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The Structure of Morphine July 13, 2001 A detailed introduction on the chemical structure of Opium alkaloids. Discuss This Article Read The Full Story

Responses of Papaver Somniferum To Photoperiod July 13, 2001 The main objective of this study was to examine the light reactions of poppy to find lighting or other procedures that might indefinitely delay flowering in the field or induce it in plants too small to be of narcotic value. A further objective was to find ways to induce flowering at desired times in plants grown out of season or out of their natural geographic environment. Discuss This Article Read The Full Story

Morphine Content of Lanced Dried Pods July 13, 2001 A note on the morphine content of lanced poppy capsules purchased as "dried flowers". Four opium poppy capsules, without seeds, which had already been used for opium production by lancing were analysed for their morphine content using a spectrophotometric method. The capsules were found to contain between 0.15 to 0.34 per cent of morphine. Discuss This Article Read The Full Story

Hungarian Extraction of Alkaloids from Poppy Straw July 13, 2001 The poppy capsules (with stalks not more than 10 cm in length) are thrashed, dried and then treated with an extracting liquid which consists of a solution of sodium bisulphite in water. The resultant aqueous extract is concentrated in vacuo using the "counter-current principle" method until it attains a syrupy consistency. The pasty substance thus obtained, which has a morphine content of 1% to 1.2%, is then treated with alcohol or other organic solvent. The solution-which, besides morphine, contains a lesser amount of other extractable material than the aqueous extract-is then distilled, yielding an extract having a morphine content of 2% to 4%. From this mixture of alkaloids in alkaline medium the morphine base can be precipitated by treating the mixture with ammonium sulphate in the presence of benzene. The product will have a morphine content of over 50%, and, by means of repeated precipitation or crystallization, it is possible to obtain from it the pure morphine base and morphine salts or semi-synthetic derivatives. Discuss This Article Read The Full Story

Environmental effects on morphine content July 13, 2001 Ten cultivars of opium poppy were tested for morphine content during the past five years at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. Techniques employed to determine the adaptive potential (Finlay and Wilkinson, 1963; Eberhart and Russel, 1966), relative stability and environmental interaction showed the significant varietal differences when the cultivars' mean square was tested over pooled deviations as the error term. Significant V-X -E(linear) component suggests the existence of genetically conditional differences in the stability of cultivars. Highest morphine content was observed in cultivar H and least in R. Four cultivars exceeded the grand mean. Within the five-year study period three were observed to have given the highest morphine content. Discuss This Article Read The Full Story

Determination of Morphine in Opium by Chromatography July 13, 2001 Paper chromatography was used with good results for the determination of morphine in opium tincture. By this method, one can estimate the morphine content in opium. As only a small quantity of opium is employed, it is possible to determine the morphine content of opium from one poppy capsule - i.e., between 0.03 and 0.5 g of opium per poppy head, and to compare the morphine content in opium from successive lancings of the same poppy capsules. This report confirms the decline in morphine content with successive lancings. Discuss This Article Read The Full Story

Detection of Morphine in Papaver Setigerum July 13, 2001 There have been some reports of finding morphine in plants other than Papaver somniferum but they were later found to be incorrect. Fulton ([9] ) concluded in 1944 that. "At most, two or three very close relatives of P. somniferum (in the section Mecones of genus Papaver) possibly also produce morphine, but as they have not been analysed even this extension is in doubt and it is really probable only for Papaver setigerum" and further, "of some twenty-eight species of Papaver that have been examined for chromosome numbers, only P somniferum and P. setigerumhave the number 11 or a multiple [of this number] ([10] ) Perhaps these are the only opium poppies. It seems fairly certain that Papaver setigerum is a true opium poppy; yet there do not seem to be any reports of actual chemical analyses". Fulton's statements summarize the facts which led to the investigation contained in this document. Discuss This Article Read The Full Story

The Cultivation of the Opium Poppy in Turkey July 13, 2001 Information on Turkish Opium Poppy production, including climate and soil conditions, studies of the various somniferum varieties grown there, and the properties of Turkish Opium. Discuss This Article Read The Full Story