View source for On a New Organic Base in the Coca Leaves

[[Image:Coca.jpg|168px|right|thumb|The [[coca]] plant, ''Erythroxylon coca''.]]

'''''On a New Organic Base in the Coca Leaves''''' is an [[1860]] [[dissertation]] written by Dr. [[Albert Niemann]]. Its title in German is ''Über eine neue organische Base in den Cocablättern''. The piece describes, in detail, how Niemann isolated [[cocaine]], a [[crystalline]] [[alkaloid]].  It also earned Niemann his [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] and is now in the [[British Library]].  He wrote of the alkaloid's "colourless transparent prisms" and said that, "Its solutions have an alkaline reaction, a bitter taste, promote the flow of saliva and leave a peculiar numbness, followed by a sense of cold when applied to the tongue." Niemann named the alkaloid "cocaine" — as with other alkaloids its name carried the "-ine" [[suffix]].

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[[Category:Cocaine]]
[[Category:Theses]]
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