1871.] 



History of the Opium Alkaloids. 



17 



Evidently a slight loss -of iodine has occurred from the action of the 

 adhering moisture while drying, as the original flakes contained rather too 

 high a percentage of iodine. 



This base is formed from the original one by the reaction 



C 63 H 8G I 2 N 4 12 , 4HI= 2H 2 + HI + C 63 H sl IN 4 O 10 . 4HI, 



identical with that taking place on treatment with water. 



A portion of the substance left after extraction with ether was treated 

 several times successively with large bulks of ether (about 4 litres of ether 

 to 10 grms. of precipitate each extraction). After the majority of the sub- 

 stance had thus been dissolved, a portion of the last ether extracts was 

 evaporated down and yielded flakes agreeing approximately with the com- 

 position required for a mixture of one molecule of C 63 H" 81 IN 4 O 10 , and two 

 molecules of C 63 H 80 N 4 O 10 . 



0-3565 grm. gave 0*926 C0 2 and 0*237 H 2 0. 

 0'3/6 grm. gave 0*255 Agl. 

 0*2455 grm. gave 0*1/0 Agl. 



Calculated. Found. 



C 70-67 70*84 



H 6*96 7*39 



I 3*67 3*66 3*73 



From the foregoing experiments it is clear that the action of solium 

 carbonate on the compound C 63 H 86 1 2 N 4 1 , ) 4HI is identical with that of 

 water described in § 2, the two bases C 63 H 81 IN 4 O i0 and C 68 H 80 N 4 lc 

 being the principal products. 



On precipitating in a similar way the compound C 63 H 82 T 2 N 4 O 10 , 4 HI, 

 the same reaction appears to take place ; from the precipitate ether extracts 

 only traces at first, indicating probably that the base C 63 H 82 1 2 N 4 O 10 is 

 not produced in any quantity, as apparently the more highly iodiz?d bases 

 are more soluble in ether. 



On treating the compound C G ^ U 82 1 2 N 4 6 , 4HI in the same way, an 

 analogous reaction seems to ensue ; the precipitate is very sparingly solu- 

 ble in ether, and on treatment with hydriodic acid furnished a hydriodate 

 of which 0*233 grm. dried at 100° gave 0*142 Agl: hence 1 = 32*94 

 per cent.; the compound C G8 H 83 N 2 O 10 , 4HI requires 31*13 per cent., 

 whilst the original substance requires 40*53 per cent. 



§ 4. Action of Hydriodic Acid on some of the foregoing Substances. 



As the action of water on the three compounds first described is to re- 

 move the elements of HI associated with the carbon radicals of the bases, 

 it was thought probable that by treating the products of the action of water 

 on these compounds with strong boiling hydriodic acid, the HI thus lost 

 might be again added on. A reaction of this nature does indeed take place, 

 but does not always stop at the reproduction of the original bodies, another 



VOL. XX, C 



