22 
Constitution  of  the  Alkaloids. 
f  A.m.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\    January,  1S00. 
OCH3 
C 
HC  C.OCH3 
I  I 
C  C.COOH 
CO 
H  | 
C        CH2  ^  open  here 
O-C      C  N<^[3 
/III  \Ld3 
CH2/ 
O  —  C       C  CH9 
COCH3  CH2 
Narceine. 
As  might  be  expected,  caustic  alkalies  will  split  up  narceine, 
causing  it  to  lose  its  nitrogen  atom  as  trimethylamine  and  forming 
an  acid  Freund  named  narceonic  acid.  The  same  investigator  has 
also  in  the  past  two  years  worked  upon  still  another  opium  alkaloid, 
thebaine,  and  has  practically  determined  its  constitution. 
The  alkaloid  sparteine  C15H26N2,  isolated  in  185 1  by  Stenhouse 
from  Spartium  Scoparium,  is  at  present  being  studied  by  Ahrens, 
and  he  feels  reasonably  sure  that  the  composition  of  its  tetrahydro 
derivative  is  represented  by 
CH     —  CH2  — CH2  — CH2—  CH 
H2C       CH2  H2C  CU2 
II  II 
H9C       CH9  H9C  CH9 
N.CHg  N.CH3 
Sparteine. 
and  that  it  is  hence  a  derivative  of  dipicolylmethane. 
Many  investigators  since  Serturner's  day  have  worked  on  the 
constitution  of  morphine.  Prior  to  1889,  Von  Gerichten,  Schrotter 
and  Otto  Fischer  had  advanced  our  knowledge  very  much,  but  it 
was  not  until  the  discoverer  of  antipyrine  (Knorr)  published  his 
first  papers  on  the  subject  that  definite  knowledge  could  be  said  to 
have  been  established.  The  number  of  derivatives  of  morphine  that 
have  seen  the  light  of  day  during  these  twenty  years  runs  up  into 
the  hundreds,  and  the  end  is  not  yet.  When  the  day  comes  that 
Von  Gerichten  and  Knorr  can  agree  to  the  arbitration  of  their 
respective  cases,  the  accumulation  of  morpholines,  morphomethines, 
etc.,  will  probably  cease,  but  not  until  then.    Pending  this  day,  the 
