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XXII. Researches into the Chemical Constitution of Ncircotine , and of its Products of 
Decomposition. — Part II. By A. Matthiessen, F.R.S., Lecturer on Chemistry in 
St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, and G. C. Foster, B.A., Professor of Physics 
in University College, London. 
Eeceived May 23, — Eead June 20, 1867. 
About four years ago we had the honour of communicating to the Royal Society a 
paper entitled “ Researches into the Chemical Constitution of Narcotine, and of its 
Products of Decomposition”*, and we now desire to lay before the Society some results 
obtained in the further prosecution of the same inquiry. We are fully aware that our 
present communication is in many respects very incomplete, but as we have no prospect 
of being able to resume the investigation conjointly, we venture to present the results 
already obtained as they are. 
In the previous paper it was shown that narcotine and its principal derivatives, opianic 
acid, meconin, hemipinic acid, and cotarnine, are decomposed when heated with hydro- 
chloric acid or hydriodic acid into iodide or chloride of methyl, and one or more other 
products. With the exception, however, of those obtained from hemipinic acid and 
cotarnine these second products had not been examined : the present memoir relates 
principally to the further study of these reactions. 
1. Action of Hydrochloric and Hydriodic Acids on Opianic Acid. 
When opianic acid is heated tp 100° or 110° with three or four times its weight of 
strong hydrochloric acid, either in a sealed tube or in an open flask, under a layer of 
paraffin •j’ for about twenty hours, or with about twice its weight of fuming hydriodic 
acid, and evaporated to dryness on a water-bath, chloride or iodide of methyl is produced, 
and at the same time a crystalline acid containing 
c 9 h 8 o 5 . 
The reaction may be represented by the equation 
C 10 H 10 0 5 + H Cl = C 9 H 8 0 5 + C H 3 Cl. 
For reasons indicated in our former paper J, and more fully developed in the Journal 
of the Chemical Society §, we regard opianic acid as the dimethylized derivative of a 
* Philosophical Transactions, 1863, p. 345 ; for abstracts see Proc. Eoy. Soc. vol. xi. p. 55, and vol. xii. p. 501. 
t When preparing a large quantity of this or any other substance by the action of hydrochloric acid this 
method is very advantageous, as there is no danger of loss by bursting as often happens with sealed tubes. In 
preparing a new base from narcotine, where we employed 200 grms. at each operation, the saving of time and 
expense by using this method was very great. 
$ Philosophical Transactions, 1863, p. 365. 
§ Yol. xvi. p. 342. 
