In 1853, Henry Wellcome attempted to convert morphine into what?

• A. To codeine
• B. To heroin
• C. To hydrocodone
• D. To morphine sulfate

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how chemists modify morphine to change its properties. Codeine is the 3-O-methyl ether of morphine, meaning the phenolic hydroxyl group on morphine is methylated to form a methoxy group. This kind of chemical change was one of the first explorations into turning morphine into derivatives with different potency and effects. In 1853, Henry Wellcome attempted this exact transformation to produce codeine, making it one of the earliest morphine derivatives studied.

That’s why codeine is the best answer: it represents the methylation of morphine to create a new compound with distinct pharmacological characteristics (less potent as a direct analgesic, and acting as a prodrug that is metabolically converted to morphine). The other options don’t fit the historical context or the chemical relationship—heroin is a later derivative (diacetylmorphine), hydrocodone is a different, later-modified opioid, and morphine sulfate is simply a salt form of morphine, not a derivative.