Hydro-cotarnine

There are three closely related reactions by which narcotine may be cleaved into two fragments which still contain all of the carbon atoms. Wohler (4) observed that when narcotine is heated in dilute sulfuric acid it yields two substances, a base, cotarnine, and an acid, opianic acid. Hydrolysis with water at 150° or with boiling dilute acids results in hydro-cotarnine and opianic acid, whereas heating with zinc and hydrochloric or sulfuric acid generates hydrocotarnine and meconin. These reactions are restated in the following diagram. 

This base, C12H16O4N, m.p. 132°, which was first obtained by Wohler (4) may also be prepared from narcotine by dilute nitric acid oxidation (7-12) as well as by chromic acid or by permanganate (13). The free base is colorless but the salts are yellow. It contains one methoxyl group, a methylenedioxy group, and an AT-methyl, and on reduction yields hydro-cotarnine, C12H1BO3N. 

Cotarnine, C H NO,.—This compound is converted by the electrolytic hydrogen quantitatively into pure hydro-cotarnine,... 

---

See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

---