A Manual of the Chemistry of the Carbon Compounds

THE OABBON COMPOXTNDS. 471
of acetylene; it is a very refractive liquid, boiling at 126°, and forming
with bromine conylem dibromuk C8HuBr?) a heavy oil, possessing
a disagreeable, pungent smell. Conylene is the dyad radical of
conine C"8HU.NH
Methylconine C8H,,.NCHS occurs sometimes in hemlock, and is
readily prepared by the action of methyl iodide on conine. It has
great resemblance to Conine, and combines with methyl iodide, forming
crystalline conine-methylatimonium iodide N(C"gB,^{GU^)J[,
which by the action of moist silver oxide, is converted into the
caustic and alkaline hydroxide.
Conydrine C8H17ON exists also in hemlock, and forms colourless,
iridescent plates. It melts at 120°'6, boils at 225°, and sublimes
readily at a lower temperature. When heated with phosphorus
pentoxide it is resolved into water and conine. It forms crystalline
salts, and is not acted upon by nitrogen trioxide. By treating it with
ethyl iodide it forms conydrine-diethylatnine hydriodide N(C8H,6O)
(OH^IH.
jParaeonine CgH^N.—This isomeride of conine has been produeed
synthetically by the action of alcoholic ammonia on butyraldehyde,
which thereby is converted into dibutyrcUdine OJJH17ON, which is
isomeric with conydrine, and is by distillation resolved into water
and paraconine.
Paraconine is a liquid lotting at 160° to 170°; its odour and taste
resembling those of conine, and its aqueous solution becomes turbid
on heating. lake conine, it is a powerful narcotic poison, but differs
from it by being a tertiary base and possessing no rotatory power.
The constitution of these different compounds may be explained by
the following formulae:—
Conino. Paraconino.
CH.CH3.CH3.CH, 0H.CH2.CHa.CH8
CH.CHa.CHa.CH=NH N.CH=CH.CII3.CHa
Conydrino. DibatymMia.
CH.CHa.CHa.CHs
HO.CH.CH3.CHjj.CH3
HN.CH=CH.CH.iCHa
Nicotine 010H.1Ni! occurs in the seeds and leaves of different kinds
of tobacco, Tne common sorts contain about 8 per cent, and
Havanna tobacco only 2 per cent. To prepare nicotine, the leaves
are exhausted with very dilute, warm sulphuric aeid, and the concentrated
solution distilled with potash. The distillate is shaken with
ether, which dissolves the nicotine; on evaporation it is obtained as
an oil, which, is purified by distilling it over lime in a current of
hydrogen.
Nicotine is a colourless oil, possessing a faint smell of tobacco in