209 
WHAT IS OPIUM ? 
de'ina, tliebaine, papaverine, rkoeadine, narceine, kryptopine, and opianine, 
may be estimated at not more than 1 per cent. Thus the alkaloids amount 
at best to only ^ of the weight of the dried juice ; and meconic and thebolactic 
acid, and meconine to nearly 5^ per cent. We may say, in fact, that allow¬ 
ing for the considerable discrepancies existing in the composition of opium, 
all the peculiar bodies found in it do not exceed one-third of its weight. 
Now, what is the bulk of the remaining 66 per cent. ?—However interest¬ 
ing, however important, both practically and scientifically, the first one-third 
may be, yet to have a satisfactory idea of opium, we require also to know exactly 
the nature of the other two-thirds. Most of the analyses of opium enume¬ 
rate, in order to explain its composition, several very doubtful bodies besides 
the above-named principles. Among these, extractive, mucilaginous, and co¬ 
louring matters occupy the first place. By successively treating with various 
liquids small quantities of opium, which alone admit of absolute exhaustion, 
we may separate its constituents into several portions. For the following 
assays I took a good Turkish opium containing 10 per cent, of morphine, which 
I finely powdered and entirely deprived of water. The first agent to which 
it was submitted, was benzol. After the action of this liquid the powder 
was dried, without removing it from the funnel, weighed and then exhausted 
in the same filter with absolute alcohol. When it yielded nothing more to 
alcohol, the powder was dried and weighed again as above, and then exhausted 
with cold and hot w T ater, with acetic acid, and with ammonia. Lastly the re¬ 
sidue was examined microscopically. It consisted of fragments of the poppy 
capsule, which now had become very obvious. 
The benzol solution on evaporation yielded the narcotine and caoutchouc, 
which may be separated by acetic acid. Fatty matters occur, but only in 
slight traces. 
Alcohol takes up the largest bulk ; nearly all the bodies enumerated at the 
outset as peculiar to opium* are contained in the alcoholic tincture, and be¬ 
sides them sugar, a very small quantity of resin, and colouring matters. This 
portion of opium, representing the largest part of it, appears certainly to de¬ 
serve the most attentive examination. I am sorry to state that I have not 
yet succeeded in isolating from it any new principle in a state of sufficient 
purity. The colouring matter for instance is extremely alterable. 
Water dissolves chiefly mucilage from powdered opium, which has been 
previously exhausted by benzol and alcohol. The mucilage is precipitated by 
neutral acetate of lead, but not by silicate of soda ; I have not found in opium 
any gum analogous to gum arabic. This fact, if confirmed by the examina¬ 
tion of large quantities of good commercial opium, would enable one to say, 
that any opium containing gum must necessarily be adulterated. 
After the action of the water, acetic acid removes some salts and a little 
colouring matter, all in small proportion. 
Finally, ammonia acts very manifestly upon the residue of the preceding 
operations. The pow der swells and yields a browm liquid, which being viscid 
cannot easily be filtered. On the addition of an acid, of alcohol or even of 
chloride of sodium, a thick jelly at once separates. The pectic acid, thus 
obtained, has not yet been found by other observers, as far as I can see, 
though I think that it must henceforth be considered as one of the regular 
constituents of opium. I met with it in several sorts of the drug which 
happened to be at my disposal and likewise in a good standard opium from 
Asia Minor, for w T hick I am indebted to Mr. E. Merck, of Darmstadt, who 
furnished me with the residues of the drug, which had been previously ex¬ 
hausted by hot water and by hydrochloric acid. It would be interesting 
* Narcotine only excepted, as it has been met with in aconite tubers by Messrs. Smith. 
