Editing Dihydrocodeine (section)

== Chemistry ==
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2015}}
It is available as the following salts, in approximate descending order of frequency of use:  bitartrate, phosphate, hydrochloride, tartrate, hydroiodide, methyliodide, hydrobromide, sulfate, and thiocyanate.  The salt to free base conversion factors are 0.67 for the bitartrate, 0.73 for the phosphate, and 0.89 for the hydrochloride.

Dihydrocodeine is the parent drug of a series of moderately strong narcotics including, among others, [[hydrocodone]], [[nicocodeine]], [[nicodicodeine]], [[thebaine]] and [[acetyldihydrocodeine]]. It is an original member and chemical base of a number of similar semi-synthetic [[opioid]]s such as acetyldihydrocodeine, dihydrocodeinone enol acetate, dihydroisocodeine, [[nicocodeine]], and nicodicodeine.

Whereas converting [[codeine]] to [[morphine]] is a difficult and unrewarding task, dihydrocodeine can be converted to [[dihydromorphine]] with very high yields (over 95%).  Dihydromorphine is widely used in Japan. The dihydromorphine can be quantitatively converted to [[hydromorphone]] using potassium tert butoxide.

Dihydrocodeine can be presumptively detected by the [[Froehde reagent]].