234 
Selected Articles, 
of ammonia added to precipitate the morphine and narcotine- 
The ammoniacal liquid was evaporated, there was a white 
precipitate of meconate of lime which was separated by the 
filter; and when four-fifths of the fluid had evaporated, it was 
neutralized and tannin added ; the precipitate that ensued 
was treated as before described. After the distillation of the 
alcoholic tincture, a brown, pitch-like, bitter product, which 
was capable of saturating acids, was left. When carefully 
united with nitric acid, it afforded, after two purifications, silky 
crystals, from which codeine was precipitated by means of pot- 
ash; this precipitate was soluble in ether and alcohol ; boiling 
water also dissolved it, and on cooling presented at its sur- 
face a sort of oil which rapidly changed into prismatic crys- 
tals. These crystals were readily soluble in ammonia, and 
formed a salt with acetic acid, which was not deliquescent? 
whilst with morphine the contrary is the case. 
Emetine. — M. Boutron and I have also succeeded in ob- 
taining white, pulverulent emetine from ipecacuanha, by 
means of this process. 
Atropine and Aconitine. — Some months since I presented 
to the Society of Pharmacy, a crystalline substance obtained 
from the root of the belladonna, by means of tannin. These 
crystals, which were bitter, were decomposable by heat, solu- 
ble in alcohol, precipitated from this solution in flakes, on the 
addition of water; when saturated with sulphuric acid, they 
afforded a granular, pulpy mass, furnishing an abundant pre- 
cipitate by means of tannin. I considered them to be atro- 
pine; they could not be asparagine, or an ammoniacal salt, 
as these substances are not affected by tannin. I have since 
repeated my experiments, (the root of the belladonna was 
treated with acidulated, warm water, filtered, saturated,, an 
infusion of nut galls added, the precipitate washed, treated 
with lime, &c.,) and although it was with difficulty that I ob- 
tained crystals, I extracted a brownish, very acrid, bitter 
product, which saturated sulphuric and phosphoric acids, 
forming a granular, gelatinous mass. These salts dissolved 
in water and decomposed by means of pure soda, gave a 
gelatinous mass which when collected on a linen cloth, as- 
sumed a crystalline appearance. They were soluble in al- 
