THE 
AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
FEBRUARY,  1871. 
DECOMPOSITION  OF  ACETATE  OF  MORPHIA  IN  SOLUTION, 
By  John  M.  Maisch. 
Read  before  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  Dec.  20,  1870. 
That  aqueous  solutions  of  the  salts  of  most  officiiial  alkaloids  can- 
not be  kept  for  indefinite  periods  is  well  known  to  all  pharmacists. 
Whether  distilled  water,  or  boiled  and  filtered  hydrant  water — the 
latter  containing  but  traces  of  foreign  matter — be  used  for  such  solu- 
tions, whitish  floccules  usually  make  their  appearance  after  some  time, 
and  gradually  assume  a  soft  gelatinous  consistence,  with  the  appear- 
ance of  algaceous  growth.  In  the  few  instances  in  which  the  writer 
assayed  such  altered  solutions  of  the  sulphates  of  quinia  and  of  mor- 
phia, a  diminution  of  the  amount  of  alkaloid  has  not  been  observed, 
and  the  appearance  of  this  foreign  body  was  therefore  rather  attrib- 
uted to  accidental  organic  impurities  in  the  water,  and  this  belief  was 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  the  bulk  of  these  flocks  varies  in  solu- 
tions made  at  different  times,  and  after  some  time  apparently  does 
not  increase,  and  tliat  the  presence  of  an  excess  of  sulphuric  acid 
prevents  such  a  formation  or  at  least  diminishes  its  amount. 
It  is  also  well  known  that  a  neutral  solution  of  acetate  of  ammonia 
gradually  deposits  flocks,  and  that  the  liquid  then  assumes  an  alka- 
line reaction.  This  was  fii-st  observed  by  Ilorst,*  who  attributes  this 
decomposition  of  aqueous  solutions  of  acetate  and  succinate  of  ammo- 
nia to  the  light,  and  recommends  to  keep  them  in  a  dark  place ;  if 
ammonia  was  replaced  by  potassa  or  soda,  this  decomposition  did  not 
take  place.  I  am  not  tiware  that  the  amount  of  ammonia  has  ever 
been  estimated  in  the  fresh  solution  and  after  the  decomposition  has 
taken  place. 
Arcbiv  d.  Pharm.  1823.    Buchner's  Repertorium,  xviii,  481. 
