MOROCCO

See Leather . MORPHIA ( Morphine , Fr.; Morphin , Germ.), is a vegeto-alkali which exists a ociated with opian, codeïne, narcotine, me conine, meconic acid, resin, gum, ba orine, lignine, fat oil, caoutchouc, extractive, ., in opium. Morphia is prepared as follows: Opium in powder is to be repeatedly digested with dilute muriatic acid, slightly heated, and sea-salt is to be added, to precipitate the opian. The filtered liquid is to be supersaturated with ammonia, which throws down the morphia, along with the me conine, resin, and extractive. The precipitate is to be washed with water, heated, and di olved in dilute muriatic acid; the solution is to be filtered, whereby the foreign matters are separated from the salt of morphia, which concretes upon cooling, while the me conine remains in the acid liquid. The muriate of morphia having been squeezed between folds of blotting paper, is to be sprinkled with water, again squeezed, next di olved in water, and decomposed by water of ammonia. The precipitate, when washed, dried, di olved in alcohol, and crystallized, is morphia. These crystals, which contain 6·32 per cent. of combined water, are transparent, colourle , four-sided prisms, without smell, and nearly void of taste, fusible at a moderate heat, and then concrete into a radiated translucent ma , but at a higher temperature they grow purple-red. Morphia consists of 72·34 of carbon; 6·366 of hydrogen; 5 of azote; and 16·3 of oxygen. It burns with a red and very smoky flame, is stained red by nitric acid, is soluble in 30 parts of boiling anhydrous alcohol, in 500 parts of boiling water, but hardly if at all in cold water, and is insoluble in ether and oils. The solutions have a strong bitter taste, and an alkaline reaction upon litmus paper. The saline compounds have a bitter taste, are mostly crystallizable, are soluble in water and alcohol (but not in ether), and give a blue colour to the peroxide salts of iron. It is a very poisonous substance. Acetate of morphia is sometimes prescribed, instead of opium, in medicine.