Morphine - properties and testing 
from THE NATIONAL FORMULARY, 8TH EDITION (1946)
 
Description: Morphine HCl occurs as white, silky, glistening needles or
 cubical masses, or as a white, crystaline powder. It is odorless, has a
 bitter [MOST alkaloids have bitter tastes...], and is permanent in the
 aid but is affected by light (???)
 
Soluability: 1G of Morphine HCl dissolves in about 17.5cc of water and in
 about 52cc of alcohol at 25c; also in about .5cc of boiling water or
 46cc of alcohol at 60c. It is soluable in glycerin, but insoluable in CHCl3
 and ether.
 
Identification:
A: An aqeuous solution of Morphine HCl responds to the tests for chloride
   ion [well, duh!?!?]
B: Place about 5mg of Morphine HCl on a watch glass, add .5cc of diluted
   sulfuric acid and heat on a water bath for about 5 minutes. Cool and
   add 5cc of sulfuric acid, containing in each cc 5mg of selenous acid:
   an intense blue color appears which slowly changes to green and finally
   to brown.
C: Morphine HCl with sulfuric acid, containing 5mg molybdic acid in each cc,
   produces a purple color, changing to blue.
D: Sulfuric acid, containing in each cc. 1 drop of formaldehyde T.S., yields
   an intensely purple color with Morphine HCl.
E: With nitric acid Morphine HCl produces an orange-red color fading to
   yellow.
F: The addition of a few drops of freshly prepared ferric chloride T.S. to
   an aqueous solution of Morphine HCl (1 in 100) produces a blue color,
   which is destroyed by acids, by alcohol, or by heating.
G: Add potassium ferricyanide T.S. containing 1 drop of ferric chloride T.S.
   in each cc., to an aqeuous solution of Morphine HCl (1 in 100): a deep
   blue color is produced at once (***DIFFERENT FROM CODEINE!!!***)
 
There should be no residue after ignition of Morphine HCl
When a solution of Morphine HCl is warmed with NaOH, there should be no
 evidence of the odor of ammonia.
 
(tests for)
Apomorphine: Add .1gm sodium bicarbonate and .1cc of iodine T.S. to an
 aqeuous solution of Morphine HCl (1 in 50): when shaken with an equal
 volume of ether, both layers should remain free from even a transient green
 color.
Meconate: Add a few drops of ferric chloride T.S. to 5cc of an aqueous
 solution of Morphine HCl (1 in 30), previously mixed with 5cc of diluted
 hydrochloric acid: no red color is produced.
 
(removal)
Foreign Alkaloids: Disolve 1 gram of Morphine HCl in 10cc of NaOH T.S. in a
 seperator, and shake the solution with successive portions of 15cc, 10cc,
 and 10cc of chloroform, passing the chloroform solutions through a small
 filter previously moistened with chloroform. Shake the combined chloroform
 solutions with 5cc of distilled water, seperate the chloroform, and 
 evaporate it carefully to dryness on a water bath [uh, avoid the nasty
 carcinogenic fumes which will also knock you out while your at it too]
 Add to the RESIDUE thus obtained 10cc of .002 N sulfuric acid, heat gently
 until disolved, cool, add 2 drops methyl red T.S., and titrate the excess
 H2SO4 with .02 N NaOH: not less than 7.5cc of the latter should be required.
 


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