848 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[April 20, 1872.. 
products by the continued action of water gave the fol¬ 
lowing numbers on analysis after drying at 100°:— 
A. Codeia product— 
0-3985 grm. gave 0-7050 CO« and 0 200 HoO. 
0-3670 „ 0-2280 Agl. 
B. Morphia product— 
0-3120 grm. gave 0-5635 COj and 0-1610 TL>0. 
0.3140 „ 0-5560 C0 2 and 0* *1570 H.X>. 
0-2840 „ 0-1775 Agl. 
Calculated. 
Found. 
' A. 
/ 
PQi 
C 135 
.. .. 1632 
48-34 
48-25 
48-17 48-29 
H 16J 
.. .. 169 
5-01 
5.55 
5-61 5-55 
I, .. .. 
.. .. 1143 
33-86 
33-57 
33-77 
N s .. .. 
.. .. 112 
3-31 
o. 0 .. .. 
.. .. 320 
9-48 
3376 
100-00 
codeia yields not only bases apparently formed from non— 
polymerized codeia (bromocodide, dcoxycodeia, deoxy- 
morphia), but also bases derived from polymerized codeia 
and accordingly containing at least C 72 , and probably C 14tt 
(chloro- and bromo-tetracodeia). Hydriodic acid, on the 
other hand, yields no body whose formula can be written, 
as containing less carbon than C 34 , and from the physical 
characters of the first products of the action and the con¬ 
stitution of their derivatives (many of which contain at 
least Cgg and some apparently C 136 ), this proportion of car¬ 
bon must certainly be doubled and probably quadrupled. 
Hence, HC1 yields single molecule derivatives chiefly; 
HBr yields single molecule derivatives, and also poly- 
meride derivatives, the polymerides containing at least 
C 6S or C 72 (possibly the formulae attributed to bromo- 
tetracodeia and analogous bases may require doubling, as- 
the physical character of the bases and other salts indi¬ 
cate that they belong to the same rank as the iodine- 
derivatives) ; III yields polymeride derivatives only. 
^'130^-161^--^8^20) 8 HI 
In physical character and chemical deportment the 
derivatives from morphia obtained as above described are 
indistinguishable from those of the same composition 
obtained from codeia. The physiological experiments 
of Mr. Stocker, given in the next section, show that no 
particular difference is discernible in this respect also; 
hence it is concluded that the codeia products are not 
merely isomeric, but are identical with the corresponding 
morphia derivatives. 
From the fact that hydriodic acid alone does not elimi¬ 
nate methyl from codeia in the form of methyl iodide, but 
causes the separation of free iodine, it appears more probable 
that the formation of the compound C 6 s H 82 I 2 N 4 O 10 ,4tII 
obtained by the action of hydriodic acid in presence of 
the phosphorus on codeia is brought about in accord¬ 
ance with the equations:— 
( 1 ). 4C 1S H 21 N0 3 +14HI = 
= 4l 2 +2H 2 0-f O 72 H 90 I. 2 N 4 O 10 ,4HI, 
( 2 ). C 7 ,H 90 I,N 4 O 10 ,4lII+4HI = 
= 4UH 3 I+C 6 S H 82 I 2 N 4 O 10 ,4HI, 
rather than the equations— 
(3) . C 18 H 2 t N0 3 +HI=CH 3 I+C 17 H ] 9 N0 3 , 
(4) . C l 7 H 19 N0 3 +2HI — 12 + Ci 7 H 21 N 0 3 , 
(5) . 4<J 17 H 21 N0 3 +6HI = 2 H 2 0 4 -C gs H 82 I 2 N 4 O 10 , 4 III ; 
i.e., that the action does vot consist in the production of 
morphia from codeia and its subsequent alteration by 
addition of H 2 , polymerization, addition of 2HI, and 
subtraction of 2 H 2 0 ; but that these alterations take 
place in the codeia molecule before the elimination of 
methyl as CH 3 I, this elimination forming the last stage 
instead of the first; this circumstance may account for 
the non-production from morphia of compounds belong¬ 
ing to the series 4Y-4-^HI-J-pH 2 0, which are formed 
from codeia when the temperature of the reaction reaches 
130°, and under other circumstances; for it might natu¬ 
rally be expected that the elimination of the methyl 
group would place a portion of the molecule in a quasi- 
nascent condition, thereby rendering further changes 
more easy. 
