﻿CRYSTALLINE 
  CONSTITUENTS 
  OF 
  OPIUM. 
  349 
  

  

  morphia 
  is 
  deposited. 
  As 
  the 
  final 
  result 
  of 
  these 
  processes 
  there 
  is 
  obtained 
  a 
  

   thick 
  fluid, 
  perfectly 
  black, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  consistence 
  of 
  tar, 
  which 
  formed 
  the 
  raw 
  

   material 
  for 
  my 
  investigation. 
  

  

  I. 
  Preparation 
  of 
  the 
  Bases. 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  mother 
  liquor 
  just 
  referred 
  to 
  is 
  diluted 
  with 
  water, 
  and 
  filtered 
  

   through 
  cloth 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  separate 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  a 
  brown 
  flocky 
  matter 
  

   which 
  is 
  deposited. 
  To 
  the 
  filtered 
  fluid 
  ammonia 
  is 
  added 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  a 
  precipitate 
  

   is 
  obtained, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  is 
  strained 
  through 
  a 
  cloth 
  filter, 
  and 
  the 
  precipitate 
  

   subjected 
  to 
  strong 
  pressure. 
  The 
  precipitate 
  thus 
  obtained 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  rather 
  dark- 
  

   brown 
  colour, 
  and 
  granular, 
  but 
  if 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  press 
  for 
  any 
  length 
  of 
  time, 
  is 
  apt 
  

   to 
  run 
  together 
  into 
  a 
  resinous 
  mass. 
  It 
  must, 
  therefore, 
  be 
  rapidly 
  removed 
  

   before 
  this 
  change 
  has 
  taken 
  place, 
  broken 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  hands 
  in 
  a 
  fresh 
  quantity 
  

   of 
  water, 
  and 
  again 
  expressed 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  repeated 
  several 
  times, 
  until 
  the 
  fluid 
  

   which 
  runs 
  off 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  dark-coloured. 
  The 
  precipitate 
  consists 
  principally 
  of 
  

   narcotine, 
  along 
  with 
  a 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  resin 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   thebaine 
  ; 
  the 
  filtrate 
  contains 
  narceine, 
  and 
  must 
  be 
  preserved 
  for 
  the 
  prepara- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  that 
  substance. 
  

  

  A 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  precipitate 
  is 
  boiled 
  with 
  rectified 
  spirit 
  and 
  filtered 
  hot 
  ; 
  on 
  

   cooling, 
  impure 
  and 
  very 
  dark-coloured 
  crystals 
  of 
  narcotine 
  are 
  deposited, 
  which 
  

   are 
  collected 
  on 
  a 
  cloth 
  washed 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  cold 
  alcohol 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   pressed. 
  The 
  mother 
  liquor 
  of 
  these 
  crystals 
  is 
  then 
  employed 
  for 
  the 
  solution 
  

   of 
  a 
  fresh 
  quantity 
  of 
  the 
  precipitate, 
  the 
  crystals 
  obtained 
  washed 
  and 
  expressed 
  

   as 
  before, 
  and 
  the 
  operation 
  repeated 
  until 
  the 
  whole 
  precipitate 
  has 
  been 
  treated 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  way. 
  The 
  impure 
  crystals 
  of 
  narcotine 
  are 
  then 
  reduced 
  to 
  powder 
  

   and 
  rubbed 
  into 
  a 
  paste 
  with 
  a 
  concentrated 
  solution 
  of 
  caustic 
  potash. 
  After 
  

   standing 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  a 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  is 
  added, 
  and 
  the 
  narcotine 
  is 
  

   deposited 
  in 
  a 
  much 
  less 
  coloured 
  state, 
  the 
  resinous 
  impurities 
  being 
  retained 
  in 
  

   solution 
  by 
  the 
  potash. 
  The 
  solution 
  is 
  then 
  poured 
  off, 
  the 
  precipitate 
  of 
  narco- 
  

   tine 
  washed 
  with 
  water, 
  and 
  finally 
  purified 
  by 
  several 
  crystallisations 
  from 
  boil- 
  

   ing 
  alcohol. 
  

  

  The 
  alcoholic 
  solution 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  first 
  dark-coloured 
  crystals 
  of 
  narcotine 
  

   were 
  deposited, 
  on 
  being 
  distilled 
  in 
  the 
  water-bath, 
  leaves 
  behind 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  amorphous 
  mass 
  containing 
  much 
  resin 
  mixed 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  

   narcotine 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  thebaine 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  original 
  precipitate. 
  This 
  

   residue 
  is 
  treated 
  with 
  hot 
  dilute 
  acetic 
  acid, 
  which 
  leaves 
  behind 
  a 
  large 
  quan- 
  

   tity 
  of 
  resinous 
  matter, 
  and 
  dissolves 
  the 
  two 
  bases, 
  along 
  with 
  a 
  certain 
  quantity 
  

   of 
  resin. 
  After 
  several 
  trials, 
  I 
  found 
  that 
  subacetate 
  of 
  lead 
  afforded 
  the 
  best 
  

   means 
  of 
  obtaining 
  the 
  thebaine 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  purity 
  from 
  this 
  solution. 
  When 
  

   subacetate 
  of 
  lead 
  is 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  acetic 
  solution 
  until 
  the 
  reaction 
  becomes 
  dis- 
  

  

  