Dr. Blyth o» the Composition ofNarcotine. 373 



The corresponding formula is — 



Calculated. Found. 



Cio= 750 53-09 52-93 



H5= 62-5 4-42 4-58 



0(, = 600 42-49 42-49 



1412-5 100-00 100-00 



An unfortunate accident deprived me of the means of giving 

 the combustion analysis of a pure silver salt. The combustion 

 of an impure specimen gave the following approximative re- 

 sults : — 



0-4985 grm. of substance gave carbonic acid 0*5115 grm., 



100-00 100-00 



The formula of crystallized hemipinic acid deduced from 

 these analyses is HO-f Cio H4 O5, and the atomic weight of the 

 anhydrous acid 1300. 



From its formula it appeared to be a product of the oxi- 

 dation of opianic acid. To establish this point, a portion of 

 the latter was boiled in an excess of bichloride of platinum. 

 The liquid, separated by filtration from the undecomposed 

 opianic acid, which is deposited on cooling, and submitted to 

 further evaporation, gave crystals of hemipinic acid. 



Narcogeniii. — Besides those bodies already mentioned, the 

 oxidation of narcotine also produces a base which is interme- 

 diate between it and cotarnin. Its platinum salt was acci- 

 dentally obtained by me in endeavouring to prepare platin- 

 chloride of cotarnin. The exact circumstances under which 

 it alone is produced has not been accurately ascertained. In 

 my experiments it has generally been accompanied by a small 

 portion of platinchloride of cotarnin. It appears however to 

 depend upon the excess of bichloride of platinum, with which 

 platinchloride of narcotine is boiled. On employing a large 

 excess, not a trace of this base is to be found ; the products 

 being platinchloride of cotarnin, opianic acid, and hemipinic 

 acid. If, on the other hand, a very small excess of bichloride 

 of platinum is used, scarcely any cotarnin is formed ; the pro- 

 ducts being the new platinum compound, opianic and hemi- 

 pinic acid. This double salt, for which I propose the name 

 of platinchloride of narcogenin, crystallizes in long needles of 



