1316

ELEMENTS OF MATE11IA MEDICA.

j hydro-

ammonia, by which the morphia is precipitated, while codeia . an o j ve d inchlorate of ammonia are left in solution. The morphia is e <j b}'

hydrochloric acid, and the solution of the hydrochlorate decolo

charcoal. tio» s ^° r

The Edinburgh College follows Gregory’s process. Their dir eCpreparing this salt are as follows:— % ce^''

“ Take of Opium, gxx.; Water Oviij. ; Muriate of Lime, 3j. or a sligh^ sf-Maeerate the opium in fragments for twenty-four hours in two pints of " ate ’ ce ssi f e j eparate the infusion, squeezing well the residue. Repeat the maceration s »li ( ywith two pints more of the water till the whole is made use of. Concentrate ^ dPinfusions over the vapour-bath to the consistence of thick extract; which i s . a jdsolved as far as possible in warm water. Decant the clear liquid, boil it; 3 j |( s ettq’muriate of lime dissolved in four fluidounces of water. Set the wholepour off the liquid ; wash the sediment with a little water, adding the n as ^liquid. Evaporate the liquid sufficiently in the vapour-bath for it to solidity j. e inSubject the cooled mass to a very strong pressure in a cloth; redissolve 1 a0( j fil* er ( jsufficiency of warm distilled water; add a little powder of white marble, ^ jeco 11 ^acidulate the filtered fluid with a very little muriatic acid; and concentra s td ,l Vtime in the vapour-bath for crystallization. Subject the crystals again toj i» ufpressure in a cloth. Repeat the process of solution, clarification by marble .atic acid, concentration, and crystallization, until a snow-white mass be obta of," 1 ,“ On the small scale, trouble and loss are saved by decolorizing the soluriate of morphia by means of a little purified animal charcoal after two cry st . a P n jBut on the large scale it is better to purify the salt by repeated crystalli* 3 , e or i!. ,,|1 ltand to treat all the expressed fluids, except the first, in the same way with n beff,solution of impure muriate of morphia. An additional quantity of salt ma ^,° vV ing jf jjfrom the first dark and resinous fluid obtained by expression, on merely alio s jteOremain at rest for a few months, when a little muriate of morphia may be a Fan impure condition. , g 0 { s*

“ The opium which yields the largest quantity of precipitate by carbona ^according to the formula in p. 27 [p. 1288], yields muriate of morphiagreatest proportion, but likewise with the fewest crystallizations.” fi)f

In this process the changes are analogous to those before ^ esCl atethe process of the London Pharmacopoeia, except that iu eC ° D juf ,sulphate of lime, instead of meconate and sulphate of lead, are V T ^ c ul^Pure liydrochlorate of morphia crystallizes in plumose, {0 icrystals. It is colourless, odourless, bitter, soluble in fromparts of cold water, but less of boiling water. When its saturate^ p i?solution is allowed to cool, it congeals to form a crystalline Jjpaw'soluble in alcohol. By heat it is decomposed and totally 1Nitric acid reddens it. Sesquichloride of iron with an alkali cblue.

The air-dried crystals are thus composed:—

Atoms. Eq. Wt.

Morphia.. 1 . 292 .

Hydrochloric acid . 1 . 37 .•* ;4’1^

Water. 6 . 54 .

-:-—--'To0'°°

Crystallized Hydrochlorate of Morphia ... 1 . 383 . ^ ^

According to the London College, crystallized hydrochloratephia should be,— ]()t ii,ii ^

Soluble in water. What is precipitated [i. e. chloride of silver ] fromnitrate of silver, is not totally dissolved either by ammonia, unless addedby hydrochloric or nitric acid. ./

The Edinburgh College gives the following characters of its P u ^ ^“Snow white; entirely soluble; solution colourless; loss of weight 3 ^aCabove 13 per cent.; one hundred measures of a solution of 10 grains in halt 3