New Principles in Opium. 
331 
ART. LXVII. — NEW PRINCIPLES IN OPIUM — Bx M. Pelletieb. 
The author in this memoir gives the history of two new 
substances discovered by him in opium, by treating this arti- 
cle with lime and ammonia. 
Paramorphine. — This substance is white, scarcely soluble 
in water, very soluble in alcohol and ether, even when cold ; 
of an acrid and styptic taste. By spontaneous evaporation, it 
crystallizes in needles. Weak acids dissolve it; alkalies pre- 
cipitate it from its solution; an excess of alkali does not re- 
dissolve it, except when the alkaline solutions are highly con- 
centrated ; its acid solutions never afford crystals, on evapo- 
ration they only give yellowish scales. It melts at 300 F., 
is not volatilized at a higher temperature, but like the vegeta- 
ble alkalies is decomposed giving azotised products. It differs 
from morphine in not reddening concentrated nitric acid, 
in not forming crystalline salts with the acids, and in not 
striking a blue colour with the salts of iron. It resembles 
iodine in its solubility in- alcohol and ether, and by its alka- 
linity, but differs in never crystallizing in well defined forms, 
and being always precipitated from its acid solutions by am- 
monia. It has no analogy with narceine or meconine. The 
only substance with which it has much analogy is narcotine, 
though the differences of taste, fusibility, and solubility in 
alcohol are sufficient to distinguish them. 
Pseudo-morphine. — It is almost soluble in water, still more 
so in pure alcohol and ether. Alcohol at 36° B., dissolves 
rather more ; water of ammonia has scarcely any action in 
it; solutions of potash or soda dissolve it freely ; in saturating 
these alkalies by an acid, it is precipitated. Concentrated sul- 
phuric acid blackens and alters it. Concentrated nitric acid 
acts on it, as on morphine, giving it an intense red colour and 
finally changing it into oxalic acid. The most singular pro- 
perty of this substance is that of striking an intense blue 
colour with the per-salts of iron, and particularly with the hy- 
