140  TITRATED  SOLUTIONS  OF  OPIUM. 
Take  100  grains  of  powdered  opium,  triturate  and  work  well 
with  sulphuric  ether  in  a  mortar,  with  pestJe,  pouring  off  into  a 
filter  and  renewing  the  ether  until  the  opium  ceases  to  impart 
color  to  the  ether.  After  the  filter  and  the  opium  have  drained 
off  and  dried,  turn  them  back  into  the  mortar,  cut  up  the  paper 
with  scissors,  add  warm  water  gradually,  and  work  paper  and 
opium  into  a  pulp  ;  finally  add  sufficient  water  to  make  an  ounce 
or  thereabouts,  set  this  aside  for  twelve  hours  to  macerate,  then 
strain  through  flannel  and  return  the  expressed  residue  into  the 
mortar,  working  it  over  as  before  with  warm  water  ;  strain  again, 
and  repeat  this  manipulation  until  the  washings  become  tasteless, 
or  until  the  liquor  ceases  to  acquire  a  reddish  tinge  with  a  drop 
each  of  nitric  acid  and  tinct.  chloride  iron.  This  strained  liquor 
is  then  filtered  and  evaporated,  and  worked  for  morphia,  either 
according  to  Dr.  Squibb's  process  (omitting  the  washing  with 
ether,  of  course),  or  according  to  the  Pharmacopoeia  process,  ob- 
serving Dr.  Squibb's  direction — to  cover  the  liquor  with  a  water 
joint.  To  be  sure  that  no  morphia  is  lost,  the  liquor  should 
have  48  hours'  rest.  After  the  first  day  there  is  sometimes  a 
small  gain  in  crystals ;  that  for  morphiometrical  purposes  it  is 
not  necessary  to  decolorize  the  crystals.  Dr.  Squibb  mentions 
distinctly,  and  this  is  a  great  saving  of  time  and  morphine  when 
working  with  small  quantities. 
Exhausting  this  powdered  opium  dry,  with  ether,  will  be  found 
a  saving  of  time  and  ether,  as  also,  from  actual  trial,  I  found  the 
manipulation  of  the  opium  in  a  mortar,  and  pressing  the  liquor 
through  a  strainer,  to  exhaust  the  opium  with  half  the  menstruum 
that  is  required  to  exhaust  by  washing  through  a  filter.  This 
same  experience  I  have  formerly  often  made  in  making  tinctures  ; 
by  using  a  powerful  press  it  would  only  require  half  the  amount 
of  menstruum  to  exhaust  that  percolation  needed  to  leave  the 
dregs  tasteless. 
The  number  of  grains  of  morphia  obtained  from  100  grains 
of  opium  of  course  represents  the  percentage,  and  it  will  also 
hardly  be  necessary  to  add  that  the  same  care  and  accuracy  that 
is  enjoined  by  Dr.  Squibb  in  weighing,  &c.,  is  indispensable  here. 
As  opium  is  cheapest  about  November  and  December,  this 
would  be  the  best  time,  as  a  rule,  to  lay  in  a  supply  for  the  year, 
