Am.  Jcmr.  Pharm.  "I 
March,  1884.  J 
The  Salts  of  Narcotine. 
153 
whether  they  are  really  a  crystalline  acid  salt,  or  only  the  neutral  salt 
with  separated  acid.  "The  books"  give  no  information  about  these 
meconates. 
Acetate. — This  is  one  of  the  only  two  crystalline  salts  mentioned  by 
the  older  authorities.  According  to  Berzelius,  it  is  prepared  by  "  dis- 
solving narcotine  in  concentrated  acetic  acid,  and  evaporating  in  vacuo 
in  presence  of  lime."  We  prepared  a  quantity  of  acetate  according  to 
these  directions  (leaving  out  the  lime).  Narcotine  will  not  dissolve  in 
an  equivalent  of  glacial  acid ;  indeed,  a  clear  solution  was  only  obtained 
by  warming  with  several  times  that  amount.  On  cooling,  the  solution 
before  long  became  filled  with  crystals,  which  were  strongly  pressed, 
first  in  calico  and  then  between  blotting  paper.  The  crystals  were 
immediately  bottled,  and  two  portions  weighed  off  as  quickly  as 
possible.  One  of  these  was  mixed  with  ten  times  its  weight  of  calcic 
hydroxide,  and  exposed  in  the  water-bath,  while  in  the  other  the  nar- 
cotine was  determined  by  precipitation  with  ammonia. 
23*04  grs.  lost  in  w.-b.  0*36  gr.  =  1*56  per  cent. 
26*45  grs.  treated  with  cold  water  left  undissolved  24*28  grs.  By 
NH3  0*66  gr.  was  obtained  in  addition,  making  the  total  narcotine 
=  94*29  per  cent. 
Calculated.  Found. 
+ 
(Ca2H33N07)3.CaH403.H20  N   94*07  94*29 
H20  1*36  1*56 
Whence  it  is  probable  that  the  salt  obtained  as  just  described  has  the 
above  composition.  In  any  case,  it  is  of  no  value  on  account  of  its 
insolubility  in  water,  or  (what  amounts  practically  to  the  same  thing) 
its  immediate  decomposition  by  water. 
Hydrochloride. — The  dry  salt  was  correctly  described  by  Regnault 
and  by  Robiquet,  but  they  make  no  mention  of  water  of  crystallization. 
Dr.  Wright  was  the  first  who  fully  investigated  this  salt,  and  our 
analysis  leads  to  the  same  conclusion,  that  the  normal  hydrochloride 
has  the  composition  C22H23N07 .  HC1.H20.  Strong  solutions  of  this 
salt  show  a  curious  tendency  to  gelatinize,  like  the  salts  of  cryptopia. 
The  muriate  of  narcotine  may  be  regarded  as  its  most  important  salt,, 
being  easily  prepared  and  fully  soluble. 
Sulphate. — I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  published  reference  to 
this  salt,  which  is  readily  obtained  by  dissolving  narcotine  with  the 
theoretical  proportion  of  sulphuric  acid  and  allowing  to  crystallize. 
