United States or Wallis and Futuna ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Ptomaines are, for the most part, alkaloids generated during the process of putrefaction, and they closely resemble many of the vegetable alkaloids veratrine, morphine, and codeine, for example not only in chemical characters, but in physiological properties. They are probably allied to neurine, an alkaloid obtained from the brain and also from the bile.
Ether from the acid solution dissolves out colchicin, digitalin, cantharidin, and picrotoxin, and traces of veratrine and atropine. Separate the ethereal solution and evaporate. Hot water will now dissolve out picrotoxin, colchicin, and digitalin, but not cantharidin.
When I came uncomfortably close to him he even sent an anonymous telegram that might point toward her. It was sent by the same person who stole in Barrios's office and shot him with an asphyxiating pistol which discharged a fatal quantity of pure veratrine full at him. "My love meter, in registering hidden emotions, supplements what the polarimeter tells me.
It is the pure alkaloid, or rather one of them, that we have to deal with here veratrine. "There are various sources of veratrine. For instance, there is the veratrine that may be derived from the sabadilla seeds which grow in the West Indies and Mexico. It is used, I am informed, by the Germans in their lachrymatory and asphyxiating bombs."
And in this case only the polariscope can show what chemistry cannot show when we reach the point of testing Senor Barrios's blood if that becomes necessary." It was plain that Kennedy was confident. "There are other sources of drugs of the nature used in this case to asphyxiate and kill, but the active principle of all is veratrine. The point is, veratrine from what source?
The mention of the West Indies brought, like a flash, to my mind Sandoval and Senorita de Leon. "Then, too," continued Kennedy, "there is a plant out in our own Western country, of which you may have heard, known as the death camas, very fatal to cattle when they eat it. The active principle in this is also veratrine." I began to see what Kennedy was driving at.
The liquid turned yellow, then slowly a bright scarlet. Beside the first he repeated the operation with another similar-looking powder, with the identical result. "Both of those," he remarked, holding up the vials, "were samples of pure veratrine, but obtained from different sources. You see the brilliant reaction unmistakable.
But it makes all the difference in the world in this case what was the source of the veratrine. It may mean the guilt or innocence of one of you." He paused, to let the significance of his remark sink in. "Veratrine," he resumed, "is a form of hellebore, known to gardeners for its fatal effect on insects. There are white and green hellebore, Veratrum alba and Veratrum viride.
Word Of The Day