374 
Codeine  Hydrobromide. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
{       July,  1884. 
impure  state.  The  original  alcoholic  extract  of  the  fungus  also  yields 
a  substance  which  crystallizes  in  needles  from  a  solution  in  absolute 
alcohol.  It  is  insoluble  in  water,  and  nearly  so  in  ether,  chloroform 
and  cold  alcohol,  but  dissolves  in  potash  solution.  It  melts  at  about 
272°,  and  sublimes  in  white  needles.  This  substance,  which  is  prob- 
ably an  alcohol,  exists  to  the  extent  of  about  5  per  cent,  in  the  plant. 
The  alcoholic  mother-liquors  from  this  substance  contain  a  white 
amorphous  body,  which  is  deposited  in  a  colloidal  form  from  its  solu- 
tion in  chloroform.  It  appears  to  be  an  acid,  and  occurs  to  the  extent 
of  about  4  per  cent,  in  the  fungus.  Finally  a  red  amorphous  resin 
was  obtained  from  the  original  alcoholic  extract,  in  which  it  was  very 
soluble.  This  is  the  bitter  purgative  constituent  of  the  fungus,  and  is 
present  to  the  extent  of  about  30  per  cent. — Jour.  Chem.  Soc,  March, 
1884,  p.  353,  from  Arch.  Pharm.,  vol.  21. 
CODEINE  HYDROBROMIDE. 
By  D.  B.  Dott. 
Codeine  is  the  strongest  of  the  opium  bases,  replacing  all  the  others 
in  solution  of  their  salts.  Yet  probably  for  more  than  one  reason,  the 
salts  of  codeine  are  not  much  in  demand,  the  alkaloid  itself  being 
more  generally  used.  As  the  hydrobromide  is  sometimes  required,  I 
thought  that  a  note  of  its  principal  properties  might  be  of  some 
interest,  especially  as  the  salt  has  not  been  previously  described,  at 
least  so  far  as  I  have  observed. 
Codeine  hydrobromide  crystallizes  from  an  aqueous  solution  in 
radiate  tufts  of  four-sided  prisms.  The  solubility  in  water  was  deter- 
mined by  digestion  at  a  temperature  below  60° F.  for  twenty-four 
hours,  then  at  60°  for  two  hours,  when  portions  of  the  solution  were 
weighed  and  evaporated  to  dryness  on  a  water-bath. 
a.    165  grs.  solution  left  1*93  grs.  =  1*97  grs.  2  —  hydrate. 
165-1^7  =  82.75> 
1-97 
b.    144-25  grs.  left  1*70  ==  1*73  grs.  2  —  hydrate. 
144-25-  1-73^3^ 
1-73 
The  solubility  in  water  at  60°  F.  is,  therefore  approximately  1  in 
82-5. 
