120 
Codeine  Sulphate. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t      March,  1892. 
NOTE  ON  CODEINE  SULPHATE. 
By  Joseph  W.  England,  Ph.G. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  Feb.  16. 
Codeine  sulphate  is  now  meeting  with  strong  medical  favor  as  an 
extremely  prompt  sedative  in  affections  of  the  respiratory  tract.  It 
possesses  an  advantage  over  morphine  salts  in  that  it  does  not  seem 
to  check  the  secretions,  and  is  devoid  of  disagreeable  after-effects. 
The  tendency  to  form  a  habit  is  said  to  be  absent.  It  is  also 
employed  to  alleviate  pain,  and  can  be  continued  for  a  long  time. 
The  writer  has  in  mind  a  case  of  cancer,  in  which  it  was  used  for 
over  two  years  with  remarkably  good  results.  The  dose  usually 
given  ranges  from  y%-%  to  ]/2  grain,  and  sometimes  a  grain.  It  is 
either  given  in  pill  form  or  in  solution ;  often  in  syrup  of  wild 
cherry.  In  our  experience,  the  alkaloid  codeine,  which  is  officinal, 
is  never  used ;  the  sulphate  is  always  called  for. 
For  convenience  sake  in  dispensing,  we  have  used  for  a  number 
of  months  a  standard  solution  of  codeine  sulphate,  made  with  six- 
teen grains  of  the  compound  to  each  fluidounce  of  water.  In 
using  a  certain  firm's  make,  we  have  several  times  noticed  an  insolu- 
ble residue,  which  residue  was  completely  soluble  upon  the  addition 
of  dilute  sulphuric  acid.  Codeine  sulphate  obtained  from  other 
firms  gave  clear  solutions  with  water ;  hence  it  became  of  interest 
to  know  what  the  insoluble  residue  was  and  its  percentage. 
The  residue  was  a  yellowish-white  powder,  sparingly  soluble  in 
water,  which  solution  was  alkaline  in  reaction  and  evinced  no  change 
with  ferric  chloride.  It  was  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  benzol  and 
chloroform.  Added  to  nitric  acid  (s.  g.  1-200)  it  dissolved  to  a 
yellow  liquid,  which  did  not  become  red.  The  solution  added  to 
mercuric  chloride  gave  no  precipitate.  Dissolved  in  sulphuric  acid 
the  residue  gave,  with  a  trace  of  ferric  chloride  and  gentle  warming, 
a  deep  blue  color.  The  reactions  showed  that  the  residue  was  the 
alkaloid  codeine,  probably  present  in  the  codeine  sulphate  through 
excessive  heat  employed  in  concentration  of  the  solution  for  crys- 
tallization. The  amount  was  7-7  per  cent.  The  possible  dangers 
resulting  from  using  a  salt  supposed  to  be  entirely  soluble  in  water, 
and  containing  such  a  heavy  percentage  of  free  and  practically 
insoluble  alkaloid,  are  obvious.  Other  samples  of  this  same  make,., 
in  the  past,  have  contained  as  high  a  percentage. 
