448      DEPORTMENT  OF  ALKALOIDS  WITH  REAGENTS,  ETC. 
will  attempt  here,  for  the  benefit  of  young  chemists,  and  more 
particularly  pharmaceutists  and  physicians,  to  describe,  in  some 
measure,  the  reactions  which  the  most  important  of  the  alkaloids 
manifest  with  other  bodies,  and  to  lay  down  a  systematic  method 
of  effecting  their  individual  detection. 
The  classification  of  the  alkaloids  into  groups,  a  plan  which  I 
have  adopted  from  Dr.  C.  R.  Fresenius,  Professor  of  the  Natural 
Sciences  at  Wiesbaden,  Germany,  is  based  upon  their  deport- 
ment with  certain  general  reagents.  I  have  verified  by  numer- 
ous experiments  the  whole  of  the  reactions  described  in  the 
following  paragraphs  : 
First  Group. — Alkaloids  which  are  precipitated  by  potassa, 
or  soda,  from  the  solutions  of  their  salts,  and  redissolve  readily 
in  an  excess  of  the  precipitant  of  the  alkaloids  of  which  I  pro- 
pose to  treat  here :  one  only  belongs  to  this  group,  viz. : 
Morphium  (CS4,H19,06,)=Mo. 
Crystallized  morphium  or  morphia  (Mo  +  2  Aq.)  usually  ap- 
pears in  the  form  of  colorless,  brilliant,  four-sided  prisms ;  or, 
when  obtained  by  precipitation,  as  a  white  crystalline  powder. 
It  has  a  bitter  taste,  and  dissolves  very  sparingly  in  cold  water, 
but  more  readily  in  boiling  water.  Of  cold  alcohol  it  requires 
ninety, parts  by  weight  for  solution;  of  boiling  alcohol  from 
twenty  to  thirty  parts.  The  solutions  of  morphia  in  alcohol 
and  in  hot  water  manifest  distinctly  alkaline  reaction.  This 
alkaloid  is  nearly  insoluble  in  ether.  At  a  moderate  heat, 
crystallized  morphia  loses  two  equivalents  of  water.  Morphia 
neutrallizes  acids  completely,  and  forms  with  them  salts  of  mor- 
phia. These  salts  are  readily  soluble  in  water  and  in  spirits 
of  wine,  but  insoluble  in  ether  ;  their  taste  is  disagreeably  bitter, 
and  most  of  them  are  crystallizable. 
Potassa  and  ammonia  precipitate  from  the  solutions  of  salts  of 
morphia,  generally  after  some  time,  Mo  -f  2  Aq.  in  the  form 
of  a  white  crystalline  powder.  Stirring  and  friction  on  the  side 
of  the  vessel  promote  the  separation  of  the  precipitate,  which  re- 
dissolves  with  great  readiness  in  an  excess  of  potassa,  but  with 
more  difficulty  in  ammonia.  It  dissolves  also  in  chloride  of 
ammonium,  and,  though  with  difficulty,  in  carbonate  of  ammonia. 
Carbonate  of  potassa  and  carbonate  of  soda  produce  the  same 
