Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 49S 



made, that a large quantity of purpurate of ammonia may be formed 

 by the action of ammonia on pure alloxane ; when a concentrated 

 and boiling solution of alloxane is gradually added to a solution of 

 carbonate of ammonia, carbonic acid is disengaged with strong 

 effervescence ; the solution on each addition assumes a deeper purple 

 tint, and at last it becomes turbid and precipitates a great quantity 

 of reddish powder, which consists of pure anhydrous purpurate of 

 ammonia. Instead of using pure alloxane, concentrated but not 

 fuming nitrate of uric acid may be employed, taking care to adopt 

 the precautions given by Liebig and Wohler for the preparation of 

 alloxane. Purpurate of ammonia is not the only product of the 

 operation, but as the composition of the others produced is not 

 known, it would be difficult to give a plausible explanation of the 

 formation of this salt. The analysis of purpurate of ammonia dried 

 at 212° Fahr. yielded M. Fritzche results which differed from those 

 obtained by MM. Liebig and Wohler. These successive experi- 

 ments gave 



Hydrogen 2-82 2-84 2-83 



Carbonic acid 34-78 34-43 35-52 



Azote 30-70 30-89 



The mean of these analyses agrees very well with the following view : 

 Experiment. Calculation . 



Hydrogen 2-83 2-86 or H^^ 



Carbon 34-91 35-10 C" 



Oxygen 31-47 31-56 0'» 



Azote 30-79 30-48 N''^ 



100- 100- 



The crystals of purpurate of ammonia contain water of crystalliza- 

 tion, amounting according to Liebig and Wohler to 3 or 4 per cent., 

 whereas M. Fritzche found as the mean of eight experiments on 

 very pure crystals 6"06 per cent. 



PURPURATE OF BARYTES. 



This salt is obtained by mixing a solution of barytes with a mo- 

 derately concentrated solution of purpurate of ammonia ; the liquor 

 becomes turbid, and a blackish green powder is deposited, which 

 by friction becomes of deep purplish red. M. Kodweis has given 

 an analysis of this salt to fix the atomic weight of murexane, but 

 the result shows, that he had not sufficiently dried it : taking care to 

 do this, M. Fritzche obtained by 



Experiment. Calculation. 



Hydrogen.... 1-717 1-725 or H^^ 



Carbon 27-980 28-180 C'^ 



Barytes 21-9G0 22-045 Ba 



Oxygen 27-650 O'^ 



Azote 29-100 N'o 



100-* 

 * There are some errors in this statement : the sum of the quantities 

 stated is not 100.— En. 



