Am.  Jour.  Pharm. } 
Oct.,  1883.  J 
Tincture  of  Opium. 
483 
The  results  obtained  are  as  follows : 
Grains  of  Morphia 
No.  Per  cent,  of  Morphia.  to  the  Fluidounce. 
1  ....1-20.....  5-24 
2  1-20  5-25 
3  0-91  3-95 
4  0-59  2-62 
5  0-66  2-89 
6   l-4()  6-06 
7  0-86  3-81 
8  1-24  5-46 
9  0-77  3-32 
10  0-98  4-29 
11  1-10  ,  4-77 
12  0-65  2-87 
13  0-75  3-29 
14  1-24  5-45 
[15  1-31  5-70] 
16  1-27  5-59 
17  1-33  5-87 
The  morphia  from  each  sample  was  tested  for  its  solubility  in  lime 
water  Ephemeris,"  Vol.  I,  No.  1,  p.  18),  and  in  Nos.  8,  10, 11  and 
16,  which  showed  a  large  amount  of  insoluble  matter  (the  others  contain- 
ing traces  merely),  a  correction  was  made  for  this,  the  amount  being 
determined  by  collecting  the  insoluble  substance  (narcotine?)  from 
about  0*5  gram  on  a  balanced  filter,  drying  and  weighing.  The  use 
here  of  the  balanced  filter  cannot  well  be  avoided,  as  the  precipitate  is 
of  such  a  nature  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to  remove  it,  but  it  is 
open  to  the  same  objection  as  above,  and  the  amount  of  impurity  thus 
found  is  doubtless  somewhat  high.  Before  making  the  reduction  the 
figures  stood:  No.  8,  5'63  grains,  No.  10,  4-44  grains,  No.  11,  4*89 
grains.  No.  16,  5*72  grains,  to  the  fluidounce. 
Nos.  1,  2,  6,  8,  14,  16  and  17  are  all  probably  intended  to  answer 
the  requirements  of  the  U.  S.  P.,  1880.  A  sample  of  laudanum  (No. 
15)  made  from  15  per  cent,  opium,  according  to  the  U.  S.  P.,  substi- 
tuting 40  parts  each  of  alcohol  and  water  for  4  as  directed,  yielded, 
after  making  the  subtraction  for  impurities  insoluble  in  lime  water, 
only  5'70  grains  to  the  fluidounce,  6*03  being  the  amount  obtained 
before  correction. 
Nos.  3,  7,  10  and  11  would  fulfil  the  requirements  of  the  U.  S.  P., 
1870,  according  to  which  the  minimum  strength  would  be  3*75  grains 
to  the  fluidounce.  Nos.  9  and  13  are  perhaps  intended  to  conform  to 
this. 
