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Morphine: Difference between revisions
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== Chemical Structure == | == Chemical Structure == | ||
In its chemical structure, morphine shares several common characteristics with other opioids. According to the "morphine rule", most opioid painkillers have an aromatic ring attached to a quaternary carbon atom which is attached to a tertiary amine by two carbon atoms. Morphine, codeine, and heroin all follow this morphine rule and have very similar structures. The morphine rule is necessary for the molecules to be effective analgesics, but many researchers have attempted to develop similar drugs based on this rule that do not have the addictive properties of morphine and the other opiates<ref name=Fundamentals>[http://books.google.com/books?id=Kl2srI6WGG8C&pg=PA393&lpg=PA393&dq=morphine+rule+aromatic+ring&source=bl&ots=W7g8HmOaFf&sig=KbDyftYB5bDxOkk4c8qSUrOiqLY&hl=en&ei=ZPuwTdKZKsHgiAKZ-qWvBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDQQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=morphine%20rule%20aromatic%20ring&f=false Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry] by John McMurry and Eric Simanek, Sixth Edition, Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2007, page 393. | |||
Morphine in its pure form is barely soluble in water; only one gram of morphine will dissolve in five liters of water. To make morphine easier to administer intravenously, morphine is combined with sulfate or hydrochloride salts, which makes it around 300 times more soluble. This also changes the pH. Morphine on its own has a pH of 8.5, but when it reacts with the sulfate or hydrochloride salts, the resulting compounds are weak acids around pH 5. Pharmaceutical companies then mix the morphine with NaOH so that it can be injected safely<ref name=emsb>[http://www.emsb.qc.ca/laurenhill/science/morphine.html]</ref>. | |||
== History of Morphine == | == History of Morphine == | ||
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Morphine retained its popularity even after many countries passed laws requiring strict regulation and labeling of medicines. In the United States, Congress passed the Harrison Narcotics Act (1914), which forbid the possession of narcotics such as morphine without a valid doctor's prescription<ref name=infoplease/>. | Morphine retained its popularity even after many countries passed laws requiring strict regulation and labeling of medicines. In the United States, Congress passed the Harrison Narcotics Act (1914), which forbid the possession of narcotics such as morphine without a valid doctor's prescription<ref name=infoplease/>. | ||
In 1924, Robert Robinson uncovered the chemical structure of morphine<ref name=Fundamentals/>. | |||
== Morphine Abuse == | == Morphine Abuse == | ||
