
CRYSTALLINE CONSTITUENTS OF OPIUM. 353 
direct from the establishment of Messrs RosiqurET, PELLETIER, and CAVENTOU, in 
Paris; but I am informed by Professor Hernricu Ross of Berlin, that he possesses 
a specimen from the same source, which shews a feeble blue.* 
The specimen of narceine which I obtained from Paris, though closely agree- 
ing in character with that which I had myself prepared, presented some minor 
differences, and analysis shewed that its constitution was entirely different. 
10250" 2 carbonic acid, and 
4°458 grains of Ropiquer’s narceine gave 
ZHOPAUL © ane water, 
{ 3°340 grains of RoBi@veEt’s narceine gave 


2:245 platinochloride of ammonium. 
Experiment. Calculation. 
pee een ESS, 
Carbon : 62-70 62°95 Or 192 
Hydrogen : 6:53 6:22 Hy 19 
Nitrogen ; 4:22 4.58 N 14 
Oxygen : 26:45 26°24 OF 80 
100-00 100-00 305 
These results correspond exactly with the formula C,, H,, NO,, of which, 
however, I have no means of confirming the correctness. I attempted to form a 
platinum salt, but the fiuid, in place of depositing a crystalline salt, solidified into 
a thin jelly, which I did not think deserving of analysis. The high price of the 
substance (nine francs per gramme), has deterred me from attempting a more ex- 
tended examination. 
V. Salts of Narceine. 
According to PeLLerier and Covrrss, narceine, though dissolved by the acids, 
is deposited unchanged from the solutions. In this, however, their results do not 
agree with mine. Though incapable of restoring the blue of reddened litmus, 
narceine is a feeble base, and its solutions in acids deposit crystalline salts of well- 
marked characters. 
Hydrochlorate of Narceine.—When narceine is mixed with water, and hydro- 
chlorie acid is added, it rapidly dissolves, and on standing deposits large groups 
of radiated silky needles. These needles, if collected on a filter and left for some 
time, occasionally pass into a congeries of short, thick, irregular prisms, and si- 
milar crystals are deposited by spontaneous evaporation in dilute solutions. 
These crystals are readily soluble in water and alcohol, and their solution has a 
* Dr Trarct has since informed me that a specimen in his collection gives a fine blue with hy- 
drochloric acid; so that the product sold in Paris as narceine, would appear to be very variable in 
its properties, ‘ 
