CRYSTALLINE CONSTITUENTS OF OPIUM. 355 
VI. Thebaine. 
Thebaine was discovered in 1832, and was examined and analysed by PELLE- 
TIER,* who gave to it the name of Paramorphine, expressive of its isomerism 
with morphine, which he supposed to be established by his analysis. It was after- 
wards examined by Covrrset and by Kane,t with results differing widely from 
one another and from PELLETIER, and each has deduced from his analysis a dif- 
ferent formula, none of which can be considered as agreeing in a satisfactory 
manner with the analytical numbers, as is obvious from the following tabular view 
of their analyses, recalculated according to the corrected atomic weight of carbon, 
and compared with the formula deduced from them and the theoretical numbers 
which they ought to give. 

















PELLETIER. CovuERBE. Kane, 
TT a 
Carbon, 71:09 71-07 70-96 73°39 73:07 
Hydrogen, 6:29 6-47 6:44 6:78 6°85 
Nitrogen, 4-40 6°38 ne 6:94 
Oxygen, U7 22) 16-08 aS 12-89 Bob 
100-00 100-00 100-00 
PELLETIER’s formula, , Cai, INO: 
CovERBE’s, a 2 : C,, H,;.; NO, 
Kane’s, : é op ey, ~=NO, 
Calculation— 
PELLETIER’S CoUERBE’S KANE’S 
Formula. Formula. Formula. 
Carbon, 71:83 71:59 74:25 
Hydrogen, 6°34 6-44 6:93 
Nitrogen, 4:93 6-68 6:93 
Oxygen, 16-90 15-29 11:89 
100-00 100-00 100-00 
The atomic weight has been determined by Coverse and Kane by ascertaining 
the amount of hydrochloric acid absorbed by the dry base. Their results, how- 
ever, differ in a very remarkable manner, and do not admit of any conclusion or 
_ satisfactory deductions being made fromthem. CovrrBeE, who does not give any 
particulars as to the method in which his experiment was made, found that 100 
_ parts of base absorb 8°35 of the acid. KANE, on the other hand, found that when 
the hydrochloric acid was passed into thebaine, at the temperature of 212°, it 
absorbed as the mean of two experiments, which, however, do not agree very 
F well, 16:96 per cent. of the dry gas; but that when the absorption took place at 
* Journal de Pharmacie, vol. xxi., p. 569. 
+ Annales de Chimie et de Physique, vol. lix., p. 155. 
¢ Annalen der Chemie, vol. xix., p. 9. 
VOL. XX. PART III. 5D 
