Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
Dec,  1881. 
•|  Transformation  of  Morphine  into  Codeine.  611) 
is  first  dissolved  in  strong  sulphuric  acid,  then  nitric  acid  added  to  it^ 
and  finally  stannous  chloride  after  diluting,  a  faint  wine-red  color  is- 
developed,  whilst,  if  the  substance  is  heated  for  a  few  hours  with  the  sul- 
phuric acid,  and  nitric  acid  is  then  added,  there  is  a  dark  reddish- 
brown  color,  reminding  one  of  the  brucine  reaction,  though  duller; 
and  then,  on  adding  stannous  chloride,  a  fine  wine-red  color  is  pro- 
duced, like  that  obtained  when  brucine  is  itself  dissolved  in  strong 
nitric  acid  and  diluted  and  mixed  with  stannous  chloride.  I  Avas  not 
successful  in  an  attempt  to  reproduce  crystalline  brucine  in  this  man- 
ner, but  was  only  able  to  attempt  it  on  a  very  small  scale ;  the  experi- 
ment yielded  a  little  varnish-like  substance  with  the  above  reaction. 
The  main  part  of  the  substance  was  differently  affected,  for  on  addition 
of  excess  of  ammonia  after  the  treatment  with  sulphuric  acid,  a  mag- 
nificent deep  green  coloration  was  produced,  like  that  developed  by 
exposing  alkaline  solutions  of  the  original  substance.  This  green  sub- 
stance was  obtained  as  a  solid  by  exposing  alkaline  mother-liquor& 
from  purifying  liydrobrucine  to  the  air,  and  drying  in  vacuo.  It  is 
fairly  stable  when  dry,  but  less  so  in  acid  or  alkaline  solutions.  It 
dyes  silk  and  mordanted  calico ;  the  colors  seem  fairly  permanent 
when  dry,  but  will  not  bear  much  heat  in  presence  of  water. 
I  originally  commenced  these  experiments  hoping  to  obtain  saponi- 
fication products,  and  intending  to  submit  these  to  limited  oxidation  ; 
the  experiments  of  Gal  and  Etard  on  strychnia  and  mine  on  braciiie 
show  that  these  alkaloids  are  not  affected,  as  many  others  are,  by 
reagents  of  this  kind.  It  will  therefore  be  necessary  to  study  the 
oxidation  of  these  compounds  in  the  unaltered  state.  This  I  am 
immediately  proceeding  to  do,  and  since  this  paper  was  written  I  have 
already  made  satisfactory  progress  in  that  direction. — Jour.  Chem.Soc.y, 
Sept.,  1881. 
TEANSFORMATION  OF  MORPHINE  INTO  CODEINE 
AND  HOMOLOGOUS  BASES. 
By  E.  Grimaux. 
When  1  mol.  morphine  is  dissolved  in  alcohol  containing  1  moL 
sodium  hydroxide,  2  mols.  methyl  iodide  added,  and  the  mixture  gen- 
tly heated,  an  energetic  reaction  takes  place,  the  main  product  of 
which  is  codeine  methiodide,  CiyHigNOgOCHgMel,  identical  Avith  the 
compound  formed  by  the  direct  union  of  codeine  with  methyl  iodide. 
