106 
SOLUTION  OF  MECONATE  OF  MORPHIA. 
Macerate  Ihe  opium  in  a  pint  of  water  with  agitation  for 
three  days,  strain  with  expression,  and  again  macerate  in  suc- 
cessive portions  of  water,  a  pint  each  time,  for  twenty-four  hours, 
until  four  pints  have  been  used  and  the  opium  sufficiently 
exhausted.  Evaporate  the  liquors  carefully  to  the  measure  of  a 
pint,  filter,  and  add  solution  of  acetate  of  lead  until  it  ceases  to 
produce  a  precipitate,  Collect  this  on  a  filter,  wash  it  with  water 
thoroughly,  suspend  it  in  a  pint  of  warm  distilled  water,  pass 
a  current  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen  through  the  mixture  until 
the  lead  is  entirely  precipitated,  heat  and  filter  the  solution  of 
meconic  acid  that  remains,  until  deprived  of  sulphuretted  odor. 
Meanwhile  take  the  liquid  filtered  from  the  lead  precipitate 
(containing  the  morphia,  etc.),  together  with  .  the  washings, 
evaporate  them  at  a  gentle  heat  to  four  fluidounces  ;  drop  in  suffi- 
cient diluted  sulphuric  acid  to  precipitate  the  oxide  of  lead  pre- 
sent, and  filter  ;  then  mix  the  filtrate  with  an  equal  bulk  of 
alcohol  and  carefully  add  the  solution  of  ammonia,  with  agita- 
tion, until  it  remains  in  slight  excess ;  allowing  it  to  rest 
twenty-four  hours,  that  the  morphia  may  separate.  Collect  the 
impure  morphia  on  a  filter,  wash  it  with  a  little  water,  and  dis- 
solve it  in  the  hot  solution  of  meconic  acid  and  filter  if  necessary, 
washing  the  filter  with  a  little  distilled  water.  Finally,  add 
first  sufficient  distilled  water  to  the  filtrate  to  make  it  measure 
three  pints,  and  then  the  stronger  alcohol,  and  mix  them. 
Thus  made,  solution  of  meconate  of  morphia  has  a  decided 
bitter  taste,  but  little  odor  except  from  the  alcohol  present,  and 
a  light  reddish-brown  color,  varying  in  different  specimens, 
and  due  to  adhering  coloring  matter,  and  especially  to  contact 
with  oxide  of  iron  during  preparation  in  filters  or  utensils. 
I  have  given  the  details  explicitly,  to  enable  the  apothecary 
to  make  the  preparation  when  not  in  reach  of  the  manufacturer, 
as  the  process  is  too  tedious  and  troublesome  to  be  resorted  to 
for  the  supply  of  a  small  demand,  except  from  necessity. 
The  writer  believes  it  to  possess  no  merit  not  embraced  in  the 
officinal  "deodorized  tincture  of  opium"  and  the  "liquor  opii 
compositus  "  of  Dr.  Squibb,  and  offers  the  process  for  use  when 
needed,  rather  than  to  create  a  demand  by  recommending  so 
costly  a  substitute  for  sulphate  of  morphia. 
