II. I 3 ' 8 



\l*3 



182 Dr. T. Anderson on the Products of the 



In order to ascertain the atomic weight of petinine, I pre- 

 pared its compound with chloride of platinum, and made the 

 following determinations of the platinum contained in it: — 



t J 6'351 grains of chloride of platinum and petinine gave 

 " \2'24<5 ... platinum = 35*34< per cent. 



860 ... chloride of platinum and petinihegave 

 372 ... platinum = 35*54 per cent. 



jjt r2*844< ... chloride of platinum and petinine gave 

 ' \l*010 ... platinum = 35*51 per cent. 



The atomic weights deduced from which agree very closely 

 with the calculated results. 



I. Atomic weight, by experiment 910*3 



II. ... ... 8912 



III. ... ... 894-2 



Mean 898*5 



Calculation 900*0 



The mode in which this base is formed during the decom- 

 position of gelatine, it is of course impossible at present to 

 perceive. In its chemical relations it is, however, in all pro- 

 bability related to the butyric series ; and it is even possible 

 that we may obtain it by artificial processes. Some time since, 

 Kolbe* published some researches on the galvanic decompo- 

 sition of valerianic acid, among the products of which he dis- 

 covered a carbo-hydrogen, having the formula C 8 H 9 . Now 

 by treating this substance in the same manner as benzine is 

 acted upon for the preparation of aniline, we ought to obtain 

 from it, if not petinine, at least an isomeric compound, as may 

 be easily seen by comparing the formulae of the different sub- 

 stances : — 



Benzine . . . C 12 H 6 C 8 H 9 Kolbe's carbo- hydrogen. 



Nitro-benzide . C l2 H 5 (N0 4 )C s H 8 (N0 4 ) Action of nitric acid* 

 Aniline . . . Ci 2 H 7 N C s H 10 N Petinine. 



I have not yet had an opportunity of determining whether the 

 change which theory would lead us to expect actually takes 

 place, but there is every reason to suppose that it would. 



Properties of Petinine. 



Petinine is a transparent colourless fluid, limpid as aether, 

 and possessing a high refracting power. It has an excessively 

 pungent odour resembling that of ammonia, and yet quite 

 distinct; for when the effect of its pungency has gone ofrj or 

 it is smelt in a dilute state, its smell is disagreeable, and some- 

 what similar to that of decayed apples. Its taste is hot and 

 very pungent. It boils at a temperature of about 175° F.j 



* Philosophical Magazine, vol. xxxi. p. 348. 



