Calcium morphenate is a chemical compound primarily known as an intermediate in the production of morphine and other opiates from opium. It is not widely discussed outside of narcotics processing and is considered a precursor or salt form of morphine. It is a calcium salt of morphine which is produced by using calcium bases to raise the pH of an aqueous solution of opium alkaloids to around 9.0. This was a method used in pharmaceutical manufacturing to separate morphine from other alkaloids and inert materials from the opium solution.
Variations on this route are still used in Afghanistan. When poppy straw concentrate or opium latex is dissolved in hot water and the calcium base is added, calcium morphenate is formed. Treatment with a weak acid such as ammonium chloride then causes morphine freebase to precipitate, leaving codeine and other alkaloids of the plant in solution.
Property
- Form: Salt (Calcium salt of morphine)
- Solubility: Soluble in water
- Appearance: Typically a white to off-white powder in pure form
- Stability: Stable under normal conditions; sensitive to acidic or oxidative environments
- pH Behavior: Forms in basic conditions during opium processing
Formation and Occurrence
Calcium morphenate is not naturally occurring; it is synthetically formed during the extraction of morphine from opium. It appears in the following context:
Production Process Context
Opium contains morphine alkaloids. When opium is treated with calcium hydroxide (lime) in water, morphine reacts to form calcium morphenate, which is soluble in water. This is a key step in separating morphine from other alkaloids like codeine, which do not form similar calcium salts.
The calcium morphenate solution is later acidified (often with ammonium chloride or CO₂) to precipitate freebase morphine, which is further purified and converted into usable morphine salts (e.g., morphine sulfate).
Legal and Regulatory Note
Calcium morphenate is regulated as a precursor chemical in many countries due to its role in narcotics manufacturing. It is not used in any pharmaceutical product itself.
Applications
Calcium morphenate is a soluble intermediate salt of morphine formed during opium processing. It is useful for selectively isolating morphine from a complex mixture of alkaloids. It has no direct medical or commercial use outside of controlled processing environments.
