Destructive Distillation of Animal Substances. 463 



obtained, which is much too high for the propylamine salt, 

 shows that I must have had a mixture of the two, which might 

 have been separated had I possessed a sufficient quantity of the 

 salt. It will readily be understood that a result of this kind 

 could not in general be produced as evidence of the existence of 

 ethylamine, but under the particular circumstances of the case, 

 the next term of the same series on either side of it having 

 been detected, it may be considered as sufficiently conclusive of 

 its presence. 



The occurrence of these bases enables us to establish, on 

 satisfactory grounds, the constitution of petinine. In the first 

 part of this paper, an analysis of that base is given, which agrees 

 in the most perfect manner with the formula C^ H^^ N, which 

 was also confirmed by that of its platinum salt. It cannot, 

 however, for a moment be doubted that it is homologous with 

 the bases with which I have now shown it to be associated, that 

 its true formula is C^ H^^ N, and that it is really butylamine, 

 the corresponding base of the butyric group. The analysis of 

 the platinum salt given in my former paper agrees equally well 

 with this formula, and though that of the base difiers from it 

 to some extent, much less reliance is to be placed upon it, as it 

 is scarcely possible, when operating upon so small a scale as that 

 upon which I was compelled to work, to subject the bases 

 to a sufficient number of distillations to efiect their complete 

 separation. 



I have thus then established the existence, among the products 

 of destructive distillation, of ammonia, and the first four members 

 of the series of bases homologous with it. I have every reason, 

 however, to believe that the series does not end with petinine, 

 for the fraction boiling about 200° yields a platinum salt in fine 

 scales, and having all the characters of the salts of the same 

 series of bases, and in all probability contains valeramine. I 

 am not without hope also of obtaining caprylamine ; but this I 

 expect will be the last of the series, for when we reach the 

 temperature of about 240°, the character of the bases changes, 



and we enter upon an entirely difi'erent series. ■■•■ , ^, ■ ^ 



■■ >* giiotlBoftM;)')'! 



In the separation of the bases boiling above 240^, I have 

 encountered very great difficulties. After the trial of many 

 different processes, such as converting them into salts, exposing 

 them to cold, partial saturation, and every other plan which 

 appeared likely to answer, I have been compelled to return to 

 fractionated distillation, as the method most likely to answer 

 the end I had in view. But even with this process the difficulties 

 are great, and I have been by no means so successful in obtaining 

 fixed boiling-points as I was when operating on a smaller scale 



212 



