Important: Safety Warning
This page recommends preparations containing opium, laudanum, morphine, or similar narcotics — in some cases for children. These substances are dangerously addictive, easily fatal in overdose, and strictly controlled by law today.
In addition, this page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Home › Miscellaneous Chemicals › To Test the Strength of Opium
To Test the Strength of Opium
Take 25 grains quicklime made into a milk with water, boil in this 100 grains opium, and filter the solution while hot; saturate the filtrate with dilute hydrochloric acid, and then precipitate the morphia by the addition of liquor of ammonia, any excess of the latter being expelled by heat. Collect the precipitate, dry, and weigh it; the weight in grains will represent the percentage of morphia in the sample of opium tested. (Couerle.) two waters, and heated till the precipitate 4270. To Test the Purity of Opium. shrinks and fuses, yields on cooling a solid mass, which, when dry, weighs 7.4 grains, and in powder dissolves entirely in a solution of oxalic acid.
Macerate 100 grains opium for 24 hours in 2 fluid ounces water; filter and express the residue; then precipitate with a solution of ounce carbonate of soda in 2 fluid ounces cold 4266. Tests for the Purity of Sul- water; gently heat the precipitate until it phate of Quinine. This salt is frequently fuses, then cool and weigh it. It should adulterated with starch, magnesia, gum, sugar, &c. The first three remain undissolved when the salt is digested in spirit; the fourth is dissolved out by cold water, and the last may be detected by precipitating the quinine by liquor of potassa, and dissolving the precipitate in boiling alcohol; cinchona crystallizes out as the solution cools, but the quinine remains in the mother liquor. (Cooley.) weigh at least 10 grains; and, when powdered, be entirely soluble in a solution of oxalic acid.