Am*octuyi£?arm'}    Separation  of  the  Opium  Alkaloids.  511 
be  allowed  to  get  perfectly  dry  before  use.  A  mixture  containing 
0*145  gram  of  strychnine  and  0*036  gram  brucine  gave  0*148  gram  of 
strychnine.  To  estimate  the  alkaloids  when  occurring  together  in,  say, 
tinctura  strychni,  the  total  weight  of  the  two  is  ascertained,  then, 
according  to  Schweissinger,  an  excess  of  centinormal  hydrochloric  acid 
is  added  and  the  excess  determined  by  centinormal  soda  solution. 
The  neutral  solution  thus  obtained  is  concentrated  sufficiently  and 
titrated  with  standard  potassium  ferrocyanide.  A  mixture  containing 
0*1  gram  strychnine  and  0*5  gram  brucine  gave  0*1017  of  the  former 
and  0*04915  of  the  latter. 
SEPAEATION  OF  THE  OPIUM  ALKALOIDS.1 
By  P.  C.  Plugge. 
The  six  alkaloids  narcotine,  papaverine,  narceine,  thebaine,  codeine, 
and  morphine  are  separated  by  the  use  of  the  following  precipitants  : 
sodium  acetate,  potassium  ferricyanide,  sodium  salicylate,  potassium 
thiocyanate,  and  ammonia.  The  alkaloids  are  obtained  as  an  aqueous 
solution  of  the  hydrochlorides.  The  liquid  is  mixed  with  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  concentrated  sodium  acetate  solution,  allowed  to  remain 
twenty-four  hours,  and  filtered.  The  precipitate,  washed  with  a  little 
water,  consists  of  pure  narcotine  and  papaverine;  it  is  dissolved  in 
dilute  hydrochloric  acid  and  diluted  until  the  solution  contains  not 
more  than  4JQ  of  narcotine,  when  a  solution  of  potassium  ferricyanide 
is  added.  After  remaining  twenty-four  hours,  filtering  and  washing 
with  a  little  water,  the  precipitate  of  papaverine  ferricyanide  is 
obtained  from  which  the  alkaloid  may  be  separated  by  digesting  with 
aqueous  soda,  filtering,  and  if  necessary  dissolving  and  reprecipitatiug 
with  ammonia.  The  filtrate  containing  the  narcotine  yields  this  alka- 
loid by  precipitation  with  ammonia.  The  filtrate  containing  the 
remaining  four  alkaloids,  together  with  an  excess  of  sodium  acetate, 
is  concentrated  to  a  small  volume  on  the  water-bath  and  allowed  to 
remain  twenty-four  hours,  then  filtered.  The  precipitate  washed  with 
a  little  water,  consists  of  narceine  separated  directly  from  the  liquid 
as  pure  alkaloid.  The  filtrate  contains  traces  of  narceine  and  all  the 
thebaine,  codeine,  and  morphine.  It  is  mixed  with  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  sodium  salicylate  solution.    After  twenty-four  hours  the 
I  Arch.  Phar.  [3],  xxv,  343-354.— Eeprinted  from  Jour.  Chem.  Soc,  Sept.,  1887. 
