136 



Myrrll. Exudation ot the stem of Balsamodendron Myrrha. 

 Yellow-brown, of a wax or resin-like gloss, brittle, of balsamic 

 odour, and of bitter aromatic taste. Contains about 45% resin, 

 41% gum, 2.5°/^ volatile oil. The resin (myrrhin) is red-brown, 

 brittle, has (warm) a myri-h-like odour, fuses at 90-95°, dissolves in 

 alcohol, ether, acetic acid, only partially in hot potash-ley, and 

 consists of C48 H32 Oio- 



IVajJClliH. Besides Aconitin the other peculiar alkaloid of the 

 root of Aconitum Na{)ellus, and some other kinds of the same 

 genus of Ranunculaceoe. To prepare it, withdraw the aconitin 

 from the raw aconitin with the least possible quantity of pure 

 ether, dissolve the residue in absolute alcohol, filter, add acetate 

 of lead as long as it causes any turbidity, agitate and let digest, 

 filter, throw down the excess of lead by sul})huret of hydrogen, 

 leave to digest warm, filter, evaporate the alcohol, add carbonate 

 of potash, bring to dryness, exhaust with absolute alcohol, filter 

 through animal charcoal and bring to dryness. — Triturated, a white, 

 electric powder of bitter and afterwards burning taste, dissolves with 

 some difiiculty in ether, considerably more readily in water and 

 in alcohol than aconitin, has a decidedly alkaline reaction, satu.rates 

 the acids completely; is not (on account of its solubility in water) 

 pi'ecipitated by ammonia from the aqueous solutions of its salts. 



[According to later researches of Huebschmann, Napellin is 

 probably identical with Acolyctin.] 



!XlTrceill=C46 H29 NOis. Iii- opium. Mix the aqueous extract of 

 opium, after it has been freed from nieconin, morphin, narcotin, 

 and meconic acid, by oversaturating it with ammonia, cooling, 

 filtering, concentrating the filtrate, and precipitating with solution of 

 baryta : — with carbonate of ammonia, in order to remove the excess 

 of bai-yta, and evaporate to a liquid of syrup thickness. — The 

 impure Nai'cein crystallises after a few days, and has to be purified 

 by pressmg ofi" the mother-ley, and recrystallising in alcohol. 

 Traces of codem and of meconin are removed by ether. It crystal- 

 lises in white, silky, sliining, delicate needles, tastes slightly 

 bitter with an almost metallic aftertaste, fuses at 92°, and is 

 decomposed in higher temperatures; dissolves in 375 parts cold 

 and in 230 parts hot water (according to Anderson it dissolves 

 readily in hot water), readily in alcohol, not in ether, has no 

 alkaline reaction, is dissolved more readily by ammonia and by 

 the diluted fixed alkalies than by water, but is separated as an 

 oily liquid by addition of much concentrated potash-ley even from 

 the hot solution. With diluted nitric acid a yellow liquid is 

 obtained on heating, which evolves the odour of a volatile base 

 with caustic potash; with concentrated nitric acid oxalic acid is 

 obtained. It dissolves in concentrated sulphuric acid with an 

 intensely red colour, and turns green on heating. With strong 



