Nitrurets, 279 



cording to which the compound consists of perchloride of 

 mercury with nitruret of mercury, 2 Hg Ci + Hg 3 N. Prof. 



Mitscherlich, by whom the above researches have been made, 

 did not succeed in isolating the nitruret of mercury. This 

 has been effected by Plantamour. It explodes violently, 

 equalling, if not surpassing, in this respect the iodide of nitro- 

 gen, but is by far less sensitive. It forms a dark brown pow- 

 der; decomposed with oxide of copper after the manner of 

 an organic analysis, it gives no water, but only nitrogen and 

 mercury; the true discoverer of nitrurets is, however, Schrotter, 

 to whose experiments we shall presently return. Mitscherlich 

 concludes, from the composition of the chloronitruret of mer- 

 cury (Quecksilberstickstqffchlorid), that the white precipitate 

 does not consist of one atom of the perchloride of mercury 

 and one atom of amidide of mercury, Ilg CI + Hg N H 2 , but 



of three atoms of both substances, 3 Hg CI + 3 Hg N H 2 ; 



as, on heating, two atoms of ammonia and one of perchloride 

 of mercury are separated*. The perbromide of mercury acts 

 in the same manner as the perchloride towards ammonia, 

 giving off, on being heated, bromide of mercury-ammonia and 

 ammonia, and bromo-nitruret of mercury remains behind. 

 The mercury behaves in these compounds in the same way 

 as potassium to ammonia; the olive-coloured body which is 

 obtained by the action of potassium on dry gaseous ammonia 

 is amidide of potassium, (3 K . N H 2 ) ; and the graphite-like sub - 

 stance, which is formed by exposing the amidide of potassium 

 to heat, whereby ammonia is set free, contains nitruret of po- 

 tassium, K 3 N. 



Schrotter, to whose experiments we have above alluded, has 

 succeeded in preparing several nitrurets, of which he has given 

 a description, and their mode of preparation, analysis and 

 properties, from which we extract the following: — Metallic 

 copper is not affected by being treated with dried ammonia- 

 cal gas ; but, when well-dried gaseous ammonia is passed 

 over oxide of copper, situated in a glass tube three feet long, 

 and the anterior portion of the tube where the gas enters gently 

 heated, formation of water and evolution of nitrogen take 

 place, without any reduction of the oxide being perceptible. 

 When the under portion of the tube is more strongly heated, 

 reduction ensues with violent disengagements of nitrogen and 

 formation of water. In the portion of the tube gently heated, 

 the oxide of copper is found to be partially converted into a 

 green powder; while, in that portion subjected to higher tem- 



* See Dr. Kane's paper, Phil. Mag., August 1840, S. Z, vol. xvii. p. 125. 



