Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1896. 
Opium  Assaying. 
■259 
lime-water  process,  and  titration  with  a  volumetric  acid  solution, 
using  haematoxylin  as  indicator.  The  samples  operated  on  were 
taken  at  random  during  the  past  year,  from  about  155  assays,  and 
the  results  are  as  follows : 
No. 
Per  Cent,  of  Ash. 
Per  Cent,  of 
Impurity  by  the 
Ash  Method. 
Per  Cent,  of 
Impurity  by  the 
Lime-Water 
Process. 
.rer  cent.  01 
Impurity  per  Ti- 
tration with  Volu- 
metric Sulphuric 
Acid. 
1 
3*o4 
7*60 
8-42 
575 
2 
2'l8 
5 '45 
8-oo 
6-50 
3 
0  00 
o-oo 
o*oo 
4-00 
4 
2'24 
5  '60 
6'6o 
474 
5 
2-98 
7'45 
5-48 
4'5<> 
6 
2-32 
5'8o 
5 '53 
4'25 
7 
2-16 
5  "4° 
4  "CO 
4'25 
8 
}%7 
4' 1 9 
4'20 
574 
9 
2*04 
5'i2 
1-24 
374 
10 
3*45 
8-62 
i'4o 
5'i7 
11 
2  75 
6-87 
5'72 
5  -06 
12 
3-06 
7-65 
472 
3'5i 
13 
2-00 
5  -oo 
1-32 
474 
14 
1-08 
270 
4'52 
3'59 
15 
i-86 
4-65 
10*42 
16 
i-95 
4-87 
8-22 
17 
2*91 
7'27 
8-oo 
3 '59 
The  above  results  indicate  that  the  present  methods  of  applying 
a  correction  are  unsatisfactory.  Nos.  1,16  and  17  were  the  samples 
that  were  selected  for  morphine  that  would  not  need  a  correction, 
and  yet  they  appear  to  contain  the  largest  amount  of  impurity. 
No.  3  was  a  morphine  that  we  obtained  from  denarcotized  tincture 
of  opium.  Both  the  ash  and  the  lime-water  methods  indicate  it  to 
be  pure,  while  titration  with  acid  indicates  an  impurity  of  at  least  4 
per  cent.  The  sample  contained  considerable  coloring  matter,  which 
was  dissolved  by  the  lime  water,  rendering  it  very  dark.  In  a 
number  of  other  cases  the  same  results  were  obtained  only  in  a  less 
marked  degree.  It  is  not  necessary  to  comment  further  on  these 
results,  since  the  careful  observer  can  draw  his  own  conclusions.  The 
writer  wishes  only  to  call  the  reader's  attention  to  the  great  differ- 
ence between  the  ash  and  the  lime-water  methods  in  Nos.  9,  16 
and  13.    The  presence  of  manganese  was  noted  in  the  ash. 
