Socrates, hemlock

Some famous victims of poisoning include Socrates (hemlock) and Cleopatra (snakebite). The Emperor Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germani-cus) was said to have been poisoned by his wife. Some... 

Present along with other alkaloids in the hemlock extract used to poison Socrates)... 

Coniine (12), impHcated by Plato in the death of Socrates, is the major toxic constituent of Conium maculatum L. (poison hemlock) and, as pointed out eadier, was apparendy the first alkaloid to be synthesized. For years it was thought that coniine was derived from lysine (24), as were many of its obvious relatives containing reduced piperidine nuclei and a side chain, eg, peUetierine (46). However, it is now known (99) that coniine is derived from a polyketooctanoic acid [7028-40-2] (138), CgH QO, or some other similar straight chain analogue. 

Coniine, C H N. is the toxic principle of the poison hemlock drunk by Socrates. When subjected to Hofmann elimination, coniine yields 5-(iV,N-dimethylamino)-l-octene. If coniine is a secondary amine, what is its structure ... 

Caffeine occurs in tea leaves, coffee beans, and cola nuts. Morphine is obtained from unripe opium poppy seed pods. Coniine, extracted from hemlock, is the alkaloid that killed Socrates. Fie was sentenced to death because of unconventional teaching methods teacher evaluations had teeth in them in ancient Greece. 

The profound physiological effects of alkaloids have been known for centuries. For example, Socrates was put to death with an extract of hemlock, which contains a poisonous alkaloid, coniine. Other alkaloids have long been valued for their beneficial medical effects. Examples include morphine (a painkiller), quinine (used to treat malaria), and atropine (used to treat Parkinson s disease and in eye drops that dilate the pupils). 

Those early metallurgists who were clever enough to learn how to transform crude ores to shiny metals were prohahly also observant enough to discover that some of the materials being worked with could harm them. Some of the earliest written accounts of humans on earth provide evidence that the ancient Greeks and Romans were well aware of the poisonous properties of certain plants and metals. The case of the poisoning of Socrates with hemlock is only the most famous of the early references to the deliberate use of certain plants for suicidal or homicidal purposes. 

DETAILS - A crude extract of hemlock was used by the ancient Greeks to execute enemies of the state. Plato s description of the death of Socrates is a very detailed account of the symptoms and their progression. Pure coniine has a burning taste similar to low-grade hot sauce and a characteristic odor which should be masked. Hard liquor or pungent spicy foods are best for this. Coniine poisoning is a relatively painless process, but takes several hours and the victim is conscious and aware to the very end. 

Neurotoxic - death Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) Coniine - neurotoxic alkaloid -poison used by Socrates... 

Reynolds, T. 2005. Hemlock alkaloids from Socrates to poison aloes. Phytochemistry, 66 1399-1406. 

Coniine Coniine or (5 )-2-propylpiperidine, molecular formula CgHnN, is a poisonous alkaloid found in the hemlock poison and the yellow pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava). Coniine contributes to the foul smell of hemlock. It is a neurotoxin, causes respiratory paralysis and is toxic to all classes of livestock and humans. In 399 BC, Socrates was put to death hy this poison. 

Coniine is a poison found in the spotted hemlock, Conium maculatum. This type of hemlock is found commonly throughout the United States and the world, including SLO County. White disperse flowers on a long purple stalk are routinely mistaken for its nontoxic look-alike - the edible wild parsnip. It was a hemlock brew which Socrates... 

In fact, all substances are poisonous, and there are none that are safe. The right dose alone differentiates a substance as a remedy or as a poison. In other words, no substance is absolutely safe. Important reference could be made to valuable contributions of Theophra Stus (370-286 B.C.), Hippocrates (400 B.C.), and Ebers Papyrus (1500 B.C.). In fact, the use of hemlock by the Greeks to execute the great philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) is an instance of its own. Recently, Ramazzini (1700) documented preventive measures to control industrial hazards among occupational workers (Fig. 2-1). 

By the end of this chapter we hope you will be able to recognize some basic classes of natural products and know a bit about their chemistry. We will meet alkaloids such as coniine, the molecule in hemlock that killed Socrates, and terpenes such as thujone, which was probably the toxin in absinthe that killed the nineteenth-century artists in Paris. 

Alkaloids are widespread in plants and include some very well-known poisons (notably coniine and strychnine), hallucinogens (morphine, cocaine and muscimol) and other potentially lethal compounds that are nevertheless used in medical practice (e.g. atropine, codeine, colchicine and morphine). As indicated by the preliminary snap-shot above, alkaloids typically have names ending in -ine and which are often related to the plant source or properties. Thus, morphine was named after Morpheus (the God of sleep) and coniine derives from Conium maculatum (hemlock), the plant used in the judicial murder of Socrates (399 BC). Various chemical tests for alkaloids are used as preliminary indicators of alkaloid presence in crude plant extracts. Finally, it should be noted that alkaloids can also exist as jVoxides of the alkaloid base. 

Sj-(-)-Cotinine (= A- Socrates, compelled to drink hemlock in Athens, 399 bc Carica papaya (Caricaceae), nACh-R agonist (30), human... 

Plato, 427-347 bc reported the death of Socrates (470-399 bc) by hemlock (Conium maculatum). 

Socrates death by ingesting hemlock, 399 bc Socrates was charged with religious heresy and corrupting the morals of local youth. The active chemical used was the alkaloid coniine, which, when ingested, causes paralysis, convulsions, and potentially death. 

The word toxicology is derived from the Greek words toxikon (arrow poison) and toxikos (the bow). Poisons were known about and used in warfare from the earliest times. However, there were other reasons for interest in poisons, and study of them had begun by 1500 bc. The Ebers Papyrus, the earhest medical records, include references to and recipes for poisons. Many of these are recognizable, such as hemlock, the plant toxin that the Greeks used for the execution of Socrates in 399 bc. Other substances listed are aconite, which was used as an arrow poison by the Chinese, and poisonous metals such as lead and antimony. Opium, which was used for both poisonous and beneficial purposes, has been known for at least 5,000 years. 

The poison hemlock contains two alkaloids that are poisonous, coniine and coniceine. They act to block the transmission of nerve impulses, which results in death by failure of respiration. The plant is famous for its part in the execution of Socrates in ancient Greece, who was found guilty of corrupting the young and neglecting the gods. The execution was described by Plato in Phaedo, written in 360 bc ... 

An older example of execution using poison is that of the philosopher Socrates in ancient Greece, who was made to swallow hemlock (as described on pp. 152-3). 

Coniine, a poisonous alkaloid isolated from the seeds, leaves, and roots of hemlock Conium maculatum), has been known since ancient times. Ingestion causes weakness, paralysis, and finally death. The Greek philosopher Socrates was executed by being forced to drink a potion prepared from hemlock in 339 b.c. 

The first alkaloid which we shall consider is of especial interest historically. The Greek philosopher Socrates was put to death by being compelled to drink an extract of hemlock, Conium maculatum. In the fruit and leaves of this plant there are present six different alkaloids one of which is named from the plant and is known as conine. This compound is a colorless, strongly alkaline liquid acting as a deadly poison when taken in more than extremely small doses. Physiologically it produces paralysis of the motor nerve terminations and depression of the central nervous system. 

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