Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October,  1915. 
j     Examination  of  Opium  Alkaloids.  457 
If  about  0.001  Gm.  of  narcotine  be  dissolved  in  0.1  Cc.  of  sul- 
phuric acid  which  contains  a  tracfe  of  iodic  acid,  a  violet  color  should 
be  produced,  which  immediately  becomes  brown  and  eventually 
cherry  red  (distinction  from  morphine  which  yields  a  violet  color 
soon  becoming  brown,  and  from  codeine  which  yields  a  moss-green 
color  changing  to  brown). 
If  0.01  Gm.  of  narcotine  be  dissolved  in  10  Cc.  of  diluted  hydro- 
chloric acid  and  a  few  drops  of  ferric  chloride  solution  added,  a 
red  coloration  should  not  be  produced  (absence  of  meconic  acid  or 
meconates)  ;  the  further  addition  of  a  few  drops  of  potassium  ferri- 
cyanide  solution  should  not  immediately  produce  a  blue  color  (ab- 
sence of  morphine). 
If  0.1  Gm.  of  narcotine  be  dissolved  in  10  Cc.  of  water  containing 
a  few  drops  of  diluted  hydrochloric  acid,  a  few  drops  of  a  saturated 
aqueous  solution  of  iodic  acid  added,  and  the  solution  shaken  with 
2  Cc.  of  chloroform,  the  chloroform  layer  should  not  be  colored 
violet  (absence  of  morphine). 
If  0.1  Gm.  of  narcotine  be  shaken  with  10  Cc.  of  a  5  per  cent, 
solution  of  potassium  hydroxide,  the  mixture  allowed  to  stand  for 
an  hour,  filtered,  and  2  Cc.  of  ammonium  chloride  solution  added  to 
the  filtrate,  no  crystals  should  separate  within  twenty-four  hours 
(absence  of  morphine) . 
If  from  0.2  to  0.3  Gm.  of  narcotine  be  weighed,  dissolved  in  50 
Cc.  of  hot  water  containing  a  few  drops  of  hydrochloric  acid,  a 
slight  excess  of  very  dilute  ammonia  water  added  with  stirring,  the 
mixture  allowed  to  stand  over  night,  filtered,  the  filtrate  shaken  with 
several  successive  portions  of  ether,  the  ether  solutions  combined, 
washed  with  water,  and  evaporated,  the  residue,  if  any,  should  not 
respond  to  tests  for  codeine. 
If  0.1  Gm.  of  narcotine  be  dissolved  in  5  Cc.  of  water  con- 
taining a  few  drops  of  diluted  hydrochloric  acid,  the  solution 
evaporated  to  dryness,  the  residue  dissolved  in  40CC.  of  water,  a 
few  drops  of  freshly-prepared  potassium  ferricyanide  solution 
added,  and  the  mixture  shaken,  a  yellow  precipitate  should  not 
form  within  ten  minutes  (limit  of  papaverine) . 
If  0.1  Gm.  of  narcotine  be  dissolved  in  10  Cc.  of  water  containing 
a  few  drops  of  nitric  acid,  portions  of  the  solution  should  not  at  once 
become  turbid  on  the  addition  of  barium  chloride  solution  (limit  of 
sulphates) ,  or  of  silver  nitrate  solution  (limit  of  chlorides). 
If  from  0.2  Gm.  to  0.3  Gm.  of  narcotine  be  weighed  and  the 
