| Codeine is classified as an opiate agonist which means that it is a drug derived from opium which combines with cell receptors to produce physiological reactions. Codeine reacts with the stereo specific receptors of the brain. The stereo specific receptors are the receptors of the brain which attract and saturate chemicals. Within the Central Nervous system you have an inconsistent amount of receptors. Opiate receptors (cell receptors which detect and react with opium) include mu, kappa and delta. These receptors have been renamed by the International Union of Pharmacology as OP1 (delta), OP2 (kappa) and OP3 (mu). The number of variety and spacing between the receptors is dependent upon the number of receptors in the Central Nervous System. OP3's are mainly found in the CNS (primarily mid-brain) and OP2's are found primarily in the spinal cord. |
| Although codeine is extracted from opium, its opiate agonist strength is weak. Codeine (as well as other opiates) doesn’t change the pain in th nerve endings. Codeine sends a change in the perception of pain through the spinal cord into the CNS. Codeine essentially brings immediate physical pain relief and the emotional distress is altered. Codeine yields the release of vasopressin(the pituitary gland that increases blood pressure and decreases urine flow,) somatostatin (a growth hormone,) insulin and glycogen. |
| The affects of the codeine with the receptors varies between each type. OP3 receptors inhibits respiratory depression, meiosis, physical dependence and euphoria via lack of pain. OP2 receptors bring immediate relief of pain, meiosis, anxiety, and depression. |
| Chemical Name: (5alpha,6alpha)-7,8-didehydro-4,5-epoxy-3 -methoxy-17-methylmorphinan-6-ol |
| C18H21NO3 |
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| An example of a brain and the location of the recptors. |
| The area of the brain that codeine affects the most. |
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| 1.http://codeine.50g.com /info/codeine.html#chem 2.http://www.erowid.org/pharms/codeine/codeine_chemistry.shtml 3. http://codeine.50g.com /info/codeine.html#chem 4. http://encarta.msn.com/media_461516314_761577832_-1_1/Opium_Poppy.html |
| C= grey H= white N= blue O= red |
| The Molecular Model for Codeine |
| Opiate Receptors |
| The Extraction of Morphing from Opium for Codeine |
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| To extract the parts of opium that we actually need to make codeine, cocaine are other drugs you would use the procedure below. The purpose of this is the extract the morphine from the secondary alkaloids. |
| The extraction of the morphine from opium used in codeine is rather simple. The proportions between water and opium play a vital part. You take the opium and slice it and add it to boiling water. You leave until it is a paste then you filter it. You mix the homogeneous paste with boiling milk of lime and then filter it again. You let the paste dry and then rinse the product with hyrdrochloric acid which makes the morphine crystals used for the codeine. |
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| This is the poppy that the opium is extracted from and then refined to morhine. |
| Chemical reactions happen between the homogeneous paste of opium and the boiling milk of lime and then again between the paste + boiling milk of lime and the rinsing of the hydrochloric acid. |