NARCOTINE. 
315 
§ 373-1 
violet-blue ; and if heated until hydric sulphate begins to volatilise, the 
colour is an intense red-violet. If the heating is not carried so far, but the 
solution allowed to cool, a delicate cherry-red hue slowly develops. If the 
sulphuric acid solution contains 1 : 2000 of the alkaloid, this test is very 
evident; with 1: 40,000, the colour is only a faint carmine.— A. Husemann. 
A solution of narcotine in pure sulphuric acid, to which a drop of 
nitric acid has been added, becomes of a red colour ; if the solution is 
warmed to 150°, hypochlorite of soda develops a carmine-red ; and 
chloride of iron, first a violet, then a cherry-red. The precipitants 
of narcotine are—phosphomolybdic acid, picric acid, sulphocyanide of 
potash, potassio-cadmic iodide, mercuric chloride, platinic chloride, auric 
chloride, and several other reagents. 
Constitution of Narcotine. —Narcotine contains three methoxyl 
groups, and also an N-CH 3 group, for when heated with alkalies 
to 220° it yields methylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine. 
Heated with water or H 2 S0 4 at 140° it yields C 10 H 10 O 5 opianic acid 
and C 12 H 15 N0 4 hydrocotar nine. Hydrocotarnine is the reduction pro¬ 
duct of cotarnine and is a derivative of methyl tetrahydroisoquinoline, 
CH 2 0 2 
CH3O 
CH 2 
Hydrocotarnine. 
CH 3 
OH 
Opianic acid when oxidised forms hemipinic acid ; and, when reduced, 
meconine ; and may be represented as 
CHO 
-COOH 
v / -och 3 
och 3 
Opianic acid. 
or in its tautomeric form as 
OH 
HO-O 
-CO 
-och 3 
och 3 
Narcotine is a tertiary base and contains no carboxyl or aldehyde group, 
so that its formula is probably 
CH 2 0 2 
ch 3 o 
OCH 
Norcotine » 
