108 appendix:. 



In a separate experiment with the same opium, which was dialysed 

 in the same manner as that just described, the dialysate was shaken 

 with amyl alcohol, the latter then separated and shaken 

 in a separating funnel with a solution of sodium hydroxide 

 for half an hour, and the alkaline layer separated as before. This 

 was then acidified, and a few drops of it, when brouglit in contact 

 with a drop of a solution of ferric chloride, gave a beautiful wine-red 

 colour, tlius shewing the presence of meconic acid. Inasmuch as 

 experiments with morphine and nareotine mecouates had shewn 

 that neither of these are taken up by amyl alcohol^ it follows that 



the free acid in the dialysate was meconic ^..cid. 



CONCLirSIONS, 



(i) That the free acid in aqueous opium extracts is meconic acid; 



(ii) That the silica in opium is present in the form of sand, and 

 that the lime is most likely combined with phosphoric acid, while 

 the magnesia and potash are probably combined with organic acids 

 and some sulphuric acid ; 



(iii) That there is more than enough sulphuric acid present in 

 opium to combine with all of the alkaloids present save nareotine ; 

 forthe5'8927 grams of morphine, naroeine, codeine, &c., found, 

 require only X"0133 grams of sulphuric acid to form the salts 

 (C^^H^^NO-)^ H^SO*, &c., whereas there were found in all 1'3945 

 grams of sulphuric acid; and 



(iv) That bonce, morphine, naroeine, codeine, &o., are contained 

 in opium combined with sulphuric acid as sulphates, while nareotine, 

 at best only a feeble base, is combined in pai-t, at least, with meconic 

 acid, of which there is also some present uncombincd in the drug. 



In conclusion, I should like to take this occasion to thank Prof. 

 FKxckiger for the kind assistance and adA^ce I obtained from him 

 while working in his laboratory, and also Mr. J, E, Gerock, his excel- 

 lent and kind assistant. (.4. Dohme, Am. Jour. Pharm.^ April, 1891,) 



Protopine. 



The name of protopine was given to a particular alkaloid first 

 isolated from opium in 1870 by Hesse, It is only present to a 

 small amount in the dried milky juice of the Pajjaver somniferum. 

 Since its discovery by Hesse, it has been met with again by 



Macley 



the 



