1872.] 



History of the Opium Alkaloids. 



209 



to, if not identical with, those contained in the pyridine bases ; and, in 

 fact, experiments now in progress, in conjunction with Herr L. Mayer, 

 apparently lead to the conclusion that pyridine is obtainable from morphia 

 derivatives by treatment which, though energetic, is nevertheless far short 

 of destructive distillation : indeed it may be doubted whether the carbon 

 groups contained in the pyridine series of bases do not preexist in the bodies 

 from which these bases are obtained by destructive distillation. 



(3) A comparison between the formulse of the products obtained by the 

 three hydracids HC1, HBr, and HI shows that while the action of IIC1 is 

 simply to replace OH by CI, or to remove the elements of H 2 (some- 

 times also replacing CH 3 by H), that of HBr is (in addition to the changes 

 produced by HC1) to cause the addition of hydrogen to that one of the 

 two resulting products that is derived from the non-polymerized molecule. 

 Thus 



HC1 and codeia give C 17 H 17 N0 2 apomorphia, 

 HBr ,, ,, C 17 H 19 N0 2 deoxymorphia, 



which may be represented as C 17 H 19 N0 3 — H 2 + H 2 . 



This hydrogenizing action is carried still further in the case of the deri- 

 vatives obtained by HI ; thus the expressions 



4C 17 H 19 N0 3 - 2H O + 2HI -f H 8 , 



4C 17 H 19 N0 3 - 6H~ O + 2HI + H 1G 

 represent the composition of the bases obtained respectively from morphia 

 and codeia at 130°. 



(4) Codeia appears to be a species of methylic ether of morphia, their 

 relative constitutions being probably 



C„ H 17 NO { and C„ H 17 NO { °g 



(doubling the formulae will not alter their relations in this respect). Ad- 

 hering to the formula hitherto employed, the production of the same apo- 

 morphia from both alkaloids is readily accounted for thus : — 

 Codeia. Clilorocodide. 



C 17 H 17 NO [ g 1 ^^ + HC1 = C 17 H 17 NO { CB +K> O, 



Clilorocodide. Apomorphia. 



C 17 H 17 NO {o.CH 3 = CH 3 } + °it h " N0 {°"> 



Morphia. Apomorphia. 



C 17 H 17 NO | = H 2 O + On H 17 NO j O". 



According to this view morphia should contain two hydroxyl groups for 

 every C 17 , and codeia only one. Experiments are contemplated, with 

 reference to this point, on the action of aniline, acetyl chloride, and glacial 

 acetic acid on these alkaloids, whereby it is hoped that definite infor- 

 mation may be gained as to the presence, or otherwise, and the number of 

 the groups CHO (aldehyde group), OH, &c. 



