380 Miscellanies. 
nine, narceine, meconic acid, brown acid, an acid fay matter, resin, 
caoutchouc, nl bassorine, and ligneux. The narceine — 
one entirely 
Agreeably to sig ote of the twelve substances of whichpianiiie 
composed, four are electro-positive, (that is act as bases,) morphine, 
» Meconine, and narceine; four are electro-negative, (that 
is act as acids,) meconic acid, brown acid, fatty acid, and resin ; and 
four are chemically indifferent ; caoutchouc, gum, bassorine and lig- 
neux. The active properties of opium appear to reside in the elee- 
tro-positive substances. Experiment, however, has not yet confirmed 
this fact, in relation to narceine.*—Rev. Encyc. Juillet, 1832. — 
& gt eee 
oni _Meconine.—The chemical history of this parent was read 
by M. Camunany. the aera to the French Academy, on the 
_Inwas. eleieelc in 1830, by M. Coverse, and shout ‘the same 
time perceived and imperfectly described by M. Dublanc. The 
process followed, and described in details; by the former, is, in sab- 
stance, the following. An aqueous solution of opium is filtered, 
evaporated, and precipitated by dilute ammonia—the mass formed 
in the ammoniacal fluid after a repose of fifteen or twenty days, is dis- 
solved in boiling alcohol, and crystallised—these crystals are purified 
by solution in boiling water, and by animal charcoal—the erystals, 
which are again formed, are treated with boiling ether, which dis- 
solves only the meconine, which is allowed to crystallize. » Meco- 
nine is white, crystallizes i in six sided prisms, two sides of which are 
larger than the ge Serounsiod by a Cheiees summit—witbout 
smell—its taste, at first le, afterwards rid—at 90° 
cent. it liquefies—melts completely at 90,502, and ‘remains Aid at 
75°—at 155° it vaporises, and may be distilled unchanged— 
ing it becomes a white mass—soluble in 2653 parts of cold. water, 
and in 18.55 parts of hot water—more soluble in alcohol ; 
and crystallizes from all these solutions. - Heated with water it t opa- 
lises, the crystals become deformed, rise to the surface in flocculi, 
then assume an oily appearance, and at length disappear > dissolved 
in water, itis precipitated by sub-acetate, but not by neutral acetate 
— it dissolves i in most of the alkalies com ee ‘it is precip 
*s A very favorable report on Pelletier’s memoir 0 on a Opium, oe 
my of sciences, by Chevreul and Gay Lussac. . 
