556  Deodorized  Tincture  of  Opium.  {AN0vJembef,hi898m' 
per  cent,  morphine,  extracted  with  cold  water,  the  washings  evapor- 
ated to  very  soft  extract,  the  extract  redissolved  in  ten  times  its 
weight  of  distilled  water,  filtered  from  precipitated  matter,  concen- 
trated to  syrupy  consistence,  washed  with  ether  until  10  c.c.  of  ether 
washings  evaporated  in  a  porcelain  capsule  gave  only  a  slight  resi- 
due, the  opium  solution  evaporated  to  an  extract,  the  extract 
weighed  53  per  cent.  of.  the  original  opium  and  assayed  20  per  cent, 
morphine,  in  place  of  24-15  per  cent,  that  it  should  assay  if  no  loss 
had  occurred  in  the  exhausting,  heating,  precipitating,  etc.  This 
extract  is  very  clean,  entirely  soluble  in  a  mixture  of  water  four 
volumes  and  alcohol  one  volume,  and  yields  a  very  superior  deodor- 
ized tincture.  A  sample  of  the  extract,  one  of  the  extract  reduced 
to  14  per  cent,  with  milk  sugar,  and  of  the  deodorized  tincture  made 
from  the  extract,  are  submitted.  It  is  evident  that  the  200  c.c.  of 
ether  used  for  washing  100  grammes  of  opium  in  the  official  process 
for  deodorized  tincture,  is  insufficient.  There  is  no  uniformity  in 
quantity  required  on  account  of  difference  in  character  of  the  opium 
employed.  Sample  of  deodorized  tincture  marked  B.  has  had  three 
ether  washings,  and  sample  C.  the  same  number,  while  sample  D. 
has  had  six.  Comparison  of  these  samples  will  show  their  variation 
in  character. 
It  would  be  better  if  the  U.S.P.  directed  repeated  ether  washings 
in  its  process  for  deodorized  tincture,  or  washing  until  slight  resi- 
due is  obtained  on  evaporation  of  10  c.c.  of  ether  washing,  if  any 
uniformity  in  product  is  intended.  To  ascertain  if  loss  in  these 
processes  came  from  imperfect  exhaustion  in  using  gum  opium,  25 
pounds  of  natural  opium,  assaying  13  per  cent.,  was  washed  with 
two  successive  portions  of  lukewarm  water,  each  portion  four  times 
the  weight  of  the  opium  used.  Assay  showed  1-7  pounds  loss. 
Further  washing  with  three  additional  washings  gave  o-8  pounds  as 
loss.    Duplicate  experiments  gave  very  similar  results. 
Experiment  No.  7. — 100  grammes  of  No.  40  opium  assaying  16 
per  cent,  was  extracted  with  redistilled  acetone  of  sp.  gr.  0.8172  (w, 
1 5°  C,  as  in  Experiment  No.  2.  The  residual  opium  weighed  74 
grammes  and  assayed  19-34  per  cent,  morphine,  in  place  of  21-62 
per  cent,  that  it  would  have  assayed  if  there  had  been  no  loss.  The 
residue  retained  the  acetone  odor  after  long  heating  at  700  C,  and 
subsequent  exposure  to  the  air.  The  deodorized  tincture  made 
from  it  retains  the  acetone  odor.    Sample  of  the  acetone  washings, 
