OPIUM. 



G3 



I 



Na 



r 



Of this substance Couerbe found in opium O'l per cent, ; 



71 



Cryiytopine — exists in opium in very small proportion, T. .and H. 

 Smith state that since the alkaloid first came under their notice, they 

 have collected of it altogether about 5 ounces in the form of hydro- 

 chlorate, and this small quantity in operating on many thousands of 

 pounds of opium. But they by no means assert that the whole of the 

 eryptopine was obtained. 



RJioeadhie — is also found only in exceedingly minute quantity. 



Meconic Acid — If the average amount of morphine in opium be 

 estimated at 15 per cent., and the alkaloid be supposed to exist as a 

 tribasic meconate, it would require for saturation 3'4^ per cent, of 

 meconic acid. Wittstein obtained rather more than 3 per cent., T. and 

 H. Smith 4 per cent., and Decharmes 4"33. Opium produced in Vermont 



'111 -t* 1 -%-^ ■ i 4 «-^^v j\ \ ^ y^^ 1^ a f* * "I 



yielded^ accordinii to 



(1870) 5'25 per cent, of nieconic acid. 



The quantity of acid required to unite with the other bases assuming 

 them to exist as salts can be but extremely small. 



Estimation of Morphine in Opium — The practical valuation of 

 opium turns in the first instance upon the estimation of the water pre- 

 sent in the drug, and in the second upon the proportion which the 

 latter contains of morphine.^ 



The first question is determined by exposing a known quantity of 

 the drug divided into small slices or fragments to the heat of a water- 

 hath until it cease to lose weight. 



For the estimation of the morphine many processes have been 

 devised, but none is perfectly satisfactory .^ That whicli we recommend 

 ^^ thus performed : — Take of opium previously dried at 100° C, as above 

 f^tated, and powdered, 10 grammes ; shake it with 100 grammes alcohol 

 0^950 sp. gr., and filter after a day or two. The weight of the liquid 



ammes 



__^ Add to it 50 grammes of ether 



and 2 grammes of ammonia' water 0960 sp. gr.; collect the crystals of 

 opium which separate slowly, after a day or two, dry them at 100°C., 

 and weigh them. — On applying this method to Indian opium, we were 

 l>ut little satisfied with it. 



_ Commerce — By official statistics it appears that the quantity of 

 opium imported into the United 



valued at £361,503. The imports from Asiatic and European Turkey 

 ai-e stated in the same tables thus :— 



Kingdom in 1872 was 356,2111b., 



1868 

 317,1331b. 



1870 



276,6911b. 



1872 



32.15721b. 



1874 

 .000 



chiefly 



T t- 1 ^^^ evident that the drug used in Great Britain 

 In 1 ?* "^^^^ import of opium from Persia has been very irregulai-. 

 iQ^i,^'!. 21,8941b. are reported as received from that country; in 

 ^^^2, none. ^ 



P«riencP !f ""^.^^^'^c is contrary to the ex- 



^^m be SA- f r^^^^^ chemista. The same 



iiiff an r.^^ -;IuWer's assertion respect- 



- iSe!^''''^ ^^^"S 6 to 13 per ceik of 



*^<>ulVbe'^& ^ ^f '"P^"^ ^*^^ analysis, care 



'^Ken that it fairlv renresents 



the bulk of the drug. We prefer to take 

 a little piece from each of several luinj)?, 

 mix them in a mortar, and weigh from the 

 mixed sample the required quantity. 



2 See also Proctor, Pharm. Joitrn. vii. 

 (1876) 244, and Yearhooh of Pharm. 1877. 

 528. 



