478 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles, 



only in one equivalent of hydrogen being replaced by one equiva- 

 lent of hypoazotic vapour ; for this reason the author gives it the 

 name of anisidine nitree. This base forms with hydrochloric acid, 

 a colourless salt crystallized in long needles, represented by the for- 

 mula CIH, C'^Hs N^Oe. 



The chloroplatinate crystallizes in needles of a golden yellow 

 colour ; its formula is CIH, PtCl^ C'^ H^ N^Qs ; the nitrate has the 

 form of prisms of considerable size, which are slightly soluble in 

 water ; the formula is N0^ HO, C'* H^ N* O^ ; the sulphate is very 

 soluble in water, it crystallizes in very fine needles, grouped around 

 a common centre ; its formula is SO^, C* H^ N^ O^. 



When toluol is treated with fuming nitric acid, it forms two com- 

 pounds, one of which is liquid, and is the mononitric toluol ; the 

 other is crystallized, and is the binitric toluol ; when the latter was 

 treated with an alcoholic solution of hydrosulphate of ammonia, it 

 yielded a very fine alkaloid corresponding to anisidine nitree, diflFering 

 from it only by two equivalents of oxygen. This new alkali the 

 author calls toluidine nitree ; its formula is C'"* H'^ N'^ O*. 



The number of alkaloids increases daily ; their study affords re- 

 sults of great interest, and the hope may be entertained that those 

 presented by nature may eventually be formed bj'- art. M. Wiirtz 

 has described two very remarkable alkalies obtained by the action of 

 potash on cyanicaether, alcohol, and pyroxylic spirit; petinine, recently 

 discovered by M. Anderson in the products of the distillation of ani- 

 mal matters, is to be added to the group. The strong ammoniacal 

 odour, the manifest analogy of the properties of its salts, with those 

 of the salts formed by the alkalies of M. Wiirtz, induced M. Cahours 

 to suppose that petinine belongs to this series. Adopting the for- 

 mula C^ H^^ N, proposed by M. Gerhardt, from the analysis of the 

 chloroplatinate, it will be seen that petinine is merely butyrammonia 

 C* H2, NH^. M. Anderson has also noticed, in the oil derived from 

 the distillation of animal substances, some very volatile alkaline pro- 

 ducts, among which will probably be found the curious alkalies of 

 M. Wiirtz. 



When fuming nitric acid is made to react upon anisic acid, or 

 nitranisic acid, binitric or trinitric anisol is formed, according to the 

 proportion of the matters reacting and the duration of the reaction ; 

 besides these two substances, there is formed, and often in great 

 abundance, an acid which crystallizes from an alcoholic solution as 

 it cools, in the form of rhomboidal plates of a magnificent golden 

 yellow colour ; this acid, which M. Cahours calls chrysanisic acid, has 

 a very remarkable composition : it is isomeric with trinitric anisol ; 

 consequently it is an homologue of picric acid (phenol trinitree). 



This acid submitted to analysis gave — 



14 eqs. of Carbon 84 34-57 



5 ... Hydrogen .... 5 2*05 



3 ... Nitrogen 42 17-29 



14 ... Oxygen 112 46-09 



243 loO^^ 



This acid, differently from all others of the same kind, forms a very 

 soluble salt with potash. — Comptes Rendus, March 19, 1849, 



