384 Scientific Intelligence. — Medical Chemistry. 



By an analogous process, crystals of oxide of lead, of zinc, he. 

 may be formed. 



To decompose carburet of sulphur, M. B. puts it in at the bottom 

 of a tube, covers it with nitrate of copper of a lighter specific grav- 

 ity, and makes the strip of copper pass into both fluids ; the carburet 

 is decomposed, as well as part of the nitrate ; crystals of protoxide 

 of copper are deposited on the strip, and carbon in very thin plates, 

 of a metallic appearance on the sides of the tubes. A. D. 



Bib. Univ. Aout. 1829. 



MEDICAL CHEMISTRY. 



1. Preparation of Morphia, without the use of Alcohol. — Having 

 observed that it was easy to separate morphia from narcotine, by the 

 use of very weak muriatic acid added to perfect neutralization, MM. 

 Henri and Plisson founded upon it the following process. Five 

 hundred parts of opium are to be divided into small strips, and in- 

 fused thrice, each time in 500 parts of water, at 80° or 100° Fahr. 

 with 20 parts of muriatic acid. The residue is to be pressed, all the 

 liquor put together, and a very slight excess of weak solution of am- 

 monia or caustic soda added. This deposit is to be collected and 

 carefully washed. The mother liquors are to be acidulated, concen- 

 trated, and decomposed in the same manner. Potash, soda, and 

 ammonia retain a large quantity of morphia in solution when the 

 liquors are diluted, but much of it is obtained by concentration. 



The deposit occasioned by the caustic alkalies is yellowish, and 

 composed principally of resin, caoutchouc, morphia, and narcotine, 

 colored by a brown matter. It is to be frequently washed with wa- 

 ter, slightly acidulated, and assisted by a moderate heat until the li- 

 quor ceases to be saturated ; a slight excess is to be allowed. The 

 hquor is then to be filtered and evaporated ; it contains a little resin 

 and extractive matter, and much muriate of morphia, (the part which 

 remains unacted upon, contains with the resin much narcotine ',) it is 

 to be concentrated considerably, and when brown crystals have 

 been formed, they are to be slightly washed, and then purified twice 

 by animal charcoal, and recrystallizations from water. The muriate 

 of morphia thus purified, is to be dissolved in a small quantity of wa- 

 ter slightly acidulated, and decomposed by a slight excess of ammo- 

 nia ; after which it is to be put upon a filter, washed and dried. 

 Four hundred parts of opium gave from 26 to 27 parts of morphia, 

 free from narcotine. It is yellowish, but solution in alcohol and 



