NEW RESEARCHES ON OPIUM. 
71 
temperature, but becomes decomposed like the vegetable alka- 
lies. 
Paramorphia differs from morphia in not being reddened by 
nitric acid, by not forming crystallisable salts with the acids, 
and not striking a blue colour with the salts of iron. 
Paramorphia resembles codeine in its solubility in alcohol 
and ether, in its alkalitinity; but differs in never forming large 
crystals, in not forming crystalline salts, and in always being 
precipitated from its acid solutions by ammonia; finally, in 
not melting and forming oily drops. 
Paramorphia has no analogy with meconine and narceine. 
The only substance with which it might be confounded is nar- 
cotine; and, in fact, they cannot be distinguished without the 
closest attention is paid to their differential characters. There 
are none of those marked points of dissim'larity, either in their 
external appearance or chemical reactions, so useful in the dis- 
crimination of bodies. At the same time the difference of 
taste, fusibility, solubility in alcohol, are sufficient to separate 
those two products. 
Narcotine crystallises in prismatic needles of a remarkable 
brilliancy, paramorphia in granulated crystals, or very short 
needles; narcotine has a purely bitter taste, paramorphia a 
bitter taste also, but leaving a styptic and metallic impression 
on the mouth; narcotine requires about 100 parts of cold or 
25 of hot alcohol to dissolve it, and always crystallises on the 
cooling of a saturated solution ; paramorphia is soluble in 10 
parts of cold alcohol, and in a much less quantity of boiling. 
The action of concentrated acids on paramorphia, has not been 
thoroughly examined, but enough has been ascertained to dis- 
tinguish it from narcotine. Nitric acid poured on narcotine 
almost instantly dissolves it, becoming of a beautiful yellow 
colour ; when it is added to paramorphia, this latter becomes 
yellow, but not of so decided a tint as narcotine ; it softens, 
and melts, as it were, before it is dissolved. Hydrochloric 
acid also converts paramorphia into a soft and resinoid sub- 
stance, before dissolving it. 
Two years since, I made an analysis of it, assisted by M. 
