TITRATED  OPIUM  EXTRACT — SVAPNIA.  227 
tained  the  active  part  of  the  svapnia.  The  precipitate,  collected 
on  a  filter  well  washed  with  alcohol  and  dried,  weighed  40  grains. 
This  substance  is  soluble  in  water,  forming  a  cloudy  solution,  is 
precipitated  by  subacetate  of  lead,  but  not  by  the  neutral 
acetate,  is  tasteless  and  probably  is  gum  arahic.  A  repetition  of 
this  experiment  gave  the  same  result.  It  does  not  follow  that 
all  specimens  of  svapnia  have  the  same  proportion  of  gum,  as 
Dr.  Bigelow  says  the  quantity  of  inert  matter  (gum),  depends  on 
the  alkaloidal  strength  of  the  assayed  extract,  being  less  for  the 
weaker  and  more  for  the  stronger  opium. 
The  alcoholic  liquids  carefully  evaporated  to  dryness  yielded 
ten  grains  of  pulverizable  extract,  being  20  per  cent,  of  the 
svapnia.  This  extract  was  dissolved  in  water  and  treated  for 
morphia  by  Mohrs'  process,  as  modified  by  Attfield,  by  boiling 
with  hydrate  of  lime,  acidulating  with  HCl,  concentrating 
and  precipitating  with  ammonia.  The  yield  was  so  nearly  two 
grains  that  it  will  be  called  that,  which  is  equivalent  to  4  per 
cent,  of  crude  morphia,  of  a  brown  color,  but  reacting  well  with 
the  tests.  Not  satisfied  with  this  result,  50  grains  of  svapnia 
was  dissolved  in  two  fluid-ounces  of  water  and  the  gum  precipi- 
tated by  subacetate  of  lead,  and  the  excess  of  lead  by  diluted  sul- 
phuric acid  and  filtered.  This  was  treated  with  hydrate  of  lime 
as  before,  filtered,  acidulated  with  HOI,  concentrated  and  pre- 
cipitated with  ammonia.  After  standing  24  hours  it  was  col- 
lected on  a  filter,  washed  and  dried,  weighing  3  grains.  It  was 
now  treated  with  non-alcoholic  ether  and  then  with  boiling  95 
per  cent,  alcohol  till  exhausted,  leaving  a  brown  insoluble  resi- 
duum of  0-2  grain.  The  alcoholic  solution  evaporated  yielded  2-3 
grains  of  crystals  of  morphia,  including  a  very  little  brownish 
uncrystallized  portion,  which  is  equivalent  to  4-6  per  cent.  As 
by  this  process  the  codeia  and  narceia,  if  present,  are  rejected, 
no -estimate  could  be  made  of  them. 
Svapnia  is  acid  to  litmus  ;  10  grs.  treated  with  non-alcoholic 
ether  afforded  an  acid  solution.  When  evaporated  a  small  var- 
nish-like residue  remained,  decidedly  acid,  not  crystalline,  and 
containmg  a  trace  of  odorous  matter  of  opium.  The  acidity  was 
not  due  to  meconic  acid. 
Twenty  grains  of  svapnia  was  triturated  with  10  grams  -^f 
