a new Product of Decomposition of JDinitrobenzole . 313 



Some chemists have on this account, without hesitation, 

 assumed the presence of nitric acid in these bodies. Berzelius 

 represents the carbazotic acid as a copulated compound of 

 hydrated nitric acid with a sort of saline body, in which an- 

 other equivalent of nitric acid is combined with an organic 

 oxide having the formula 



C 12 H 2 N0 3 . 



Carbazotic acid is therefore a copulated acid of similar consti- 

 tution with the sulphovinic acid (bisulphate of oxide of ethyle), 

 and would be represented as follows : — 



C 12 H 2 N0 3 ,N0 5 + HO,N0 5 . 



Also, in the other acids of this nature, which contain only 

 one equivalent of nitrogen, Berzelius assumes the presence of 

 nitric acid. According to his view, nitrobenzoic and nitro- 

 salicylic acids would be represented as follows : — 



Nitrobenzoic acid . . C 14 H 4 2 + HO, NO s 

 Nitrosalicylic acid . . C 14 H 8 4 + HO, N0 5 . 



There is no direct proof for this assumption, and therefore 

 other chemists believe that the nitrogen in these compounds 

 does not exist as nitric acid but as nitrous acid, N0 3 ; thus ni- 

 trobenzoic acid, according to Mulder, is C 14 H 4 4 , HO, N0 3 . 

 The com pounds produced by the contemporaneous action of 

 nitrogen and oxygen upon organic bodies are however not 

 always acid ; a great class of bodies furnish under such cir- 

 cumstances products in which the acid properties of the nitric 

 acid have entirely disappeared : to these belong a number of 

 organic bodies, which consist only of carbon and hydrogen. 

 For example, if benzole is brought into contact with fuming 

 nitric acid, they combine with separation of water and form 

 an indifferent body, i. e. nitrobenzole (nitrobenzide) discovered 

 by Mitscherlich. 



Naphthalole (naphthaline), toluole, and a considerable num- 

 ber of carbides of hydrogen, behave in a like manner. 



In which form is the nitrogen contained in these bodies, 

 as, for instance, in nitrobenzole ? 



The perfect neutrality of this substance, its ether-like taste 

 and odour, induced some chemists to suppose that its ele- 

 ments might be similarly arranged to those of the compound 

 ethers. Nitrobenzole, according to this view, may be consi- 

 dered as a compound of an organic oxide with nitrous acid, 

 corresponding to nitrous ether. 

 Nitrite of oxide of ethyle C 4 H 5 O, NO s , nitrous ether. 

 Nitrite of oxide of benzide Cj 2 H 6 O, N0 3 , nitrobenzole. 

 These views, which appear at the first glance very reason- 



Phil. Mag. S. 3. Vol. 29. No. 194. Oct. 1 846. Y 



