1869.] 



the Chemical Constitution of Narcotine. 



343 



(CH 3 ) 2 , and the latter by substitution of H for CH 3 ; only the latter has 

 been isolated in a pure state, the former decomposing spontaneously. 

 C 10 H 10 3 + 2HCl=2CH 3 C1+ C, H, 0„ 

 C I0 H 10 O 5 + HCl = CH.d + C.H.O,. 

 Hydriodic acid apparently produces similar decompositions. 



Like opianic acid, methyl-noropianic acid is monobasic (vol. xvi. p. 39). 



(12) All experiments to oxidize meconin to opianic acid or hemipinic 

 acid or any other product have proved failures. 



(13) Meconin treated with excess of hydrochloric or hydriodic acid forms 

 chloride or iodide of methyl, and a body derived from meconin by substi- 

 tution of H for CH 3 , methyl-normeconin. 



C 10 H 10 4 + HC1 = CH 3 C1+ C 9 H 8 4 . 

 Attempts to procure (hypothetical) normeconin by substituting H 2 for 

 (CH ) did not yield anything capable of isolation in a pure state (vol. xvi. 

 p. 390. 



(14) Hemipinic acid treated with various reducing agents has in no case 

 been reduced to opianic acid or meconin ; nor have experiments to form 

 opianic acid by the union of hemipinic acid and meconin been successful ; 

 nor has hemipinic acid been oxidized to any other compound. 



(15) When hemipinic acid is heated with excess of hydrochloric acid, 

 chloride of methyl and carbonic acid are formed, together with a new acid, 

 methyl-hypogallic acid, in accordance with the following equation : — 



C 10 H 10 0, + HCI=CH, C1+C0 2 + C 8 H 8 4 . 

 When heated with hydriodic acid, hypogallic acid is found, together with 

 iodide of methyl and carbonic acid : thus, 



C 10 H 10 O 6 + 2HI=2CH 3 I + CO 2 +C 7 H 6 4 (vol. xvi. p. 40). 



(16) The observations of Anderson, that hemipinic acid is bibasic, have 

 been confirmed, and an anhydride obtained by simple desiccation (vol. xvii. 

 p. 341). 



C ]0 H 10 O 6 =H 2 O + C 10 H 8 O 5 . 

 Methyl-hypogallic acid, however, is monobasic (vol. xvi. p. 40). 



(17) Hemipinic acid is capable of crystallizing with different amounts 

 of water of crystallization, crystals with half a molecule, with a whole mo- 

 lecule, and with two molecules of water having been obtained (vol. xvi. 

 p. 40). 



(18) All the reactions of narcotine and of its products of decomposition 

 may be satisfactorily accounted for by the following rational formula :— 



CH 3 



(c u H 9 o 2 y P' 



(c 3 h 4 orK, 



(CH 3 ) 2 H }0 3 . 



