506 



Dr. C. R. A. Wright on the Action of [June 15, 



When codeia is heated on the water-bath with three parts of 48 per 

 cent, hydrobromic acid for five hours, and the portion of the precipitate 

 thrown down by carbonate of soda and insoluble in ether is dissolved in 

 hydrochloric acid and fractionally precipitated several times by excess of 

 stronger acid, flakes are obtained which, on drying at 100°, yield numbers 

 intermediate between those required for chlorotetracodeia and chlorotetra- 

 morphia. 



0-3365 grm. gave 076/0 C0 2 and 0*1950 H 2 0. 

 0*7520 grm. burnt with quicklime gave 0-4100 AgCl. 



Calculated. Found. 



C 70 840 62-30 62-17 



H 33 83 6-15 6-44 



Cl s 177*5 13-16 , 13-48 



N 4 56 4-15 



(1, 192 14-24 



C 70 H 79 ClN 4 O 12> 4HCl 1348-5 100*00 



Converted into platinum-salt and dried at 1 00° : — 

 0*4830 grm. gave 0*0935 Pt= 19-36 per cent. 



The formula C 70 H 79 CI N 4 12 , 4HC1, 2PtCl 4 requires 19*40 per cent. 



Whether this is only a mixture of chlorotetracodeia and chlorotetra- 

 morphia hydrochlorates, or is one compound, is open to doubt ; assuming 

 that it is not a mixture, the name chloro-dicodeia-dimorphia might be ap- 

 plied to the base. It appears a priori probable that the following double 

 series of bases should be obtainable by successive methyl eliminations : — 



Chlorotetracodeia C 72 H 8 , CI N, O, , 

 C 71 H 81 ClN 4 lo 

 Chloro-dicodeia-di- Q 70 H 79 CI N 4 12 

 morphia C M H 77 C1N 4 1 

 Chlorotetramorphia C 63 H 7 . CI N 4 12 



Bromotetracodeia C 70 H 83 Br N 4 12 



C 7l H 8l BrN 4 10 



C 70 H 79 BrN 4 O 12 



C 69 H 77 BrN 4 12 

 Bromotetramorphia C 68 H 75 Br N 4 12 



Out of these ten bases four have been prepared, and a substance corre- 

 sponding in composition with a fifth (chloro-dicodeia-dimorphia) has also 

 been obtained ; but, from the great similarity in properties between all the 

 five substances and their high formulae, it is clear that no certainty as to 

 the purity of the missing intermediate bodies could exist, and therefore it 

 was not thought advisable to attempt their formation. 



§ 2. Action of Hydrobromic Acid on Bromocodide. 

 When bromocodide hydrobromate (prepared by two hours' digestion of 

 codeia with three times its weight of 48 per cent. HBr, precipitation by 

 sodium carbonate, and extraction with ether, &c.) is heated with four to 

 six parts of the same acid to 1 00° for five or six hours either in a sealed 

 tube or in an open flask, methyl bromide is copiously evolved ; the tarry 



