Narceine
Encyclopedia
Narceine is an opium alkaloid
produced by the Papaver somniferum (opium poppy) plant. It is a bitter, crystalline compound with narcotic
effects and was formerly used as a substitute for morphine
. Its name is derived from the Greek
(nárkē), meaning numbness, and the postfix -ine referring to an alkaloid.
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
produced by the Papaver somniferum (opium poppy) plant. It is a bitter, crystalline compound with narcotic
Narcotic
The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
effects and was formerly used as a substitute for morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
. Its name is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
(nárkē), meaning numbness, and the postfix -ine referring to an alkaloid.