The foregoing experiments, taken into consideration 
with the late Dr. Matthiessen,* lead to several note¬ 
worthy conclusions and speculations. 
( 1 ). The actions of hydrochloric, hydrobromic, and 
hydriodic acids on morphia and codeia are not precisely 
analogous; thus the action of IICl appears to give rise 
more especially to products derived from non-polymerized 
bases; e.g. chlorocodide, which regenerates ordinary 
codeia by the action of water.f By the action of HBr, 
Matthiessen and Wright, Proc. Roy. Soc., vol. xvii. pp. 
455, 460; and vol. xviii. p. 83. 
t Experiments are in progress which appear to show that 
the action of HC1 on both codeia and morphia is capable of 
GAMBOGE.* 
BY J. DE LANESSAN. 
True gamboge, by whatever name it enters into com-' 
merce, whether as from Ceylon, India or Siam, is the 
product of one species of plant, the Garcinia Morelia , 
Desr. The var. sessilis of this plant yields the Ceylon, 
and India gamboge, and the var. pedicellata the Siami 
gamboge. This latter description alone enters into- 
European commerce, and is used in medicine and the* 
arts. 
In an anatomical and physiological point of view, 
gamboge belongs to what are designated the juices 
proper. It circulates in the laticiferous vessels of 
G. Morelia like opium in those of Papaver somniferum . 
In the absence of living specimens the author made an 
investigation of a well-preserved specimen sent to him 
by Mr. Hanbury, with the object of studying the dis¬ 
position of these vessels in the plant, and of tracing the- 
gamboge in the recesses of the tissues wdiere it is formed.. 
The following is briefly the result of his observations. 
Neither in G. Morelia , nor in several other species of 
the family Clusiacem (Gutti ferae), has the author detected 
the latex in the pitted or rayed or spiral vessels ; it 
appears to be contained in special canals. M. Trecul 
has made the general remark f that latex may occur 
indifferently in different kinds of vessels. This fact 
may bo easily verified, for example, in the Chelidonium 
majas , through the yellow colour of the latex. In the- 
root of this plant, when the juice is present in great 
abundance, the author has found it in the rayed and 
pitted, and even in the spiral vessels; and besides this 
it exists in cells that are completely isolated. After a 
time the transverse sides of these cells break, the latex 
is poured out into the neighbouring cell, and gradually 
a true vessel, in which the juice circulates, is developed,, 
formed of cells, placed end to end, of w r hich the walls- 
are ruptured successively. Although the author has 
been unable to obtain any proof, he is inclined to believe 
that the laticiferous vessels in the gamboge plant are 
formed in this manner, especially since he has found it 
only in special vessels. In the stem these vessels exist 
chiefly in the bark ; but a certain number are found in 
the medulla, where they are usually very large, and in 
the medullary rays. He has not found them in the liber 
region or in the wood. In certain sections he has seen 
them in the cambium but in these cases their diameter 
has been inconsiderable. In the bark they are dis- 
1 giving rise, when pushed to an extreme, of bases insoluble in 
ether, and of characters similar to chloro- and bromo-tetra¬ 
codeia, wiih less ease, however, than HBr. 
* Abstracted from a thesis bv the author, printed in the- 
‘Repertoire de Pharmacie,’ vol. xxvii. p. 281. 
f “ Recherches sur les Vaisseaux latieiferes,” in “ Adan- 
sonia,” vol. viii. p. 100. 
