Alkaloids are found in a number of cacti: _Cereus peruvianus_, _C. pecten
aboriginum_, _Pilocereus sargentianus_ Orcutt, _Phyllocactus ackermanii_,
_P. russelianus_, _Echinocereus mamillosus_, _Mammillaria cirrhifera_,
_M. uberiformis_, _M. centricirrha_, _Anhalonium prismaticum_, _A.
fissuratum_,[1] and _Lophophora williamsii_. _Lophophora_ in its mature
state, however, is notable for the number of alkaloids which it contains,
nine being known at present.
The long and hotly-disputed botanical question of _Anhalonium williamsii_
versus _A. lewinii_, beyond its ethnographic significance in accounting
the plants “male” and “female,” has a chemical aspect for a time
obscuring their botanical identity. _A. williamsii_ (young specimens of
_Lophophora_) contains only the alkaloid Pellotine,[2] while _A. lewinii_
(the mature _Lophophora_) contains at least nine, as follows:[3] Anhaline
(C₁₀H₁₅ON), Anhalamine (C₁₁H₁₅O₃N), Mescaline (C₁₁H₁₇O₃N), Anhalonidine
(C₁₂H₁₇O₃N), Anhalonine (C₁₂H₁₅O₃N), Lophophorine (C₁₃H₁₇O₃N), Pellotine
(C₁₃H₁₉O₃N), Anhalinine and Anhalidine. Lophophorine is an oily colorless
liquid; mescaline crystallizes only in the presence of atmospheric CO₂;
and anhalonidine crystallizes imperfectly; the rest are crystalline.
Their physiological activity appears to increase with their chemical
complexity.[4]
Hordenine was first isolated from _A. fissuratum_ by Heffter in 1894 and
shown to be identical with Späth’s anhaline from _Lophophora_ in 1920;
Heffter isolated pellotine in 1894, mescaline, anhalonidine, anhalonine
and lophophorine in 1896, Kauder adding anhalamine in 1899. Capellman
collaborated with Heffter on mescaline in 1905. If Heffter first isolated
the _Lophophora_ alkaloids, Späth is to be largely credited with
establishing their chemical constitution and synthesizing them: mescaline
in 1920, anhalamine in 1921, and anhalonidine and pellotine in 1922.
Röder in 1922 and Gangl in 1923 collaborated in establishing the chemical
constitution of others of the alkaloids.[5]