fi.; 



DICTIONAKV 111' Till-. ACTIVE I'RI \CI I'l.KS 



benzene, petroleum ether, methyl alcohol, fatty oils, and methyl iodide ; 

 not in cold water, but slightly on boiling. 

 Precipitants : 



Phospho-molybdic acid, white. 



lodo pntassic iodide, brownish- 

 purple, becoming crystalline. 



Cadmiura-potassic iodide, white. 



Mercuric-potassic iodide, white. 



Mercuric chloride, white. 



Xessler's reagent, grayish-brown 

 PP- 



; optically inactive ; 

 Odour on acidifica- 



Alkaline hydrates, oily pj). 



„ carbonates. 

 Ammonia, oily p]i. 

 Picric acid. 

 Platinum chloride. 

 Palladious chloride. 

 Gold chloride. 



Potassium bichromate, yellow 

 Colour tests : 



Concentrated sulphuric acid with potassium bichromate, blood-red to 



violet. 

 Concentrated sulphuric acid with nitric acid, violet. 



„ nitric acid (alone), gradually reddish-violet. 



§ l.'.T. NUPHAR luteuni (Yellow Water Lily) ; Niimphidceii. The 

 rhizome. 



NUPHARINE A., CuH.,,N.,Oo ; amorphous ; M.P. C..', 

 not bitter (but salts are bitter). Salts amorphous, 

 tion. 



Soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, amyl alcohol, acetone ; almost 

 insoluble in petroleum ether. 



Removed by chloroform from alkaline solutions. 



Not precipitated by neutral lead acetate. 



Pp. by most alkaloid reagents. 



Concentrated sulphuric acid, on warming, brown, then greenish ; water 

 then gives yellowish-brown pp. 



§ l."iS. ONONIS spinosa, L. ; Ler/umlnonn: The root. Investigators : 

 Rheinsch, Rrjier/. Pharm., vols. 70, 7S ; Hlasiwetz, J. Prart. Phariii., 65. 



((') ONONIN G., C.inHjjO,., (?) ; crys. microscopic plates and prisms ; 

 M.P. -J.^).')" (recrystalliziug on cooling) ; no odour ; not bitter. Acids yield 

 sugar and Formonetin, (b). 



Soluble in alcohol after long boiling ; not in ether or in cold water • 

 with difficulty in hot water (crystals appear on cooling). 



It is carried down by the lead sulphide formed in freeing the vegetable 

 extract from excess of lead acetate. 



No pp. with cadmium-potassic iodide (Uragcndoiff). 



Colour tests : 



Concentrated sulphuric acid, yellowish-red changing to cherry-red. 

 „ ., „ with manganese dioxide, carmine. 



„ nitric acid, yellow, with formation of oxalic acid. 



Friihde's reagent, pure red, lasting some time. 



ill) FORMONETIN G.-deriv. from preceding; pale violet colouring matter, 

 yielding Ononetin and formic acid on treatment with Baryta water. 



(r) ONONID B. [Ononis-glycyrrhizin, Glycyrrhizin V (Hlasiwetz)]. 

 CigH-.O, ; dark yellow, amorphous ; acid reaction; slightly bitter, then 

 sweet. 



Soluble in alcohol and water. 

 Precipitants : 



Lead acetate neutral. 1 [Nut tannic acid.] 



„ ,, basic. I Copper, mercury and silver salts. 



Acids precipitate from aqueous solution. 

 «/l ONOCERIN ; crystalline. 



Soluble in alcohol and warm turpentine, with difficulty in water, not in 

 ether. 



No change with acids or alkalies. 



§ 1")'.'. OPIUM, from Papaver somniferum (Poppy) ; Pajmrerace". 

 The whole of the alkaloids described below, except tho.se which are stated 

 to be artificial derivatives of the naturally occurring bases. 



Only the following six are found in appreciable quantities, and only the 

 first three of these are physiologically active (some of the rarer alkaloids 

 of Opium are also jioisonous, as will be seen) : 



Morphine average say 10 per cent, i 



Codeine O-J.'i to O.'i ,, lactive and basic. 



Thebaine OK) ., 10 „ J 



Narcotine average IJ „ I i- i ■ i- j 



Papaverine „ 1 ! comparatively inactive and 



Narceine ., do „ , °«"'^'''- 



As would be expected, the relative proportions vary considerably. 

 Morphine may be said roughly to fluctuate from about half the above 

 figure (though rarely to that extent) to half as much again. Narcotine 

 varies through wider limits. (French Opium frequently contains none, and 

 East Indian more Narcotine than Morphine. ) Narceine sometimes exceeds 

 Thebaine in quantity. 



Excluding JMorphine and Narcotine, the total of other alkaloids may 

 amount to O.") to, say, '2 per cent. Of Crvptopine, T. and H. Smith 



