Narcotine

NARCOTINE, Narcotinum (synonyms: opian, opianin, anarcotine, narcosine). Structure: [Chemical formula].

Forms of labor, the elimination of unemployment, and the determined willpower of the laboring masses—all this creates in our country a foundation upon which various types of drug addiction cannot arise or develop. Important additional factors hindering the illegal distribution of narcotics in the USSR are strict legislation, the centralization in the hands of the state of all imports and the manufacture of narcotic substances intended exclusively for medical purposes, the severe struggle against drug smuggling, the absence of widespread drug addiction in the USSR (with the exception of a few small pockets in the East), the insignificant development of private medical practice, etc. The main path for the liquidation of drug addiction—the preventive one—lies in the plane of restructuring daily life and eliminating the very need for narcosis, which can be achieved only along the paths of socialist construction.

Obtained in 1803 (Derosne) from opium, and until 1817, when Robiquet established its basic character, it was called Derosne's opium salt. Opium contains from 4% to 8% narcotine; it is assumed that it is also found in dry poppy heads. Narcotine presents as transparent, colorless prisms or bundles of needle-like crystals, insoluble in cold water and almost insoluble in boiling water, more easily soluble in chloroform and boiling alcohol; upon cooling, narcotine precipitates almost completely from an alcoholic solution. Narcotine is soluble in 170 parts ether, 31 parts acetic ether, and 22 parts benzene. The melting point of narcotine is 176°; its neutral solutions rotate to the left, and acidic ones to the right. Narcotine belongs to weak bases; its salts (sulfate and hydrochloride) react acidically. Sodium acetate precipitates narcotine from its hydrochloride salt. Upon oxidation, narcotine decomposes into cotarnine and opianic acid. Narcotine possesses weak narcotic properties but a stronger stimulating effect on the brain. It enhances the narcotic and toxic effect of morphine, while qualitatively altering it such that the respiratory center is less narcotized. The effect of morphine on intestinal peristalsis is limited when combined with narcotine and, in any case, is not enhanced. At the present time, narcotine is taken mainly in the form of narcophine (a molecular mixture of the meconate salt of narcotine with the meconate salt of morphine). Narcotine serves for the manufacture of cotarnine hydrochloride, known in medicine as stypticin (see). Narcodeon (Narko-deon) is a ready-made preparation: pills, each containing 0.001 g of narcotine hydrochloride, 0.005 g of codeine hydrochloride, 0.005 g of Tolu balsam, and sugar with gum arabic. Narcodeon is used for bronchitis, neuralgia, and as a painkiller; one pill every 1-2 hours.