Evening star., 1932-04-25
NUISANCE YIELDS
POWERFUL POISON
Neo- Nicotine, Made Syn
theticaiIy in U. S., Also Pro-
duced From Weed in Russia.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

The strange story of neo-nicotine, a
chemical romance of two continents
and involving one of the most potent
| known poisons, has just been revealed
at the Department of Agriculture.
Several years ago c. r. Smith of the
insecticide division of the Bureau of
Chemistry and Soils, set out to produce
| in the laboratory something similar
TO the nicotine obtained from the to-
bacco leaf. One of the widest uses
of this powerful poison of the respira-
tory centers is as a fruit tree spray.
1t is expensive. Western fruit grow
ers were appealing for something which
would answer the same purpose as an
aphid poison, which would be much
cheaper and at the same time could
not contaminate the crop.
Early in his investigation Smith de-
cided that the only practical way to
produce real nicotine was in the to-
bacco plant. But study of the mole
cule of the poison convinced him
something very much like 1t might be
made Synthetically in the laboratory
much cheaper. In the course of his
work he found one Of the laboratory
by-products to be a potent poison and
this product was presented TO chemi-
cal science as "neo-nicotine, last year.
| Then the chemist set to work quietly
to find a faster, cheaper method OF
producing it in quantities.
Nuisance Yields AlkaIoid.
Now. growing profusely over South
ern Russia is the weed known botan-
ically as anabasis aphilla. The peas
ant farmers always had regarded 1t as
a nuisance. The Soviet government
set out to find If any use could be
made of the weeds growing in various
parts Of the country. Two chemists
| turned their attention to this particu-
lar rank growth and found that 1t
contained a new alkaloid substance.
All alkaloidS are poisonous and they
found this one was particularly so.
| They named it anabaSine and de-
scribed its chemical structure in one
of the Russian journals. A few months
| ago Smiths attention was called to
the article and he found it was de-
Scribed as identical with the material
he had made in his Washington labo-
ratory. The Russians had been as COM
| pletely ignorant of Smiths work as he
had been of what they were doing.
Some of the Russian product has
Just been received in Washington
Chemical tests show that except in
| found substances are actually identi-
cal. This. Agriculture Department
chemists say, constitutes one of the
most curious chapters in the recent
history of chemistry, since it is a re-
versal of the ordinary order. Usually
substance is first found in nature.
Then the chemists, after long study,
sometimes are able to manufacture 1t
Synthetically. But neo-nicotine or an
abasine was found in the laboratory
first.
The discovery revealed to the Soviet
government that it had potential
source of wealth in what had been re-
garded as useless weed. Reports are
that they are trying to make the most
Of it and claim they will have tons oi
it for distribution anywhere in the
world in short time. They are reluc-
tant even to allow any seeds Of the
weed to get out of the country. The
anabasis plant, however, Is found grow
ing in Syria and Egypt. The Depart
ment of Agriculture already has sew
eral plants growing at one of its ex'
perimental stations. 1t Is planned Il
secure some more seeds from Northern
Africa.
Physiological tests thus far reported
indicate that neither the laborator!
product nor the Russian plant produc
is quite such powerful poison fol
warm -blooded animals as the nicotin,
from tobacco, but approach 1t closely
1 It Is strongly toxic for insects of thl
types killed by nicotine.
| Neo-nicotine or anabasine Is CLOSELY
related chemically to nicotine itself
but differs sufficiently to constitute {
distinct substance.