ALKALOID

n. A%'ka?Loid. From alkali, and eldos, resemsblance. Lat., alcaloides,alcaloideum. Fr.,alcaloïde. Ger., Alkaloid, Pflanzenbase. It., alcaloide. Sp., alcaléide. An organic alkali or; an organic substance po e ing more or le alkalinity. Many of the a’s can not strictly be termed alkalies, but they are so connected with substances decidedly alkaline that they are regarded as of e entially the same chemical nature. Most of the artificial a's must be considered as ammonia, or hydrate of ammonium, in which the hydrogen is replat wholly or in part by a compound radicle generaliy composed of carbon and hydrogen (amines). Le is known of the constitution of the natural a’s, but probably they also are derivatives of ammonia, [B, 2.|—Cadaveric a. Fr., alcaloïde cadavérique, Ger., Cadaver alkaloid, Lei chen alkaloid. It., alcaloide cadaverico. Sp., alcaléide cadavérico. An a. generated in dead bodies by the proce es of putrefaction. [B.] See PTOMAINE. —Cinchona. Se> under CINCHONA.—Glnucoside a. A substance which shows the properties and reactions of an a., but, like a glucoside, can be decomposed by dilute acids into glucose and another compound. [B, 4.]