Morphine studied by vibrational spectroscopy and DFT calculations

Morphine is a highly potent opiate analgesic drug considered to be the prototypical opioid. It is metabolized in the body to morphine-3-O-glucuronide, which is antagonistic to the analgesic effects of the drug. Other forms of morphine of biological activity are salts used in medical dosing. In order to investigate morphine, its metabolite and salts and as well as pharmaceutical product, Fourier transform (FT) infrared and Raman spectroscopy were used. Experimental spectra of morphine were interpreted with the help of quantum-chemical calculations performed at the B3LYP/6-311 + + G(d,p) level. The results presented in this study provide clear evidence of the benefits of Raman and IR spectroscopy in alkaloid analysis, which can be used for efficient quality control, forensic analysis and analytical chemistry. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.