72
Extracted from the Dictionary of
PAPAVER
somniferum.
Chemistry of Opium
MANUFAC
-
TURE.
Chemistry.
applied in this manner.* The chemical composition of porphyroxin
appears to be a matter of some uncertainty ; according to 0. Hesse it is a
mixture of several distinct principles. Pedler & Warden isolated in 1886
from Bengal opium a neutral principle insoluble in water, but dissolving in
ether, chloroform, benzol, &c., and yielding solutions which exhibited a
magnificent blue fluorescence. The morphine in opium is combined with
meconic acid. The nature of these two substances was made known by
Sertürner in 1816, who at the same time pointed out the difference between
morphia and narcotine, a substance which had been discovered in opium
by Derosne in 1803 and also by Seguin. There can be no doubt that these
two chemists also obtained morphine, but failed to distinguish it from
narcotine. Warden (Chem. News, 38, 146) has examined the ash of Behar
opium. It was of a light grey colour and contained • 857 per cent. of char
- c o a 1 ; w h i c h w a s d e d u c t e d b e f o r e c a l c u l a t i n g t h e p e r c e n t a g e c o m p o s i t i o n ,
which is as follows :—Fe2 03, I • 9 8 3 ; C a O , 7 . 1 3 4 ; M g O , 2 . 3 1 0 ; K 2 0 ,
37.240; Na2 0, 1
; SO3, 23.141 ; P2, 05,1 0.
9 0 2 ; S i O 2 ,1
5 . 2 7 4 . T h e r e
were also traces of alumina, manganese, carbon dioxide and chlorine
present.
The examinations of various kinds of Indian opium conducted by Dr.
Buri in Professor Flückiger's laboratory (Pharm. Journ., April 24 , 1 8 7 5 )
gave the following results :—
P a t n a g a r d e n o p i u m , 1 8 3 8 .
I n d i a n m e d i c a l o p i u m , 1 8 5 2
A b k a r i p r o v i s i o n o p i u m .
G a r d e n B e h a r O p i u m .
M a l w a O p i u m f l a t c a k e .
S i n d o p i u m . Hy d e r a b a d Si n d .
K h a n d e s h
P e r s i a n , 1 8 7 2 .
a —Ethereal extract, i.e., residue dried
after the evaporation of the ether.
2 4 . 2 21.7 22.0 20.6 14.1 17.4 20.4 ... 25.0
b —Crude narcotine . . .
1 0 . 0
9 . 0
8 . 5
7 . 6
7 . 6 8.0
9 . 7 ... 10.2
c—Wax : difference between a & b
. 14.2 12.7
1 3 . 5
1 3 . 0
6 . 5 9.4
1 0 . 7 ... 14.8
d—Purified narcotine .
.
.
4 . 0 6.1 5.5 4.5 4.7 3.1
5 . 4 7.7 6.4
e—Crude morphine
.
.
.
.
1 1 . 2 11.2 14.1
1 0 . 6
1 4 . 4 ...
. . .
. . .
. . .
f—Purified morphine .
.
.
. 8.6 4.3 3.5 4.6
6 . 1 3.8 3.2
6 . 0 7
7.1
Professor Flückiger remarks :
—
" The process for the estimation of narcotine and morphine was that
described in the Pharmacographia, p. 59. The extract a of the above
table is that afforded by means of boiling ether, with which the powdered
opium had almost absolutely been exhausted by repeating the treatment
with ether from about twenty to thirty times. The extract remaining after
the evaporation of the ether was boiled with acetic acid, 1.04 sp. gr. This
liquid, after the acid had been driven off, yielded b, crude narcotine, as
a crystalline brownish mass. It was washed with ether, and then afforded
(d, purified narcotine. Under c the difference between a and b, represent--
ing the amount of waxy matter, is calculated. It includes also the oily
matter with which the Persian opium is impregnated, as well as a little wax
in the case of sample I.
" In exhausting the opium with ether, a slightly yellowish fluid is ob-
tained, which displays a bluish fluorescence, due to an unknown constituent
of the drug.
" Before precipitating the morphine, the aqueous solution was concen-
trated in order to get a smaller volume.
* It is necessary to note that this test is only employed as a corroborative one for
the presence of opium.