48 Dr. Kane on the Compounds of Ammonia. 



Znc/-|- NH3 . HC/' -|- NHj zwo, 



and recollecting the frequent replacements of water of crystallization by nHjZt 

 HArf, some remarkable relations present themselves, as 



Zncl + NH3 . HCZ 4" HAC?HO, 



zncl-\- NH3. hc/-|-2ho; 

 and again, 



CUCl-\- NH^HCZ-I- 2hO. 



Hence this prismatic salt assimilates itself very remarkably to the double 

 chlorides of zinc, copper, and ammonium, with water of crystallization ; a view 

 which is additionally strengthened by the effects of heat upon this body. 



When this ammonia-chloride is heated it emits watery vapour and ammonia, 

 and fuses into a transparent mass, which resists a considerable temperature. This 

 residue, on cooling, forms a mass like pale amber, having but little or no traces of 

 crystalline arrangement, but fissured in every direction like starred glass. To 

 determine the proportion of water and ammonia lost in this reaction, the follow- 

 ing experiments were made. 



A. 3.250 grammes of prismatic ammonia-chloride gave 2.758 of transparent 

 gummy-looking mass, corresponding to 84.81 per cent. 



B. 12.435 grammes gave, similarly treated, 10.748, or 86.47 per cent. 

 From these results the nature of the substance remaining may be very simply 



calculated : all the water is driven off, and as much ammonia as may be neces- 

 sary to account for the weight lost ; hence, there result 



zncl = 75.78 ^^^ NH3 = 9.59 



NH3 = 9.59 HO = 5.04 



85.37 14.63 



Hence it is evident that precisely the half of the ammonia is driven off with 

 all the water, forming the elements of oxide of ammonium, and there remains 

 the remainder of the ammonia, with the chloride of zinc, thus arranged : 



znc/ -|- (NH3 . zw c/ ; ) 



wherein the body NH3. zncl, already noticed, is united with chloride of zinc, con- 

 stituting an anhydrous double chloride, analogous to that of zinc and of ammo- 

 nium or potassium. 



