DETERMINATION OF NARCOTINE AND PAPAVERINE BY INFRA-RED SPECTROPHOTOMETRY AND NON-AQUEOUS TITRATION

Abstract
An infra-red spectrophotometric method for the determination of narcotine in the presence of papaverine in carbon tetrachloride or chloroform solution is described. The carbonyl group of the lactone ring present in narcotine displays strong absorption at 1760 cm. −1 and the intensity of the band observed at this wavelength provides an index of the concentration of the narcotic. By conventional nonaqueous titration the amount of both alkaloids may be estimated quantitatively and the papaverine content of a mixture obtained readily by difference.