M. Schischkoff on Fulminic Acid. 295 



supposition that it is a glycol, cinnamene (styrol), C 8 H 8 , would 

 be its radical. Cannizaro is occupied with the question of the 

 constitution of this body*. His researches are not yet finished ; 

 but in the meantime he publishes an account of two oxygenated 

 alkalies which appear analogous to those obtained by Wurtz from 

 oxide of ethylene. 



When hydrochloric acid is passed into anisic alcohol, an ether 

 is obtained which has the formula Q 8 H 9 CI. It i3 analogous 

 with chlorhydrine of glycol. When this body is treated for some 

 time with strong alcoholic ammonia, a white deposit is obtained 

 consisting of a mixture of sal-ammoniac and two organic bases. 

 They are separated from sal-ammoniac by treatment with alcohol, 

 and are separated from each other by solution in water and cry- 

 stallization. The more soluble in water is a primary anisammine, 



C 8 H 9 "I 

 € 8 H 11 9N= TT2 f N* and the other is a secondary anisam- 



mine, € 16 H 19 O 2 N = £f R9 ^*\ N. The first one crystallizes 



in small needles, and the second in white plates. Both of them 

 are strong bases. Both of them form compounds with bichloride 

 of platinum. The compound of primary anisammine and bi- 

 chloride crystallizes in small lustrous yellow plates of the for- 

 mula € 8 H 11 NO, HC1 Pt CI 2 . The other compound crystallizes 

 in small yellow needles, and has the formula 



C 16 H 19 NO 2 HC1 Pt CI 2 + H 2 0. 



In some recent researches on fulminic acid, Schischkofff has 

 been led to a formula for this acid different from that which he 

 formerly proposed}. He considers it to be C 2 (NO 2 ) 2 H 4 (CN) 2 , 

 which represents alcohol in which the cyanogen replaces 

 oxygen, and two equivalents of the group NO 2 two equiva- 

 lents of hydrogen, — a formula which explains the formation^ of 

 fulminic acid from alcohol. 



The action of nitric acid on alcohol always gives rise to the 

 formation of hydrocyanic acid ; Schischkoff assumes that there 

 is produced at the same time a binitro- ethylene, C 2 (NO 2 ) 2 H 2 , 

 which, combining with hydrocyanic acid, forms fulminic acid, 



C 2 (NO 2 ) H 2 + 2CN H=€ 2 (NO 2 ) H 4 (CN) 2 . 

 Binitro- Hydrocyanic Fulminic acid, 

 ethylene. acid. 



The reasons for this mode of viewing fulminic acid are, — 

 1. That the fulminates have the characteristic properties of 

 the cyanides ; treated with chlorine they yield chloride of cya- 

 nogen, and with hydrochloric acid they give hydrocyanic acid. 



* Comptes Rendus, June 11, 1860. 



t Ibid. July 16, 1860. % Phil. Mag. vol, xiv. p. 100 r 



