brucine

[ broo-seen, -sin ]

/ ˈbru sin, -sɪn /

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noun Chemistry.

a white, crystalline, bitter, slightly water-soluble, very poisonous alkaloid, C23H26N2O4, obtained from the nux vomica tree Strychnos nux-vomica, and from other species of the same genus, resembling but not as powerful as strychnine in its pharmacological action: used chiefly in the denaturation of alcohol.

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Origin of brucine

1815–25; named after J. Bruce (1730–94), Scottish explorer; see -ine²

Words nearby brucine

Brubeck, Bruce, brucella, brucellosis, Bruch, brucine, brucite, Brücke, Bruckner, Brudenell, Brueghel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use brucine in a sentence

Gallic acid occurs but seldom in nature; and always united to brucine, veratrine, or lime.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
It is also obtained as a decomposition product of brucine or strychnine, when these alkaloids are distilled with zinc dust.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3|Various
Strychnine and brucine exist in combination with igasuric acid discovered by Ludwig in 1873.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera
The behaviour of brucine in the subliming cell is described at p. 260.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection|Alexander Wynter Blyth

It might, therefore, be used to separate strychnine from brucine.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection|Alexander Wynter Blyth

British Dictionary definitions for brucine

brucine

/ (ˈbruːsiːn, -sin) /

noun

bitter poisonous alkaloid resembling strychnine and obtained from the tree Strychnos nuxvomica : used mainly in the denaturation of alcohol. Formula: C 23 H 26 N 2 O 4

Word Origin for brucine

C19: named after James Bruce (1730–94), Scottish explorer of Africa

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012