Morphine
or MORPHIA, in chemistry, C17H19NO3. Morphinum. The most important of the opium bases, discovered by Sertürner in 1816. It is obtained by decomposing an aqueous extract of opium by chloride of barium, and allowing the chloride of morphia to crystallize out.
The crystals, which contain codeine, are dissolved, and the morphine is then precipitated by ammonia, and finally purified by recrystallization. It crystal-ference in 1.911. He was knighted in lizes from alcohol in colorless, lustrous, trimetric prisms, soluble in 500 parts of boiling water, easily soluble in alcohol, but insoluble in ether and chloroform. 1904, and made Privy Councillor seven years later. The legal work known as "Morris's Reports" are his chief contribution to literature. MORRIS