358 PRACTICAL ORGANIC AND BIO-CHEMISTRY 



Properties. 



Brucine crystallises from water in colourless prisms with 4 molecules 

 of water of crystallisation. The anhydrous substance melts at 178. It is 

 slightly soluble in water and alcohol and is very similar to strychnine, but is 

 not so poisonous. 



It .gives the following reaction : 



A deep brown-red colour is formed on adding nitric acid to a brucine 

 salt ; the colour changes to yellow on warming. The colour becomes violet 

 on adding stannous chloride. 



Constitution. 



Brucine seems to be a dimethoxy derivative of strychnine and is a deri- 

 vative of quinoline. 



Morphine. C 17 H 19 NO 3 . 



Morphine is the chief alkaloid contained in the heads of poppies, 

 Papaver somniferum. The alkaloids are present as sulphates and 

 meconates. 



Preparation. 



Incisions are made in poppy heads and the juice which exudes is col- 

 lected and dried. This dry mass is termed opium. 



The opium is treated with boiling water and the solution containing 

 the salts of the bases is made alkaline with milk of lime. Calcium meconate 

 and the alkaloids are precipitated. The alkaline solution containing the mor- 

 phine is concentrated and warmed with ammonium chloride, so as to form 

 calcium chloride, as long as ammonia is evolved. On standing morphine 

 separates out and is crystallised from alcohol. 



Properties. 



Morphine crystallises from alcohol in small colourless prisms with one 

 molecule of water. It is slightly soluble in water and its solution has a bitter 

 taste. It is soluble in alcohol. An alcoholic solution of opium is termed 

 laudanum. 



It is a base which forms salts with acids, the hydrochloride being used in 

 medicine ; it combines with i molecule of methyl iodide. 



Morphine may be detected by the following reactions : 



(1) A deep blue coloration is formed on adding ferric chloride to a solu- 

 tion of a morphine salt. 



(2) On adding a little morphine solution to iodic acid solution, iodine is 

 liberated and forms a brownish-red precipitate which reacts with starch. 



(3) On dissolving morphine in concentrated sulphuric acid and adding 

 concentrated nitric acid, after about 15 hours a deep blue-violet colour, 

 which changes to red, is produced. 



It is converted into apomorphine by loss of i molecule of water on heat- 

 ing with concentrated hydrochloric acid. 



