Chemical Science. 189 



as an indelible ink ; for having latterly submitted it to new trials, 

 I was not long in convincing myself that it did not deserve that 

 character, since the letters formed with it disappeared by successive 

 macerations in chlorine and potash." — Ann. de Chimie, xl. 439. 



28. Preparation of Morphia, without the use of Alcohol. — Having 

 observed that it was easy to separate morphia from narcotine, by 

 the use of very weak muriatic acid added to perfect neutralization, 

 MM. Henri and Plisson founded upon it the following process. 

 Five hundred parts of opium are to be divided into small strips and 

 infused thrice, each time in 500 parts of water, at 80° or 100° F., 

 with 20 parts of muriatic acid. The residue is to be pressed, all 

 the liquor put together, and a very slight excess of weak solution 

 of ammonia or caustic soda added. This deposit is to be collected 

 and carefully washed. The mother-liquors are to be acidulated, 

 concentrated, and decomposed in the same manner. Potash, soda, 

 and ammonia retain a large quantity of morphia in solution, when 

 the liquors are diluted, but much of it is obtained by concentration. 



The deposit occasioned by the caustic alkalis is yellowish, and 

 composed principally of resin, caoutchouc, morphia, and narcotine, 

 coloured by a brown matter. It is to be frequently washed with 

 water, slightly acidulated, and assisted by a moderate heat until the 

 liquor ceases to be saturated; a slight excess is to be allowed. The 

 liquor is then to be filtered and evaporated ; it contains a little 

 resin and extractive matter, and much muriate of morphia, (the 

 part which remains unacted upon, contains with the resin much 

 narcotine ;) it is to be concentrated considerably, and when brown 

 crystals have been formed, they are to be slightly washed and then 

 purified twice by animal charcoal, and re-crystallizations from 

 water. The muriate of morphia thus purified is to be dissolved in 

 a small quantity of water slightly acidulated, and decomposed by a 

 slight excess of ammonia ; after which it is to be put upon a filter, 

 washed, and dried. Four hundred parts of opium gave from 26 to 

 27 parts of morphia, free from narcotine. It is yellowish, but solution 

 in alcohol and crystallization gives very white crystals. — Jour, de 

 Pharmacie. Bull. Univ. A. xi. 382. 



29. On Vegetable Jelly or Pectic Acid, by M. Vauquelin. — This 

 principle, which was named by M. Braconnot pectic acid, and which 

 he obtained in abundance from the carrot, after all which could be 

 removed by water had been taken away, has been examined more 

 recently by M. Vauquelin, who has described processes by which it 

 may readily be obtained pure, and has poiuted out certain remarkable 

 properties belonging to it. 



One method of obtaining the substance pure was to form the 

 pectate of potash by acting on the carrot, freed from all soluble 

 matter, as above, by a solution of potash; this was decomposed by 

 solution of murfate of baryta, and the insoluble pectate of baryta, 



