  conia '  and
'  nicotia,'  in  the  state  of  an  oily  looking  liquid,
may  be  thus  distinguished  : —

1.  u.  The  powder  is  treated  with  nitric
acid : — It  is  coloured  red  ;  probable  presence
of  Brucia,  Delphia,  Morphia,  or  commercial
Strychnia.  If  the  reddened  acid  becomes
violet  on  the  addition  of  '  protochloride  of  tin,'
it  is  Bbttoia  ;  if  it  becomes  black  and  car-
bonaceous, it  is  Delphia.  If  the  powder  is
fusible  without  decomposition,  and  strongly
decomposes  iodic  acid,  it  is  MoBPHiA ;  if  it
is  not  fusible  without  decomposition,  and
does  not  decompose  iodic  acid,  it  is  SlETCH-
KIA.
