MORPHINE 



269 



found in commerce. It readily loses some of its water of crystalliza- 

 tion even at a temperature of 30 40 C. At 25 C. one part of 

 morphine sulphate is soluble in 15.3 parts of water; 465 parts of 

 alcohol; it is nearly insoluble in ether or chloroform. The crystals 

 formed on a slide from alcoholic solutions vary in length from 0.1 

 mm. to 0.8 mm. When prepared from aqueous solutions they may 

 attain a length of 20 mm. (Fig. 122). 



The following color tests are of some practical value in the identi- 

 fication of morphine and its salts. On the addition of morphine to 



FIG. 122. Morphine sulphate: orthorhombic crystals from aqueous solution. 



concentrated sulphuric acid containing a little potassium dichromate, 

 little or no change is produced at first, but the solution later becomes 

 of a green color. On the addition first of some cane sugar to morphine 

 and then of concentrated sulphuric acid and a little bromin water, 

 the solution becomes purplish-red, changing to violet-blue, blue-green 

 and finally a dingy yellow. Morphine gives a blue color with dilute 

 solutions of ferric chloride, which is destroyed on heating, and it 

 gives an orange or reddish color with nitric acid. On heating mor- 



