330 



Transactions of the Zoological Soc. of Lond. Vol. III., Pts. 5 & 6. 4to. 



Proceedings of Do. Parts 15 & 16. 8vo. 



Reports of Council of Do. 1849. Bvo. — By the Society. 



Monday \bth Aft if. 

 Rev. Dr GORDON in the Chair. 



The following Communications were read: — 



1. On the Constitution of Codeine, and its Products of De- 

 composition. By Thomas Anderson, M.D. 



The author commenced his paper by referring to the analysis of 

 codeine made by different chemists. On these analyses four different 

 formulae had been founded ; but two only, those of Regnault and of 

 Gerhardt, required special mention, the others being now known 

 certainly not to represent the constitution of the base. Regnault 

 had deduced from his analysis the formula C35 Hjj, NOg, while 

 Gerhardt gives Cjg H^^ NOg as the expression of his results. 



The author submitted codeine to careful analysis, and obtained 

 the following results : — 



Calculation. 



Carbon, 71-91 72-02 72-09 72-09 72-24 



Hydrogen, 7-05 7-04 7-14 7-16 7*02 



Nitrogen, 4-41 4-60 4-50 ... 4-68 



Oxygen, 16-63 16-34 1627 ... 16-06 



100-00 100-00 lOO-OO 100-00 



agreeing closely with the formula Cgg H.^^ NOg, and confirmed by 

 the analysis of its platinum salt, which contains an equivalent of 

 water, and gave, as the mean of seven experiments, 19-25 per cent, 

 of platinum, while the calculated quantity is 19'19 per cent. 



The author then describes in detail the properties and constitution 

 of its salts. The hydrochlorate crystallizes in groups of short 

 radiated needles, the formula of which is Cgg Hjj NOg HCl +4 

 HO. The hydriodate is obtained in long needles, which, dried at 

 212', retain two equivalents of water, and have the formula Cgg Hjj 

 NOg HI + 2 HO. The sulphate, nitrate, phosphate, oxalate, hy- 

 drosulphocyauate, and platinochloride are also described. 



