448 Notices of the Labours of Continental Chemists. 

 more, and its formula is then C 8 H 4 5 ,S 2 5 + 3 KO + H a O, 



orC 8 H 4 5 .'S + 3 *f"i. 

 HJ 



The salt dried in vacuo, and then at a gentle heat, contains 

 three atoms of water, C 8 H 4 O 5 , S 2 O 5 + 3 K O + 3 H 2 O. 

 By adding more acid to this succino-hyposulphate another 

 salt is obtained, C 8 H 4 O 5 , S 2 O 5 + 2 K O + 6 H 2 O. It 

 loses one atom of water in vacuo, at a gentle heat another 

 atom, and at 1 00° two more. The ammonia salt dried at a 

 low temperature is C 8 H 4 O 5 , S 2 O 5 + 3 N 2 H 8 O + 3 H 2 O. 

 The baryta salt is insoluble ; its formula, after being dried at 

 100°, is C 8 H 4 O 5 , S 2 O 5 + 3 Ba O + H 2 O. The lime salt 

 is uncrystallizable; it contains two atoms of lime. If the acid 

 solution, which has been filtered from the sulphate of lead in 

 the preparation of the acid, be precipitated by acetate of 

 lead, a salt falls containing 3 Pb O; if the solution be first 

 neutralized with ammonia, the precipitate contains 4 Pb O. 

 The first salt when dried in the air is C 8 H 4 O 5 , S 2 O 5 

 4- 3 PbO + 4 H 2 0. It loses three atoms of water at 100° C. 

 The salt with 4 Pb O contains four atoms of water, which are 

 driven off at 100° C. Formula C 8 H 4 O 5 , S 2 O 5 + 4 Pb O. 

 The silver salt is very easily decomposed. 



In the formation of benzoe-hyposulphuric acid, Liebig sup- 

 poses that one atom of oxygen derived from the two atoms of 

 sulphuric acid, combines with two atoms of hydrogen derived 

 from the benzoic acid ; the water thus formed adds itself to 

 the basic water of the benzoic acid, and the resulting com- 

 pound is therefore bibasic. Berzelius supposes that the water 

 is derived from the benzoic acid alone, which is thus con- 

 verted into a substance without acid properties, which can 

 combine with sulphuric acid without influencing its saturating 

 power. Mitscherlich also believes that the saturating power 

 depends wholly on the inorganic acid. But the succino-hy- 

 posulphuric acid saturates four atoms of base ; if the atom of 

 succinic acid be C 4 H 4 O 3 + H 2 O, then both acids have re- 

 tained their saturating power in the new compound, and, from 

 analogy, benzoesulphuric acid ought to be tribasic. Fehling 

 considers it most probable that succinic acid is a tribasic acid ; 

 the hypothetical anhydrous acid is the C 8 H 6 O 5 ; this com- 

 bines with two atoms of sulphuric acid, one atom of water is 

 given off, and hyposulphuric acid, which saturates only one 

 atom of base, is formed. The compound acid will then be 

 quadribasic. Crystallized succinic acid is probably C 8 H 6 O 5 

 + 3 H 2 O. {Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie, xxxviii. 

 p. 285.) 



