Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
October,  1915. 
J     Examination  of  Opium  Alkaloids. 
451 
filtrate  an  anhydrous  ether-extract  residue  weighing  0.0142  Gm.  was 
obtained,  equivalent  to  117.3  'per  cent,  of  the  amount  of  codeine 
taken.   This  residue  gave  tests  for  papaverine  and  for  codeine. 
It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  method  can  be  used  for  the  de- 
tection of  small  quantities  of  codeine  in  much  larger  quantities  of 
papaverine,  and  can  even  be  employed  to  approximately  separate  the 
two  alkaloids  from  each  other  in  such  mixture. 
Thebaine  Hydrochloride. 
The  tests  to  which  the  specimens  of  thebaine  hydrochloride  were 
subjected  included  determinations  of  the  water  of  hydration  (loss 
at  ioo°  C.  in  a  partial  vacuum),  of  the  alkaloid,  and  of  the  chloride; 
the  application  of  limit  tests  for  meconates,  sulphates,  papaverine, 
and  morphine. 
The  results  obtained  in  the  examination  are  given  below. 
But  one  specimen  of  thebaine  hydrochloride  was  examined : 
faintly  yellowish,  odorless,  rhombic  prisms,  which  yielded  a  white 
powder  on  crushing.  The  salt  dissolved  in  water,  forming  a  color- 
less, neutral  solution.  Meconate,  sulphates,  papaverine,  and  mor- 
phine were  absent.   The  analytical  findings  are  given  in  Table  VI. 
Table  VI. 
Composition  of  a  Specimen  of  Commercial  Thebaine  Hydrochloride. 
Merck 
Theory 
Water  (loss  at  ioo°  in  vacuum)  
4.22 
4-93 
85.20 
85.IO 
Hydrochloric  acid  (HQ)  
9.98 
9-97 
Melting-point  of  isolated  alkaloid. .  
193. 20  (corr.) 
193° 
Because  of  the  more  ready  solubility  of  thebaine  in  water,  as 
compared  with  narcotine  and  papaverine,  it  was  found  that  the  water- 
solubility  test  could  not  be  used  to  separate  thebaine  from  codeine. 
The  method  was  tried  as  described  for  narcotine,  but  the  results 
were  not  encouraging,  as  is  shown  by  the  findings  given  below. 
From  0.2329  Gm.  of  thebaine  hydrochloride,  equivalent  to  0.1982 
Gm.  of  anhydrous  alkaloid,  a  precipitate  weighing  0.1497  Gm.  was 
obtained,  equivalent  to  75.43  per  cent,  of  the  quantity  of  thebaine 
taken.  From  the  filtrate  an  anhydrous  ether-extract  residue  weigh- 
ing 0.0482  Gm.  was  obtained,  equivalent  to  24.32  per  cent,  of  the 
