of Edinburgh, Session 1882 - 83 . 
101 
law relating the proportions of sulphuric acid and morphia. The 
most that can he said is that if an opium is rich in sulphuric acid it 
will probably be rich in morphine ; but the determination of the 
amount of sulphuric acid could not be used as a means of ascertain- 
ing the value of the opium. The interesting fact revealed by these 
estimations is the large proportion of sulphuric acid existing in 
opium. So far as I am aware, this has not been previously pointed 
out. It becomes important to know in what manuer the acid is 
combined. In order to determine this we must know what bases 
and acids exist in opium. The only alkaloids that need be taken 
into account are morphine, codeine, thebaine, papaverine, narcotine, 
and narceine, and of these only codeine and thebaine excel morphine 
in basic power. The principal mineral base present in opium is, as 
might be expected, potassium oxide. Biltz, in his careful analyses* 
of Turkey and of German opium, gives the percentage of potassium 
sulphate as 2'0 to 2-5. By exhausting fine Turkey opium with water 
and incinerating the extract, I obtained 2*50 per cent, of ash, which 
indicated 0*95 803 = 2*06 K2SO4. This confirms Biltz’s results. 
We may safely leave out of consideration all acids except sulphuric 
and meconic. It might almost be assumed that sulphuric would 
replace meconic acid in any of the latter’s combinations, but to make 
quite sure, I dissolved a weighed quantity of morphia meconate in 
water, added an equivalent of standard sulphuric acid, and gently 
evaporated. When the solution became filled with crystals, these 
were examined, and found to consist entirely of sulphate. Taking 
then, the sample (h) in the table above given, we find that it 
yields 15*3 per cent, of morphia hydrate and 2*01 SO3. Of this 
amount 0*95 per cent, is in combination with potash and 0*13 per 
cent, in combination with the stronger alkaloids (as nearly as can 
be estimated), leaving 0*93 to unite with the morphia. This amount 
of anhydride is equivalent to 7*04 per cent, of morphia hydrate, or 
nearly half the morphia in the opium. It would be confirmatory 
evidence if the proportion of meconic acid in opium were found in- 
sufficient to neutralise the morphia. This fact is proved by the 
following experiments : — 
(1) 100 grs. of opium, indicating 11*1 per cent, of morphia, were 
exhausted with water, slight excess of ammonia added, and the solu- 
* Buchner’s Eepertorium, xxxix. 
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