Ö3 



looiling alcohol of 95°/^. The C. deposited on cooling is 

 purified by recrystallisations. — The C. appears as a white ijowder, 

 under the microscoi^e as needle-shaped, sericeous crystals ; of 

 poignantly aci-id taste and without odour. It is insoluble in cold, 

 very sparingly in hot water, readily soluble in alcohol, insoluble in 

 ■ether; of neutral reaction. Alkalies dissolve it with yellow, 

 afterwards red colour. Subacetate of lead forms with it on 

 heating a yellow precipitate. It may be fused and sublimed by 

 careful heating withoixt any residue, while emitting the odour 

 •of Cumarin.] 



Codeiu = C36 H21 NO c + 2H0. In the opium. Exhaust, 

 according to Robertson-Gregory's method for obtaining the most 

 important ingredients, the opium with water of 38°, eva]:)orate the 

 liquid under addition of j^ulverised chalk to a syrup, add chloride 

 ■of calcium in excess, and boil for a few minutes. Dilute the fluid 

 cold with a moderate quantity of water, whereby resinous flocks, 

 meconate of lime and dyeing substances are thrown down, filter, 

 ■evaporate under addition of a piece of chalk to the jwint of 

 crystallisation, and separate the liquid from the sediment. The 

 ■crystals, a mixture or double-salt of the chloride of morphin 

 and Codein, obtained on cooling and concentrating, are freed from 

 the black mother-ley by pressing and purified by recrystallising. 

 Dissolve these in water and add ammonia, which precipitates the 

 nioi-phin. In concentrating the filtered liquid chloride of Codein 

 ■crystallises first jDredominantly, and has to be freed from the bulk 

 of chloride of ammonium by recrystallisation; it is then dissolved in 

 hot water and decomposed by concentrated ley of potash, whereby 

 a part of the Codein separates in the form of an oil, afterwards con- 

 gealing, and another part crystallises on cooling. Wash with 

 water, dissolve in ether, and evaporate under addition of water. — 

 Forms small, white, silky scales, of little taste (its salts are bitter), 

 fuses at 100° under loss of water, and decomposes afterwards; dis- 

 solves in 80 parts cold and in 1 7 parts boiling water, more readily in 

 alcohol and in ether, in liquor of ammonia about as much as in water, 

 in concentrated sulphuric acid without colour and turning brown 

 by heat, in concentrated nitric acid under explosion with red 

 colour, is not afiected by chloride of iron and iodic acid. Combines 

 with acids to mostly crystallisable salts which are almost insoluble 

 in ether and not precipitated by ammonia or carbonate of soda, 

 but are so incompletely by caustic potash. 



Colchicine: C34 H19 NOio. In all parts of Colchicum autum- 

 nale. Exhaust the seeds with alcohol of 90%, evaporate to a 

 syi-up, and mix hot with twenty times its quantity of water. 

 Allow to rest, remove the fat-oil from the surface and ]:)recipitate 

 the filtered liquid with subacetate of lead, remove from the filtered 

 liquid the lead with phosj^hate of soda, and precipitate the Colchi- 



