TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 67 



the wooden plunger is depressed, when, from displacement, the acid rises and is 

 thus brought into contact with the zinc. When the plug is down the supply of gas is 

 self-regulating, Just as in the apparatus of Dobereiner. The other form of generator, 

 and the one which the author generally uses, is made from a wide-mouthed bottle 

 containing acid. Into the mouth of this bottle fits a glass cylinder containing the 

 materials for generating the gas. At the shoidder of the bottle is a hole admitting 

 a small india-rubber tube, on which is placed a pinch-tap. 



Supposing the apparatus is wanted in action, the pinch-tap is opened and air 

 forced into the bottle by means of the mouth. The pressure of air forces acid up 

 the cylinder, when immediately the gas is given off. The apparatus is put out of 

 action in a moment by opening the pinch-tap, when the confined air escapes and 

 the acid falls. Instead of using the mouth to compress the air, a small india- 

 rubber ball may be used. 



Neiu Derivatives from Codeine and Morpliine. By CR. A. Weight, D.Sc. 

 Lond., Lecturer on Chemistry in St. Mary's Hospital, London. 



Since the last Meeting of the Association the following further residts have been 

 obtained, partly in conjunction with ISIr. E. L. Mayer, of Glasgow. 



Some of the polymerides of morphine corresponding to the di-, tri-, and tetra- 

 codeine described in last year's paper are obtainable by the action of sulphuric acid 

 diluted with its own bulk of water on morphine at 100°. Although dicodeine is 

 readily obtainable from codeine in this way, dimorphine does not appear to result in 

 any appreciable quantity ; trimorphine and tetramorphine, on the other hand, are 

 readily producible, the physical properties of these two bases and their derivatives 

 corresponding exactly with those of tricodeine and tetracodeine respectively. The 

 derivatives of the four series of polymerides may be thus characterized : — 



Mono-series (non-polymerized). Bases crystalline ; salts crystalline. 



Z)j-series (polymerized). Bases amorphous and soluble in ether ; salts crystalline, 



TV-t-series (polymerized). Bases amorphous and soluble in ether; salts amorphous. 



2e</-a-serie3 (polymerized). Bases amorphous and insoluble in ether; salts 

 amorplious. 



On account of their physical properties, the bases hitherto provisionally termed 

 "apomoi-phine," " deoxycodeine," and " deoxymorphine " are viewed as being 

 derivatives of (hypothetical) dimorphine or of dicodeine respectively. 



Trimorphine, when administered subcutaneously to cats, produces excitement 

 and salivation, with slight hypnotesia, but no vomiting ; tetramorphine, on the 

 other hand, is a most energetic emetic, its action being (so far as cats are con- 

 cerned) much more marked than even that of " apomorphine." 



Trimorphine is acted on by hydrochloric acid, producing a chlorinated base ; in 

 this respect trimorphine is not analogous to tricodeine, which only loses the 

 elements of water by this treatment ; thus, 



Tricodeine C3 =6H.,0+(C3-6H2 0), 



Trimorphine M3 -f- 2H01 = 2PI, O + (M3 + 2HC1 - 2H, 0). 



The occurrence of this reaction proves that the base termed trimorphine (and 

 hence also by analogy tricodeine) is actually the treble polymeride of morphine — 

 a conclusion hitherto only deduced from the physical properties of the series of 

 polymerides. 



Tetramorphine, like tetracodeine, is not acted on by hydrochloric acid. 



The so-called " sulphomorphide " of Arppe and of Laurent and Gerhardt, 

 supposed by the latter to be a kind of amide, is found to be nothing but the 

 sulphate of tetramorphine ; its formation is accompanied by the production of 

 minute quantities of "apomorphine." 



The action of hydrochloric acid on morphine appears to give rise, first, to 

 chlorinated bases derived from non-polymerized morphine — a mixture of sub- 

 stances of compositions (M-l-IICl), (M-(-H01-H, O), and (M-(-2HGl-2H2 O) 

 being produced, — and secondly, by the further alteration of these just formed 

 substances, to "apomorphine " and a chlorinated tetra-base (M^+2HC1). 



5* 



