424 
CRYPTOPIA,  A  NEW  ALKALOID  IN  OPIUM. 
when  burnt.  Heated  in  a  glass  tube  it  remains  without  appa- 
rent change  till  the  heat  rises  to  about  400°  F. ;  it  then  melts 
into  a  liquid  which,  on  raising  the  heat,  assumes  a  dark  color ; 
on  cooling  it  becomes  solid  at  about  340°  F.,  and,  according  to 
the  quicker  or .  slower  cooling,  forms  a  splintered  resinous-like 
layer,  or  draws  into  lichen-like  tufts,  which  show  a  radiated 
crystalline  structure  when  examined  by  means  of  a  lens.  When 
cryptopia  is  gradually  heated  to  redness  in  a  closed  glass  tube, 
it  melts,  blackens,  gives  oif  a  watery  vapor,  which  condenses  on 
the  cold  sides  of  the  tube  ;  whitish-yellow  vapors  make  their 
appearance,  but  quickly  disappear ;  and,  although  there  is  a 
creeping  up  in  the  tube  of  an  oily  liquid,  there  is  nothing  to  in- 
dicate sublimation.  The  liquid  condensed  in  the  tube  at  once 
turns  reddened  litmus-paper  blue;  the  fumes  from  the  tube  have 
an  ammoniacal  smell,  and  a  glass  rod  moistened  with  weak  hy- 
drochloric acid,  when  passed  into  the  tube  is  immediately  sur- 
rounded with  a  white  cloud.  The  alkaloid  appears  to  be  soluble 
neither  in  oil  of  turpentine  nor  in  benzine,  but  is  nearly  as  solu- 
ble in  chloroform  as  narcotine. 
Preparation. — Cryptopia  is  contained  in  the  weak  spirituous 
washings  of  crude  precipitated  morphia,  the  liquid  designated  by 
the  French,  "  eaux  meres  alcooliques." 
The  first  step  to  be  taken  is  to  neutralize  the  liquid  with  di- 
luted sulphuric  acid,  keeping  it  rather  below  than  above  the 
neutral  point ;  the  spirit  is  then  to  be  recovered  by  distillation, 
and  the  contents  of  the  still  washed  out  with  abundance  of  hot 
water ;  the  washings  and  liquid  are  to  be  mixed  together  and 
filtered,  the  hot  liquid  is  now  to  be  thrown  down  with  a  large 
excess  of  caustic  lime  in  the  form  of  a  milk ;  the  liquid  is  next 
to  be  filtered  away,  and  the  precipitate  thoroughly  washed, — the 
washed  matter,  more  or  less  loose  or  pitchy,  is  the  source  of 
cryptopia.  The  very  compound  matter  thus  obtained  is  to  be 
boiled  up  with  rectified  spirit  in  large  quantity,  and  the  spiritu- 
ous solution  filtered ;  the  filtered  solution  is  then  distilled  to  re- 
cover the  spirit.  After  the  spirit  has  been  removed,  the  contents 
of  the  still  are  found  to  be  a  watery  liquid,  and  a  solid  matter 
of  a  pitchy  consistence.  The  watery  liquid  is  then  removed,  and 
the  pitchy  matter,  which  is  principally  composed  of  thebaia3  is 
