Cotarnina. Cotarnine.

Related entries: Opium - Poppy Capsules - Cotarnine - Cotarnine Hydrochloride - Morphine - Morphine Acetate - Morphine Hydrochloride - Morphine Sulphate - Morphine Tartrate - Narceine - Narcotine - Red poppy petals - Meconic acid

C₁₂H₁₅NO₄ = 237.13.

Cotarnine, C₁₂H₁₅NO₄, is a secondary base, an oxidation product of the opium base narcotine. It may be prepared by boiling a solution of narcotine in aqueous nitric acid, cooling, filtering from the separated opianic acid and precipitating with solution of potassium hydroxide. It may be recrystallised from boiling benzene, and occurs in colourless needles. After repeated crystallisation, the base melts at from 132° to 135° with decomposition. It is precipitated by tannic acid, ferrous salts, cupric sulphate, and other alkaloidal reagents. Concentrated nitric acid dissolves it with red colouration and production of oxalic acid. The base is allied to hydrastinine, and on reduction yields hydrocotarnine, C₁₂H₁₅NO₃.

Sparingly soluble in water, more soluble in alcohol, the alcoholic solution turning brown; readily soluble in ether, and also in ammonia.

The British Pharmaceutical Codex, 1911, was published by direction of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.