OPIUM. 63 



Narcelne — Of this substance Couerbe found in opium Ol per cent. ; 

 T. and H. Smith 002 and Schindler 071. 



Cryptopine — exists in opium in very small proportion. T. and H. 

 Smith state that since the alkaloid first came under their notice, they 

 have collected of it altogether about 5 ounces in the form of hydro- 

 chlorate, and this small quantity in operating on many thousands of 

 pounds of opium. But they by no means assert that the whole of the 

 cryptopine was obtained. 



Rhceadinc — is also found only in exceedingly minute quantity. 



Meconic Acid — If the average amount of morphine in opium be 

 estimated at 15 j)er cent., and the alkaloid be supposed to exist as a 

 tribasic meconate, it would require for saturation 34 per cent, of 

 meconic acid. Wittstein obtained rather more than 3 per cent., T. and 

 H. Smith 4 per cent., and Decharmes 433. Opium produced in Vermont 

 3'ielded, according to Proctor (1870) 525 per cent, of meconic acid. 

 The quantity of acid required to unite with the other bases assuming 

 them to exist as salts can be but extremely small. 



Estimation of Morphine in Opium — The practical valuation of 

 opium turns in the first instance upon the estimation of the water pre- 

 sent in the drug, and in the second upon the proportion which the 

 latter contains of morphine.^ 



The first question is determined by exposing a known quantity of 

 the drug divided into small slices or fragments to the heat of a water- 

 bath until it cease to lose weight. 



For the estimation of the morphine many processes have been 

 devised, but none is perfectly satisfactory .^ That which we recommend 

 is thus performed : — Take of opium previously dried at 100° C, as above 

 stated, and powdered, 10 grammes ; shake it with 100 grammes alcohol 

 0950 sp. gr., and filter after a day or two. The weight of the liquid 

 should be made equal to 100 grammes. Add to it 50 grammes of ether 

 and 2 grammes of ammonia water 0960 sp. gr. ; collect the crystals of 

 opium which separate slowly, after a day or two, dry them at 100°C., 

 and weigh them. — On applying this method to Indian opium, we were 

 !)ut little satisfied with it. 



Commerce — By official statistics it appears that the quantity of 

 opium imported into the United Kingdom in 1872 was 356,211 lb., 

 valued at £361,503. The imports from Asiatic and European Turkey 

 are stated in the same tables thus : — 



1868 1870 1872 1874 



317,1331b. 276,6911b. 325,572 lb. 514,0001b. 



It is thus evident that the drug used in Great Britain is chiefly 

 Turkish. The import of opium from Persia has been very irregular. 

 In 1871, 21,894 lb. are reported as received from that country ; in 

 1872, none. 



cent, of narcotine is contrary to the ex- the bulk of the drug. "We prefer to take 



perience of all other chemists. The same a little piece from each of several lumps, 



must be said of Mulder's assertion respect- mix them in a mortar, and weigh from the 



ing an opium giving 6 to 13 per cent, of mixed sample the required quantity, 



narceine. 2 ggg ^Iso Proctor, Pharm. Joum. vii. 



1 In selecting a sample for analysis, care (1876) 244, and Yearbook of Pharm. 1877. 



should be taken that it fairly represents 528. 



