Dr. Kane on the Compounds of Ammonia. ^ 



To determine the exact nature of this decomposition, the following experi- 

 ments were made : 



A. 1.969 grammes of crystals were reduced to fine powder, and heated, until 

 water ceased to be given off. It was in the state of a fine green powder, which 

 weighed 1.545, or 78.47 per cent. 



B. 4.921 of finely powdered crystals were heated in a precisely similar man- 

 ner ; there remained 3.854, or 78.32 per cent. 



C. 5.042 grammes treated similarly, gave 3.921, or 77.77 per cent. 



D. 2.991 grammes were heated very cautiously, until all ammonia and water 

 were expelled ; a mere trace of sulphate of ammonia had formed, and there 

 remained 1.947 of sulphate of copper, or 65.1 per cent., which redissolved almost 

 totally in water. 



The theoretical composition of the ammonia sulphate is : 



SO3- = 40.16 32.58 



CMC = 39.60 32.22 



2NH3 = 34.28 27.89 



HO = 9.00 7.31 



123.04 



which by heat evidently breaks up into 



CMO.SO3 = 64.80 , 



NH, = 13.95 



78.75 21.25 



Thus it is demonstrated by experiment, that by the first action of heat all 

 the water of the ammonia sulphate is expelled with half of the ammonia, and 

 there remains the green powder, consisting of sulphate of copper and one equiva- 

 lent of ammonia, which last, by a further application of the heat, may be driven 

 off. I endeavoured by a cautious application of heat to separate the water without 

 losing the ammonia, but found it impossible to effect it. In this case, therefore, 

 the copper does not exist as amidide, but on referring to the formula 



(NH3 . ho) SO3 + (NH3 . CMO) 



it is evident that the sulphuric acid is inserted between two equivalent groups. 



