56 Morphium and Meconic Acid. [July, 



in an uncombined state, to which he gave the name of the 

 essential salt of opium. It possessed the narcotic properties of 

 this substance in a high degree, and in its chemical relations 

 partook of the nature of a resin. 



The examination of opium has been more lately undertaken 

 by M. Sertuerner, and the results of his experiments have been 

 considerably different from those of M. Derosne, or rather he 

 has carried his researches to a greater degree of minuteness, so 

 as to have detected in opium what seem to be two new vegetable 

 principles, one the morphium, which possesses many characters 

 of an alkali, the other, a new vegetable acid, to which he gives 

 the name of the meconic acid. To procure morphium, the 

 extract of opium is digested in acetic acid, or even in warm 

 water, ammonia is added in excess, and the morphium is preci- 

 pitated. It is, however, united to a quantity of extract and 

 meconic acid, to deprive it of which it is dissolved in diluted 

 sulphuric acid, and again precipitated by ammonia ; it may be 

 still further purified by alcohol. For the leading characters 

 of morphium and its combinations with the acids, we shall 

 refer our readers to the account which we have already given 

 of it, and shall now proceed to the meconic acid. This sub- 

 stance was entirely overlooked by M. Derosne in his examina- 

 tion of opium ; M. Sertuerner procured it by the following 

 process. After precipitating the morphium from a solution of 

 opium by ammonia, he adds to the residual fluid a solution of 

 the muriate of barytes ; a precipitate is in this way formed which 

 is conceived to be a quadruple compound of barytes, morphium, 

 extract, and the meconic acid. The extract is removed by 

 alcohol, and the barytes by sulphuric acid, when the meconic 

 acid is left merely in combination with a portion of the morphium, 

 and from this it is purified by successive solutions and evapora- 

 tions. The acid when sublimed forms long colourless needles ; 

 it has a strong affinity for the oxide of iron, so as to take it from 

 the muriatic solution, and form with it a cherry-red precipitate ; 

 it also forms a crystallizable salt with lime, which is not decom- 

 posed by sulphuric acid ; and what is of importance, it seems to 

 possess no particular power over the body when received into 

 the stomach. The essential salt of opium obtained by M. De- 

 rosne is conceived to have been the meconate of morphium, i.e. 

 a compound of the two new principles contained in opium. 



The two new substances have been examined by M. Robi- 

 quet and M. Vogel. M. Robiquet, in order to discover whether 

 the morphium owed any of its peculiar characters to a portion 

 of ammonia still adhering to it, substituted magnesia for the 

 ammonia ; but he procured morphium by this process of the same 

 nature as in the former ; it exhibited an equally, or even a more- 

 decisive alkaline character. M. Robiquet employed a more 

 effectual method of procuring the meconic acid than that 



