8i4 
Ejjects  of  Opmm. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\    November,  1920. 
practically  constant  weights  after  192  hours.  Our  Sample  No.  7 
(Table  II)  shows  a  loss  of  more  than  i  per  cent,  in  the  period  192  to 
576  hours.  These  workers  also  assert  that  opium  is  practically 
non-hygroscopic  when  dried  at  about  100°.  On  this  minor  point 
also  our  results  are  not  parallel.  As  would  be  expected,  we  are 
able  to  agree  that  the  greatest  loss  of  weight  takes  place  in  the  first 
or  second  day  of  heating. 
Change  in  the  Morphine  Content  of  Opium  When  Heated. — Our 
results  point  to  a  sharp  difference  between  Persian  and  Indian 
opium.  Table  I  shows  that  the  Persian  opium  lost  more  than  30 
per  cent,  of  its  morphine  on  being  heated  for  96  hours,  but  lost  no 
more  when  the  heating  was  continued  to  288  hours.  On  the  other 
hand  Table  II  shows  the  Indian  opium  as  having  lost  only  about 
3  per  cent,  of  its  morphine  on  being  heated  for  192  hours,  but  as 
losing  progressively  and  heavily  till  it  had  lost  about  30  per  cent, 
on  576  hours'  heating.  Again  we  differ  from  Annett  and  Hardayal 
Singh,  who  claim  to  have  found  an  increase  in  the  morphine  content 
from  264  hours  to  288  hours'  heating,  though  we  agree  with  them 
(as  regards  Indian  opium  on  which  alone  they  worked)  that  the 
first  period  of  heating  causes  no  great  change  but  that  once  started 
it  proceeds  regularly  up  to  264  hours.  None  of  their  experiments 
cover  a  longer  period  than  288  hours.  It  seems  probable  that  the 
slight  rise  in  morphine-content  which  they  report  is  due  solely  to 
an  analytical  error.  Their  results  differ  markedly  from  those  we 
have  obtained  on  Persian  opium. 
Our  conclusion  is  that  many  more  comparative  experiments  are 
necessary  before  it  can  be  definitely  stated  that  Indian  and  Persian 
opium  differ  in  their  behavior  towards  heat.  We  consider  it  as 
proved,  however,  that  some  samples  of  opium  loose  a  notable  amount 
of  morphine  before  all  the  moisture  has  been  expelled.  We  believe  that 
while  further  investigation  is  called  for,  it  would  be  well  to  take  into 
consideration  the  facts  already  shown  in  planning  any  assay  of  opium. 
The  Effect  of  Prolonged  Heating  on  Crystallized  Morphine. — • 
The  free  alkaloid  proved  to  be  much  more  stable  than  we  anticipated. 
While  it  lost  its  water  of  crystallization  during  the  first  day  of  heat- 
ing, no  further  change  could  be  detected  till  it  had  been  heated 
for  four  days.  Even  when  heated  for  eight  days  it  had  only  gained 
0.2  Mg.  over  its  anhydrous  weight  and  any  change  in  its  basicity 
was  not  appreciable.  After  such  a  period  of  heating  opium,  itself, 
had  shown  a  decided  destruction  of  morphine  salts. 
