OPIUM BASES. 437 



resin precipitated with basic lead acetate. Thebaine 

 remains in solution, and after removing the lead with 

 sulphuric acid, it is precipitated with ammonia. For 

 the purpose of separating the papaverine from narco- 

 tine and the resin, the precipitate is boiled with alco- 

 hol, the solution evaporated, and the residue extracted 

 with hydrochloric acid. After evaporating again, and 

 allowing to stand for several days, papaverine hydro- 

 chlorate, which is difficultly soluble, separates, while 

 narcotine remains dissolved. 



The ammoniacal liquid, filtered off from narcotine, 

 papaverine, and thebaine, which contains the narceine, 

 is mixed with lead acetate ; filtered ; the lead removed 

 from the filtrate by sulphuric acid; then supersatu- 

 rated with ammonia; and evaporated at a gentle heat, 

 until a thin crust shows itself upon the surface. In a 

 few days narceine separates in a crystalline form, and is 

 purified by recrystallizing from water and alcohol. 



Preparation of morphine and narcotine. The separa- 

 tion of all the bases can only be accomplished when 

 large quantities of opium are employed. If the object 

 is only to obtain morphine and narcotine, the opium is 

 exhausted by digesting with dilute alcohol, and the fil- 

 trate then allowed to stand for a long time mixed with 

 an excess of ammonia. The separated bases are treated 

 with caustic potassa. The morphi ne is dissolved by this, 

 while the narcotine remains undissolved. The latter 

 is purified by recrystallization from alcohol. From 

 the alkaline solution the morphine is reprecipitated by 

 ammonium carbonate : and by dissolving in hydro- 

 chloric acid, recrystallizing the hydrochlorate, and 

 decomposing it with ammonia, and recrystallizing the 

 precipitate from alcohol, it is purified. 



1. Morphine, C 17 H 19 M) 3 + H 2 0. Crystallized from 

 alcohol it forms small, colorless shiny prisms ; precipi- 

 tated by ammonia, a white powdery mass. Has a 

 slightly bitter taste ; an alkaline reaction. Soluble in 

 500 parts of boiling water, but very slightly in cold 

 water, much more easily soluble in alcohol, insoluble 

 in ether, chloroform, and benzene; easily soluble in 



37* 



