244 Dr. E. Frankland on a New Series of 



The gas is therefore hydride of methyle (light carburetted 

 hydrogen), 1 vol. of which consumes 2 vols, oxygen and gene- 

 rates 1 vol. carbonic acid, and the specific gravity of which is 

 •5528, numbers which correspond almost exactly with those 

 obtained by experiment. 



II. A glass jar, graduated in cubic centimetres, was filled with 

 recently boiled distilled water, to which about twenty drops of 

 sulphuric acid had been added, and inverted in a shallow glass 

 dish containing the same liquid ; the other bulb was then intro- 

 duced into the inverted jar, and its capillary extremity broken 

 ofi^ against the side of the vessel ; the water now slowly gained 

 access to the liquid in the bulb and steady decomposition ensued, 

 the oxide of zinc dissolving as fast as formed, in the dilute sul- 

 phuric acid, and the hydride of methyle collecting in the inverted 

 jar. When the decomposition was quite complete, the volume 

 of gas was read ofi" with the usual corrections for temperature 

 and pressure, the graduated jar rinsed out and removed, and the 

 solution of sulphate of zinc in the glass dish, after being evapo. 

 rated to a smaller bulk, was treated with carbonate of potash 

 and the zinc precipitated as basic carbonate, and weighed as 

 oxide with the usual precautions : the following results were 

 obtained : — 



•3109 grm. gave '2660 grm. oxide of zinc, and 138' 15 cubic 

 centimetres dry hydride of methyle, at 0^'C and 760 mm. pres- 

 sure, equivalent to '0930 grm. 



These numbers agree sufficiently with those calculated from 

 the formula C^H^Zn, when we consider that every trace of 

 oxygen, which gained admission to the sethereal fluid before its 

 decomposition, would diminish the volume of hydride of methyle, 

 which would also be liable to further diminution, from the sol- 

 vent action of the fluid over which it was determined : — 



Calculated. Found. 



1 equiv. of Methyle . 15 31-56 2991 



J equiv. of Zinc . . 32*52 68-44 6867 



47-52 10000 98-58 



This compound, for which I propose the name Zincmethylium, 

 possesses the following properties : — It is a colourless, trans- 

 parent and very mobile liquid, refracting light strongly, and 

 possessing a peculiar penetrating and insupportable odour ; it is 

 very volatile, but I have not yet been able to determine its 

 boiling-point with accuracy. 



Zincmethylium combines directly with oxygen, chlorine, iodine, 

 &c., forming somewhat unstable compounds, a description of 



