144 PROCEEDINGS OP THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



and hydrochloric acid gas passed into the liquid no change was ob- 

 served. It is therefore either incapable of forming salts, or can form 

 them only under unusual conditions. When the solution in strong 

 sulphuric acid was heated it became charred. 



We have made many attempts to convert the triamidotrinitrobenzol 

 into an acet-compound, but have found that it was not acted on by 

 glacial acetic acid, acetylchloride, or acetic anhydride, even when 

 sealed with the substance, and heated to 150° ; we infer, therefore, that 

 the radical acetyl cannot be introduced directly into the molecule. 



The reduction of triamidotrinitrobenzol naturally has engaged our 

 attention, as by this means it might be possible to obtain hexamido- 

 benzol. Owing to want of material, however, our experiments on this 

 subject have not been brought to a conclusion, but we think it best to 

 describe them briefly now, as we shall have no other opportunity to 

 put them in print, if the future work of one of us on this subject 

 should not lead to the desired result ; and there seems to be only too 

 much reason to fear that this will be the case, especially since Nietzki 

 and Hagenbach* have found that ammonia is eliminated in reductions 

 which should lead to pentamidobenzol. Up to this time we have 

 tried only three reducing agents, tin and hydrochloric acid, amnionic 

 sulphydrate in alcoholic solution, and zinc dust and acetic acid. The 

 first of these, tin and hydrochloric acid, removed ammonia from the 

 molecule, as was proved by the formation of pink salt and the precip- 

 itation of amnionic chlorplatinate on adding chlorplatinic acid, the 

 latter being analyzed for still greater certainty. This was the result 

 whether tin and hydrochloric acid or stannous chloride and hydro- 

 chloric acid were used. The alcoholic solution of amnionic sulphy- 

 drate gave a more promising result ; but, as it was evident that the 

 product was decomposed at a temperature a little above that at which 

 it was formed, we turned our attention to the third method, which 

 seemed on the whole the most promising, since zinc dust and 80 per 

 cent acetic acid acting in an atmosphere of carbonic dioxide seem to 

 reduce the triamidotrinitrobenzol completely ; at any rate, the yellow 

 color disappears, and the whole goes into solution. This solution, after 

 being freed from zinc with sulphuretted hydrogen, gave no precipitate 

 with sodic hydrate, nor did ether extract anything from the alkaline 

 solution. It was blackened by exposure to the air even more readily 

 than a solution of a salt of diamidobenzol, and the residue from it was 

 decomposed easily by heat ; chlorplatinic acid gave no precipitate with 



* Ber. d. ch. G., 1887, p. 881. See also p. 2114. 



