University of Sheffield

Chemistry Department

CHM 131 - Chemistry and the Internet

Morphine

By Benjamin Clements

1 INTRODUCTION

Hi There! I'm a first year Chemistry student and this is a web page I have designed as part of my studies. I chose Morphine for my topic because I am interested in the chemistry of the drug and how it effects the human body.

2 BACKGROUND

Morphine is a narcotic analgesic used to treat or to prevent moderate to severe pain. It has a chemical formula C₁₇H₁₉NO₃. Morphine is extracted from opium , the latex produced within the seed pod of the opium poppy, Papaver Somniferum - evolved from a wild strain Papaver Setigerum , which grows in coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea.