Α-methyl-quinoline as a Constituent of the Secretion of the Anal Glands of Mephitis Mephitica

In 1863 Swarts* (in WShler's laboratory) noticed in the secretion of the anal glands of ~ . mephitica the presence of a basic body which from its volatility and odor he referred to methylor ethyl-amine. Later, in 1879, Loew~stated that the secretion contains a basic body which smells like trimethylamine~ and no doubt has a constitution similar to that of neurin. Up to the present time, beyond these conjectures, nothing has been done to characterize or to establish the identity of this body. As has been stated in a previous communication,:~ the secretion can be readily separated, by distil]ation~ into two sharply defined, nearly equal portions: 1. A more volatile portion, boiling between 100°-130 ° C., and which for convenience we have designated A. 2. A less volat~'le portion, left after distilling off A, and which has been called B. A is a colorless liquid having a neutral reaction, and is further characterized by an unpleasant penetrating odor and by the readiness with which it reacts with mercuric oxide, mercuric cyanide and lead acetate, forming with these reagents for the most part crystalline compounds. I t is a mixture of the higher mercaptans, containing among others (still undetermined) normal butyl mercaptan.§