1889-90.] Mr Dott and Dr Stockman on Morphine. 
351 
It was attempted to further purify the compound by treating 
with alkali, washing the precipitate, and dissolving the same in 
alcohol. Crystals formed very slowly, were rather dark in colour, 
and gave a platinum salt, which yielded only 13*5 per cent, of 
metal on ignition ; whence it is probable that the dibenzoyl 
derivative is somewhat prone to decomposition, and is therefore 
not a very satisfactory compound to work with. 
Physiological Action of Dihenzoylmorphine. 
So far as we could judge, the action of this substance given by 
the stomach resembles the action of benzoylmorphine. It was im- 
possible to carry out exact observations, as the attempt to form a 
soluble salt of dihenzoylmorphine by adding acid resulted in the 
compound being broken up and benzoic acid precipitated. 
Methylmorphium Chloride ( Morphine Metliochloride). 
When methylchloride is brought in contact with morphine in 
solution, preferably under pressure, direct combination of the two 
compounds takes place. If morphine methochloride were a com- 
pound strictly analogous to morphine hydrochloride, we should 
expect that the former would yield, on treatment with potash, 
potassium chloride, methyl alcohol, and morphine. As a matter of 
fact, however, we obtain potassium chloride and methylmorphium 
hydroxide (morphine methohydroxide), no precipitate of morphine 
being obtained under any circumstances. When a morphine or 
methylmorphine salt is heated in a sealed tube with hydrochloric 
acid, apomorphine is the chief product of the reaction. On heating 
methylmorphium chloride in the same manner, we have found that 
no apomorphine is formed. The compounds formed by the union 
of an alkaloid with an alkyl haloid were described by Crum Brown 
and Fraser as methylmorphium iodide, ethyl strychnium chloride, &c., 
to indicate that these are analogous to the corresponding ammonium 
compounds, the alkaloids from which they are derived being analo- 
gous to ammonia. The compounds in question are now more 
usually described as morphine methiodide, strychnine ethochloride. 
&c., these names being considered more systematic from a chemical 
point of view, hut the nomenclature adopted by Crum Brown and 
Fraser is probably the better, from a pharmacological standpoint, 
