Ammonium Hydroxide → Morphine

Participants

Reaction Steps

Morphine base (FIG. 8A) was synthesized from the commercial sulfate salt of this opiate substance (Sigma-Aldrich), according to a classical chemical procedure reported in 1972 by E. J. Simon (E. J. Simon et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 69: 1835-1837, 1972). This reaction was carried out as follows; 64 mg of morphine sulfate/ml were dissolved in distilled water at room temperature under constant stirring. The pH of this solution was adjusted at 8.0 with NH4OH. The morphine base was subsequently crystallized through precipitation at pH 8, filtered and dried through evaporation at 60° C. under vacuum conditions.

Provenance & Evidence