THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF NARCOTINE. 
659 
of ammonia in excess, a light-red solution is produced, whereas the hypogallic-acid 
blue becomes blood-red with ammonia. 
To determine the basicity of the acid, the ammonium salt was precipitated by nitrate 
of silver, which forms a gelatinous precipitate becoming crystalline on standing. It is 
soluble in hot water, from which it crystallizes on cooling. 
This salt, dried at 100° and heated to redness, gave the following results: — 
I. 0-521 grm. gave 0-185 grm. metallic silver. 
II. 0-549 grm. gave 0-196 grm. metallic silver. 
III. 0-544 grm. gave 0-194 grm. metallic silver. 
Calculated. Found. 
-A. r A. N 
I. II. III. 
C 9 H 7 0 5 . . 195 64-36 
A g .... 108 35-64 35-51 35-76 35-66 
C 9 H 7 Ag 0 5 ” 303 100-00 
Salts I. and II. were made from the acid obtained from the action of hydrochloric 
acid, and III. from that obtained by the action of hydriodic acid. 
It therefore appears that methyl-noropianic acid is monobasic. The fact that opi- 
anic acid when heated with excess of strong caustic potash splits up into meconin and 
hemipinic acid, leads us to hope that methyl-noropianic acid would with the same reagent 
undergo a similar decomposition. It was, however, found that the acid remains unal- 
tered; for after treating it with strong caustic potash, a silver-salt was made, which 
yielded on ignition 35 - 5 per cent, silver, methyl-noropianate of silver requiring 35-64 
per cent. 
The reduction of opianic acid to meconin by the action of sodium-amalgam caused 
us to try this reagent on the new acid, but here again we could not produce the corre- 
sponding reduction. 
When methyl-noropianic acid is dissolved in cold water, and about a sixth of its volume 
of strong nitric acid added, an action immediately sets up, and the solution becomes 
dark from nitric oxide and afterwards again light, when a nitro-acid crystallizes out. 
To prevent the action going on too far the solution must be kept cold. 
This new nitro-acid contains 
c 9 h 7 no 7 = C 9 H 7 (N0 2 ) o 5 . 
We have called this acid nitromethyl-noropianic acid. 
Dried at 100° C. it gave the following results: — 
0-451 grm. gave 0"736 grm. carbonic acid and 0-127 grm. water. 
4 x 
MDCCCLXVII. 
