Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October,  1915. 
Examination  of  Opium  Alkaloids.  455 
containing  a  few  drops  of  hydrochloric  acid  and  a  few  drops  of  ferric 
chloride  solution  added,  a  red  coloration  should  not  be  produced  (ab- 
sence of  meconic  acid  or  meconates)  ;  the  further  addition  of  a  few 
drops  of  potassium  ferricyanide  solution  should  not  immediately 
produce  a  blue  color  (absence  of  morphine) . 
If  0.1  Gm.  of  narceine  be  dissolved  in  10  Cc.  of  water  contain- 
ing a  few  drops  of  hydrochloric  acid,  a  few  drops  of  a  saturated 
aqueous  solution  of  iodic  acid  added,  and  the  mixture  shaken  with 
2  Cc.  of  chloroform,  the  chloroform  layer  should  not  be  colored 
violet  (absence  of  morphine) . 
If  0.1  Gm.  of  narceine  be  dissolved  in  10  Cc.  of  a  5  per  cent,  po- 
tassium hydroxide  solution,  the  solution  shaken  with  several  small 
successive  portions  of  ether,  the  ether  solutions  combined,  washed 
with  water,  and  evaporated,  the  residue,  if  any,  should  not  respond 
to  tests  for  codeine,  narcotine  or  papaverine. 
If  0.01  Gm.  of  narceine  be  dissolved  in  10  Cc.  of  water  con- 
taining a  few  drops  of  hydrochloric  acid  the  solution  should  not 
at  once  become  turbid  on  the  addition  of  barium  chloride  solution 
(limit  of  sulphates). 
If  from  0.2  Gm.  to  0.3  Gm.  of  narceine  be  weighed  and  the  al- 
kaloid burned,  the  ash  should  not  amount  to  more  than  0.1  per  cent, 
of  the  weight  taken. 
If  from  0.2  to  0.3  Gm.  of  narceine  be  weighed,  dissolved  in  about 
25  Cc.  of  warm  water  containing  a  few  drops  of  nitric  acid,  the 
solution  heated,  a  slight  excess  of  silver  nitrate  solution  added,  the 
precipitate  of  silver  chloride,  if  any,  collected,  dried,  and  weighed 
in  the  usual  way,  the  silver  chloride  found  should  not  correspond  to 
more  than  10  per  cent,  of  narceine  hydrochloride  in  the  material 
taken. 
Monograph  II. 
NARCOTINE  (C22H2307N). 
Narcotine  occurs  in  colorless,  shining,  rhombic  prisms,  in  long 
needles  or  in  fine,  white  crystalline  powder;  odorless  and  tasteless; 
permanent  in  the  air. 
Narcotine  is  insoluble  in  water;  soluble  in  hot  alcohol,  ether, 
chloroform,  ethyl  acetate,  and  benzene;  insoluble  in  cold  but  soluble 
in  boiling  alkaline  solutions. 
Narcotine  melts  at  174  to  1760.  At  higher  temperatures  nar- 
cotine is  decomposed  with  evolution  of  ammonia. 
