206 DR T. ANDERSON ON SOME OF THE 
COUERBE. REGNAULT. 
—_—————— eee aoa 
Carbon, . : . 60°87 61:03 60°86 61°63 61°36 61:22 61:51 
Hydrogen, : Perey al 5:54 5:09 5:22 5:40 5°33 5°34 
Oxygen, . - - 34:02 33°43 84:05 = 3315 33°24 33°45 33°15 
100:00 100-00 100-00 100-00 100:00 100-00 100-00 
numbers which agree very well with the formula C,, H, O,, given for meconine 
in the same paper. My own analyses completely confirm these results. The de- 
tails are as follows :— 
( 5-405 grains of meconine, dried at 212°, gave 
If, 12:170  ... carbonic acid, and 
2:495 ... water. : 
5-445 erains of meconine, dried at 212°, gave 
II.< 12-280 ... carbonic acid, and 
2-515 --» water. 
Experiment. Calculation. 
ne te Se SSS 
ig Il. 
Carbon, . : d 61:40 61:50 61-85 C,, 120 
Hydrogen, S 5 5:12 5:13 5:15 1a 10 
Oxygen, . 4 k 33°48 33:37 33-00 O, 64 
100:00 100-00 100-00 194 
In the calculated numbers, I have assumed its formula to be the same as that 
of opianyl, and it will be immediately shown that the true constitution of both 
substances is actually so represented. 
Properties of Meconine. 
Meconine crystallizes from its solution in water in brilliantly white and very 
beautiful needles, which are arranged in branched tufts, in a highly characteristic 
manner. Its taste is slightly but distinctly bitter. It is soluble in water, alcohol, 
and ether, and its saturated hot solution in the first menstruum becomes filled, 
on cooling, with a net-work of crystals, which occupies the whole of the fluid. It 
requires for solution 22 times its weight of boiling water, and upwards of 700 
times its weight of water at 60°. These numbers differ considerably from those 
of CovrrseE, who finds it to be soluble in 18°5 parts of hot, and 265 of cold water. 
Three careful determinations on solutions made by boiling with excess of meco- 
nine, allowing the fiuid to cool, and filtering from the deposited crystals, concurred 
in giving the former result; and in this respect meconine completely agrees with 
opianyl, which also requires 700 parts of cold water for solution. When dry me- 
conine melts at 230°, and not at 194°, as stated by CovErss. It fuses under water 
at a temperature of 170°, and it is possible that Covrrse may have been misled 
by this appearance, and determined its fusing point by heating it in water; but 
