CEEMICAL CONSTITUTION OE NAECOTINE. 
673 
Nornarcotine. Normeconin. Cotarnimide. 
C i9 H 17 N0 7 = C 8 Hg 0 4 + C„ H u NO* 
and 
Noropianic acid. Cotarnimide. 
c 19 h 17 no 7 + 0= C 8 H 6 0 5 + c u H u no 3 . 
All experiments endeavouring to isolate any of its products of decomposition have as 
yet proved failures. 
Its rational formula will probably be : 
Narcotine. 
CH 3 j N 
(Cu h 9 o 2 )"| 
(c 8 H 4 or r 
(CH 3 ) 2 H }°3 
Nornarcotine. 
H }n 
(c 11 h 9 o 2 ) ,, | 
(Cg H 4 oW u 
h 3 }q, 
4. Cotarnine. — When narcotine is oxidized by sulphuric acid and binoxide of man- 
ganese, and the resulting opianic acid separated by crystallization, and the manganese 
and cotarnine ultimately precipitated by excess of carbonate of sodium, on leaving the 
alkaline filtrate to spontaneous evaporation, long needle-shaped crystals of an inch or 
more in length occasionally form ; these dissolve readily in alcohol, but only come out 
of the alcoholic solution as globules of oil and not as crystals. These crystals, after 
drying on blotting-paper, were found to lose 4T6 per cent, of water at 100°; having 
previously melted, the analyses of the residue led to the conclusion that these crystals 
were simply cotarnine with half a molecule of water of crystallization, 
C 12 H 13 N0 3 + iH 2 0, 
this formula requiring 3-95 per cent, of loss at 100°. 
Converted into platinum-salt, these crystals gave 2 3 ’08 and 23-00 per cent, of platinum ; 
the cotarnine-salt requires theoretically 23T8 per cent. 
All attempts to get oxidation products with certainty from cotarnine by various agents 
have failed ; once only was cotarnic acid obtained by the action of dilute nitric acid 
(Part I. Phil. Trans, for 1863, p. 359). When cotarnine is evaporated with strong nitric 
acid on the water-bath to dryness, apophyllic acid was always found in the residue ; the 
product, however, was always very small. 
Miscellaneous Observations on Opianic Acid , Meconin, and Hemipinic Acid. 
1. Opianic Acid. — When opianic acid is treated with bichromate of potassium and 
sulphuric acid in a dilute solution, hemipinic acid is formed, which may be obtained 
by extraction with ether, and may be separated from unaltered opianic acid by crystal- 
lization. In one experiment the water of crystallization was determined, and the puri- 
fied acid converted into silver-salt. 
06884 grm. silver-salt gave 0-3386 grm. metallic silver. 
Calculated. Found. 
C 10 H 8 A g 2 O 6 ' 
49-09 
Silver per cent. 
49-18 
