Brucin

Brucin is one of the Alkaloids (q.v.) present in Strychnos Nux Vomica, and St Ignatius' bean, along with strychnine, &c. In action it resembles strychnine, but is only about one-twelfth of its strength, and on this account is seldom employed. It is mainly characterised by giving a blood-red colour with concentrated commercial nitric acid, and, indeed, the red colour always yielded by nux vomica, and occasionally by strychnine, when treated with nitric acid, is due to the presence of brucin. Brucin is capable of being converted into strychnine by heating it with five times its weight of dilute nitric acid, carbonic acid gas being given off.