Dr. Kane on the Compounds of Ammonia. 49 



When the body NH3. zncl is heated by itself, it gradually loses ammonia, and 

 fuses into the same gummy-looking substance ; but the numerical results being 

 similar to those already noticed, it is not necessary to occupy space with them, 

 the more so, as the elimination of the ammonia, by itself, does not take place so 

 clearly as where the portion to be separated is associated with the equivalent 

 quantity of water. 



This gummy body, when heated strongly, nearly to redness, boils, but does 

 not emit ammonia ; on the contrary, it volatilizes unchanged, and condenses in 

 amber-looking drops, possessing all its original characters. If it be heated, how- 

 ever, with dry lime, there is an immediate and copious evolution of ammonia ; 

 when treated by water it is decomposed ; there dissolves ammonia-chloride, pro- 

 bably in the prismatic form, and a white powder remains, which is an oxychloride 

 of very remarkable constitution. The same oxychloride is produced by the 

 action of water on the white powder NH3 . zncl, and I shall consequently treat of 

 the properties and composition of this oxychloride without further reference to 

 which of these ammonia zinc-chlorides it had been obtained from. 



IX. OF THE OXYCHLORIDE OF ZINC OBTAINED BY THE ACTION OF WATER ON 



NHjZnc/ or NH3 -f- 2zncl. 



The substance thus obtained is a very light milk-white powder, tasteless, and 

 insoluble in water ; when heated it gives out water, and if Ignited, it yields some 

 vapours of chloride of zinc, and is completely decomposed ; water subsequently 

 poured upon it, extracting some of the chloride of zinc, and leaving a still more 

 basic combination. The quantity of water which this oxychloride retains is very 

 variable, as a very slight difference in the temperature used in drying it may 

 change, very considerably, the proportion of water with which it may be com- 

 bined. A quantity prepared by acting with water on nh^ . zncl, and dried at a 

 temperature of about 180° F., gave the following result : 



A. 2.404 grammes, dried, until all escape of watery vapour had ceased, gave 

 2.043 of residue, which had a greyish shade. These 2.043 were dissolved in dilute 

 nitric acid, and precipitated by nitrate of silver ; the chloride of silver, collected 

 and dried, weighed 0.975, being 40.56 per cent., containing 10.01 of chlorine. 



The quantity of water lost was 0.361, corresponding to 15.02 per cent. 



VOL. xix. H 



