662 DR. A. MATTHIESSEN ON THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF NARCOTINE. 
ing method was adopted. After distilling off the iodide of methyl, the contents of the 
retort were thrown into water, the free acid neutralized by carbonate of sodium, and 
then water added till all the iodide was dissolved. The iodide is much more soluble in 
a neutral solution than in an acid one. To the solution of the iodide hydrochloric acid 
is added until no further precipitate takes place ; this precipitate consists chiefly of the 
chloride of the new base. The chloride is filtered off and redissolved in water (for it 
behaves like the chloride of methyl-nornarcotine, being far more soluble in pure than 
in acidulated water), and reprecipitated with hydrochloric acid. This operation is re- 
peated until the precipitate contains no longer any iodine. 
The analysis of this chloride, dried first over lime and sulphuric acid, and then in the 
water-bath, gave the following results. The substance was burnt with chromate of lead 
and oxygen. The chlorine determinations were made in the usual manner. 
I. 0*5073 grm. substance gave 1*0387 grm. carbonic acid and 0*2108 water. 
II. 0*4790 grm. substance gave 0*9830 grm. carbonic acid and 0*2050 water. 
III. 2*066 grms. substance gave 0*7332 grm. chloride of silver. 
IV. 1*595 grm. substance gave 0*5506 grm. chloride of silver. 
Calculated. 
Found. 
I. 
II. 
III. 
IV. 
C]9 .... 
228 
55*95 
55*79 
55*95 
— 
— 
PI 18 .... 
18 
4*42 
4*62 
4*76 
— 
— 
N .... 
14 
3*44 
— 
— 
— 
— 
0 7 .... 
112 
27*48 
— 
— 

— 
Cl .... 
C 19 H 17 N0 7 HC1 
35*5 
407*5 
8*71 
100*00 
— 
— 
8*77 
8*54 
The analyses I. and III. and II. and IV. were made from samples prepared at different 
times, and the portions employed for the above determinations were obtained by frac- 
tional precipitation. The chloride when first precipitated is almost white, but soon 
becomes slightly yellow. It is amorphous. The base itself, when newly precipitated, is 
nearly white, but as soon as it is exposed to the air it becomes almost black ; it is 
soluble in carbonate of sodium and caustic soda, potash or ammonia, slightly soluble in 
hot alcohol, quite insoluble in ether, and nearly so in water. All endeavours to obtain 
it or its salts in a crystalline state have hitherto failed. 
The base may be called normal narcotine, or, shorter, nornarcotine, as it contains, in 
all probability, normal meconin combined with cotarnimide. Thus in Part I. page 366 
of this Memoir, carried out in conjunction with Professor Foster (Philosophical Trans- 
actions, 1863), it is stated that cotarnine may be written 
H i H 
(C u H 9 0 2 )"' j O, which is cotarnimide, (C n H 9 0 2 ) 
ch 3 ’ }n h } n > 
o 
