ON  METAMORPHIA,  A  NEW  ALKALOID  OF  OPIUM. 
25 
both  soluble  in  water,  a  white  flocculent  precipitate  with  bi- 
chloride of  mercury,  and  a  yellowish  white  turbidity  with 
tannic  acid. 
5  grs.  of  the  air  dry  salt,  after  heating  to  lOO'^  C.  weighed 
4422  grs.  and  yielded  2-125  grs.  AgCl,  equivalent  to  -525  grs. 
CI  and  to  -540  grs.  HGl,  or  12-211  per  cent.  Supposing  the 
salt  to  be  anhydrous,  its  equivalent  weight  must  be  262,  or,  with 
the  exception  of  pseudomorphia,  lower  than  any  other  opium- 
alkaloid. 
The  alkaloid  cannot  be  separated  by  macerating  the  hydro- 
chlorate  with  an  excess  of  carbonate  of  silver  ;  but  it  was  ob- 
tained free  by  precipitating  exactly  with  sulphate  of  silver,  and 
macerating  the  precipitate  with  carbonate  of  baryta  ;  the  aque- 
ous mother-liquor  contained  traces  of  the  alkaloid  with  some 
baryta,  apparently  a  combination  of  both.  The  alkaloid  was 
extracted  from  the  residue  by  alcohol,  and  after  evaporation 
obtained  in  hard,  flat  prisms,  aggregated  in  star-like  groups. 
15  grs.  of  the  air-dry  salt  yielded  nearly  8  grs. 
Rapidly  heated,  the  crystals  fuse  to  a  colorless  liquid,  which 
turns  brown  and  black,  and  evolves  alkaline  vapors  ;  when  slowly 
heated,  the  crystals  become  opaque  at  100^  C.  (212^  F.), 
greyish-brown  at  about  130°  C.  (266'^  F.)  and  are  blackish-brown 
at  225°  C.  (437^  F.),  and  fusion  takes  place  at  a  still  higher  tem- 
perature. The  alkaloid  dissolves  in  about  6000  parts  of  cold, 
and  70  parts  of  boiling  water,  in  9  parts  of  boiling  and  330  parts 
of  cold  90  per  cent,  alcohol ;  this  latter  solution  possesses  a 
sharp  bitter  taste  and  a  slight  alkaline  reaction.  It  is  insolu- 
ble in  ether,  rapidly  soluble  in  potassa,  somewhat  less  in  am- 
monia ;  also  in  alkaline  carbonates,  particularly  when  aided  by 
heat. 
Concentrated  sulphuric  acid  produces  a  faint  and  transient 
coloration,  and  a  solution  possessing  a  faint  greyish-brown 
tint.  Nitric  acid  of  1-33  sp.  gr.  instantly  colors  the  alkaloid 
orange  red,  and  dissolves  it  with  a  yellow  color.  A  concen- 
trated solution  of  iodic  acid  added  to  the  aqueous  solution  of 
the  alkaloid,  gradually  causes  a  yellowish  color  and  a  purplish 
color  to  starchpaper  suspended  above  it.  Tiie  aqueous  solution 
is  not  disturbed  by  sesquichloride  of  iron,  is  soon  rendered  tur- 
bid and  greyish-black  by  nitrate  of  silver,  and  produces  with 
