MORPHINE. 
§ 362.] 
301 
develops ; on raising the temperature higher, the liquid changes into 
green, then into blue, and finally again into green. Codeine acts very 
similarly. C. Reichard (Chem . Zeit ., 1904) uses As 2 0 3 dissolved in strong 
NaOH solution ; to a c.c. of this is added morphine and then strong 
H 2 S0 4 ; an intense and permanent purple colour develops. The follow¬ 
ing test originated with Siebold ( American Journal of Pharmacy, 1873, 
p. 544):—The supposed morphine is heated gently with a few drops of 
concentrated sulphuric acid and a little pure potassic perchlorate. If 
morphine be present the liquid immediately takes a pronounced brown 
colour—a reaction said to be peculiar to morphine, and to succeed with 
Yo of a mgrm. In order to obtain absolutely pure perchlorate, potassic 
perchlorate is heated with hydrochloric acid so long as it disengages 
chlorine ; it is then washed with distilled water, dried, and preserved for 
use. There is also a test known as “ Pellagri’s ” ; it depends on the pro¬ 
duction of apomorphine. The suspected alkaloid is dissolved in a little 
strong hydrochloric acid, and then a drop of concentrated sulphuric acid 
is added, and the mixture heated for a little time from 100° to 120°, 
until it assumes a purple-black colour. It is now cooled, some hydro¬ 
chloric acid again added, and the mixture neutralised with sodic car¬ 
bonate. If morphine be present, on the addition of iodine in hydriodic 
acid, a cherry-red colour is produced, passing into green. Morphine and 
codeine are believed alone to give this reaction. 
The acetate of morphine, and morphine itself, when added to ferric 
chloride solution, develop a blue colour. When 1 molecule of morphine 
is dissolved in alcohol containing 1 molecule of sodium hydroxide, and 
2 vols. of methyl iodide are added, and the mixture gently heated, a 
violent reaction sets in, and the main product is codeine methiodide 
(C 17 H 18 N0 2 0CH,MeI). If only half the quantity of methyl iodide is 
added, then free codeine is in small quantity produced ; if ethyl iodide 
be substituted for methyl, a new base is formed homologous with codeine. 
If morphine is heated with iodide of methyl and absolute alcohol in a 
closed tube for half an hour at 100°, methyl iodide of morphine is 
obtained in colourless, glittering,, quadratic crystals, easily soluble in 
water (C 17 H 19 N0 3 MeI-f-H 2 0) : similarly the ethyl iodide compound can 
be produced. 
If morphine is heated for from two to three hours in a closed tube 
with dilute hydrochloric acid, water is eliminated— 
(C 17 H 19 N0 3 = C 17 II 17 N0 2 +H 2 0), 
and the hydrochloride of apomorphine is produced. This succeeds when 
even J mgrm. is heated with ^ c.c. of strong HC1, and the tests for 
apomorphine applied. 
If concentrated sulphuric acid be digested on morphine for twelve to 
fifteen hours (or heated for half an hour at 100°), on adding to the 
