212 IV. OILY COMPOUND COMBUSTIBLES.— 



taste is exceedingly bitter : it is soluble in water, as also in 

 alcohol of sp. grav. 936 ; but insoluable in ether or pure alcohol. 

 This has been considered capable of curing intermittent fever. 



Morphia, Morpldum, Morphine. Opium *iij, water 5X, soak 

 for five days ; filter, add calcined magnesia 3J gr. xij : or rather 

 quicklime 3jss ; boil for ten minutes, filter, wash with cold water 

 till the water passes off clear, dry, and digest in warm alcohol of 

 22 deg. as long as it becomes coloured : boil the residuum in 

 alcohol of 32 deg. for a few minutes; filter while hot, and as it 

 cools, crystals of morphia will separate. These crystals may be 

 purified by boiling them in alcohol, and recrystallizing them. 

 Bone black may also be used to separate the colouring matter ; 

 extremely bitter, narcotic, used in the form of an acetate or sul- 

 phate. — The residuum, Extract of opium exhausted of moiyhine, 

 is also used ; gr. iiij are equal to gr. j of extractum opii aquosum, 

 or to i gr. of morphine. 



Naucotine, Sel (Topium^ Matiere de Derosnc. Exhaust opium 

 of whatever water will separate from it, dry the remainder, add 

 muriatic acid at 4 deg. Baume, or rather pyrohgneous acid at 4 

 or 5 deg., strain with pressure: to the liquor add ammonia, wash 

 the precipitate with boihng alcohol at 36 (^Qg.-) thenarcotine taken 

 up will separate as the alcohol cools, and may be purified by bone 

 black : narcotic. 



Extract of opium exhausted of naucotine. Evaporate 

 the washings of the opium nearly to dryness, add ether to dissolve 

 any narcotine which may be left in them, decant, and evaporate to 

 an extract : superior to the ordinary watery extract of opium. 

 — Codeine. In treating solution of opium with muriate of lime 

 a muriate of morphia is precipitated, in combination with codeine. 

 This latter substance forms, with the acid and morphia, Girgori/s 

 salt, or the double muriate of morphia and codeine. From this the 

 latter is separated by ammonia, the major part of the morphia 

 precipitating. The supernatant solution of codeine and ammo- 

 nia, with some non-precipitated morphia, is concentrated until the 

 chlorohydrate of ammonia begins to crystallize, and with it the 

 double salt of morphia and codeine. The crystals are to be dis- 

 solved in water, filtered through charcoal, and a slight excess of 

 caustic potash added, by which means the codeine alone is preci- 

 pitated, and is then taken up by alcohol or ether. Codeine com- 

 bines with acids, forming salts ; its action similar to that of mor- 

 phia, but is not so powerful, one grain of it being equivalent to 

 half a grain of morphia. Some say that it possesses a specific 

 influence over the ganglionic system of nerves. It may be given 

 either in a julep, or in pills. The hydrochlorate is more active 

 than the simple codeine. 



PiPERiNE. Digest bruised black pepper lb. ij in alcohol at 



