CRYPTOPTA, A NEW ALKALOID DISCOVERED IN OPIUM. 599 
only got, altogether, since it first came under our notice, about five ounces, in 
the form of muriate ; and to obtain that quantity not less than four or five tons 
of opium have been operated upon ; we do not suppose the whole of the cryp- 
topia contained in the opium to have been obtained by us; but still there can 
be little doubt that the new alkali is, of all the constituents of opium, the 
smallest in quantity. An observation made by us quite recently shows, al¬ 
though we cannot say to what extent, that the quantity obtained does not show 
the full proportion existing in opium. It occurred to us that, as the cryptopia 
had been obtained from the thebaia crystallized from spirit, the spirituous 
mother liquid, which had been pressed out, ought to be a source of cryptopia ; 
and an examination of a quantity of this liquid, which had been lying aside for 
some years, completely confirmed our idea. That liquid we found to have be¬ 
come quite gelatinous; and from our acquaintance with the peculiar character 
of the tendency of the salts of cryptopia to gelatinize, we were led to examine 
more closely the gelatinous mass. A Stanhope lens showed it to be composed 
of an infinity of minute crystalline needles. It was exceedingly difficult to 
separate the crystals, and we only succeeded by a slow filtration of some weeks, 
and at last by cautious pressure by means of a cloth. When the pressed and 
powdered mass had been boiled with rectified spirit, a crystallization was ob¬ 
tained from the filtered spirit. On washing the crystals two or three times 
with a little cold spirit, and then drying them, the Ijlue reaction with strong 
sulphuric acid at once proved the crystals to be really cryptopia and the proof 
was strengthened by neutralizing the crystals with very dilute muriatic acid, 
when the characteristic jelly was formed by evaporation and cooling. 
Cryptopia, being a strong alkali, cannot be mistaken for the principles of 
opium of an acid nature, such as meconic and thebolactic acids ; nor for those 
that are neutral or of weak alkaline properties, such as meconine, narceine, nar¬ 
cotine, and papaverine ; the other principles of opium, viz. morphia, codeia, and 
thebaia, are strong alkalis, neutralizing the strongest acids. As cryptopia pos¬ 
sesses this character of strong alkalinity, in common with the three principles 
last mentioned, nothing more will be necessary than to contrast its other cha¬ 
racters with theirs, to find to what extent these characters separate it from 
them, and give it a right to be considered a substance not hitherto known to 
exist in opium. 
The very sparing solubility of cryptopia in spirit separates it widely even 
from morphia, the least soluble of the other alkaloids in that medium. The in¬ 
solubility of cryptopia in ether does not distinguish it from morphia, but does 
so completely both from codeia and thebaia. 
The action of strong sulphuric acid (pure) on cryptopia cannot allow of its 
being confounded with any of the other three. This acid produces a blue 
colour with the most minute quantity of cryptopia ; a blood-red with thebaia; 
and no colour with either morphia or codeia. 
The salts of cryptopia have a great tendency to give jellies on cooling from 
hot solutions. None of the others show this tendency. The muriate of cryp¬ 
topia crystallizes in tufts, but of a different kind from those of muriate of mor¬ 
phia and muriate of codeia; while the muriate of thebaia crystallizes in hard, 
stony-like crystals. Again, the muriate of cryptopia is much more easily 
bleached with charcoal than either of the other muriates. 
It appears to us unnecessary to carry the comparison further; we think we 
have said enough to show a difference of characters so distinct as to prevent the 
* We are not quite in a position to affirm that the cryptopia obtained from the pressed 
crystalline cake had been given by the crystals seen by aid of the lens, or by something else 
that had existed side by side with them : we intend trying to determine this point, and hope 
to succeed. 
