1871.] History of the Opium Alkaloids. 11 



(B) Prepared by ether process : 



0-357 grm. gave 0-5655 C0 2 and 0*165 H 2 O. 

 0-2635 grm. gave 0-1895 Agl. 



(C) Another specimen prepared by ether process : 

 0-316 grm. gave 493 C0 2 and 0*135 H 2 0. 

 0-2865 grm. gave 0-2025 Ag. 



Found. 



C 68 



N 4 

 lo 



a 



H 86 I 2 N 4 12 , 4HI 



Calculated. 



816 



42-59 



90 



4-70 



762 



39-77 



56 



2-92 



192 



10-02 



1916 



100-00 



A. 

 42-36 

 5-08 

 38-16 



B. 

 43-20 



5-14 

 38-87 



c. 



42-54 

 4*75 

 38-19 



Mean. 

 42-70 

 4-99 

 38-41 



The falling short in the percentage of iodine found in these specimens is 

 readily accounted for by the action of the water which necessarily adheres 

 to the tarry product got by either of the above processes ; it will be sub- 

 sequently shown that by the action of water on this body the elements of 

 HI are removed from it. 



This compound is apparently formed by the reaction 



Codeia hvdriodate. New body. 



MC K VL„ N0 3) HI)+14HI=4CH 3 I + I i + C M H S6 I 2 N 2 I2 , 4HI. 



The iodine thus set free is of course reconverted into HI by the action of 

 the phosphorus, a mixture of phosphorous and phosphoric acids being 

 thereby produced. The reaction 



3I 2 + P 2 + 6H 2 O = 2H 3 P0 3 + 6HI 



requires for 50 grms. of codeia 3'45 grms. of phosphorus to be converted 

 into phosphorous acid ; whilst the equation 



5 1 2 + P 2 + 8H 2 O = 2H 3 P0 4 + 8HI 



requires 2'07 grms. to be converted into phosphoric acid. In one experi- 

 ment 2-8 grms. of phosphorus, as nearly as could be estimated, were found 

 to have become converted into the mixture of the two acids, 50 grms. of 

 codeia having been employed. 



On attempting to procure the free base C 63 H 96 1 2 N 2 12 from the hydrio- 

 date got as above, by precipitation with sodium carbonate, a snow-white 

 mass was obtained containing, besides a small quantity of the desired base 

 (soluble in ether), a large quantity of two other bases derived from this 

 one (but sparingly soluble in ether). The description of the products 

 thus got will be given in a subsequent section. 



By treating codeia with hydriodic acid and phosphorus as above de- 

 scribed, but at a temperature of gentle ebullition not rising above 115 c , a 



