THE DISCOVERY OF STRYCHNINE

PELLETIER, PIERRE et JOSEPH CAVENTOU.

Note sur un nouvel Alcali (Lu à l'Academie des Sciences le 10 août 1818.

Paris, Crochard, 1818.

8vo. In a bit later half cloth. In: "Annales de Chimie et de Physique, Par MM. Gay-Lussac et Arago.", tome 8 (Cahier 3). Entire volume offered. No institutional stamps. Light occassional brownspotting, otherwise a good copy. (Pelletier & Caventou's paper): pp. 323-324. (Entire issue:) 448 pp. + 1 plate. 


First printing of this classic paper in chemistry in which the authors announced their discovery of Strychnine. This was the first alkali of vegetable origin to be discovered after morphine. This discovery (and their discovery of chlorophyll) brought them international fame. 

"Strychnine was only the second alkaloid to be extracted, the first was morphine. Pelletier and Caventou wanted to name their new alkaloid vauqueline after Nicolas Vauquelin, one of their associates who had refined the technique of ether extraction for use in isolating alkaloids. However, the officers of the Académe des Sciences in Paris rejected the idea on the grounds that a respected scientist’s name should not be paired with a deadly poison. In addition to strychnine the pair isolated other important compounds from plants including caffeine, chlorophyll and the anti-malaria drug quinine. (Paul L. Burnham).

Parkinson:"Breakthroughs", 1818 C. - Garrison & Morton: 1846.

The first issue also contains their importent memoir "Examen chimique de la Cochenillee et de sa matière colorante", pp. 250-287 which describes how they obtained crotonic acid from croton oil and analyzed carmine in the cochineal.

Order-nr.: 60069

DKK 3.000,00