brucine

[broo-seen, -sin]

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.

Origin of brucine

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for brucine

Historical Examples of brucine

Strychnine is found in them in the proportion of ½–1½ and brucine ½%–1.4%.
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
Brucine is a tertiary diamine, that is, formed by substitution in a double ammonia molecule.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 415, December 15, 1883
Various
It gives a red colour with brucine, turns the green sulphate of iron black, and with hydrochloric acid dissolves gold.
Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology
W. G. Aitchison Robertson

British Dictionary definitions for brucine

brucine

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