NEF. — NITROPARAFFINE SALTS. 135 



0.7 gram sodium salt, dissolved in water and added in the above 

 apparatus to 15 c.cm. dilute sulphuric acid, gave (the solution becomes 

 colored greenish) 51 c.cm. NoO at 21° and 754 mm., corresponding to 

 66.52 per cent of the theory. 



The formation of acetone in this reaction was proved as follows. 

 1.9 grams secondary sodic nitropropane are dissolved in water and 

 added to 15 c.cm. dilute sulphuric acid. The bluish green solution is 

 heated to boiling and partially distilled off. The distillate is filtered 

 from a small amount of solid and treated with powdered calcic car- 

 bonate and then redistilled. The solution thus obtained, which smells 

 distinctly of acetone, is treated with a solution of 0.6 gram hydroxyl- 

 amine hydrochloride and 0.34 gram caustic soda in 2.5 c.cm. water. 

 After standing for an hour, the solution is extracted three times with 

 ether, and after getting rid of the dried ether 0.35 gram residue is 

 obtained. This whs recrystallized from ligroine (bpt. 40°-60°) and 

 found to melt at 62°-63°, and to consist of pure acetoxime, identical in 

 every respect with a product made for comparison. 



II. Synthesis of Mercury Fulminate, C : NOhg, from Sodic 



C : N-ONa„ 



NiTROMETHANE, Hg II 



o 



With the exception of nitroethane-mercuric-chloride, no heavy 

 metal salt of a simple nitroparaffine has been obtained and analyzed. 

 Victor Meyer and Rilliet obtained from sodic nitromethane and 

 mercuric chloride a yellow very explosive mercury salt, which they 

 regarded as mercury nitromethane, 



/CH„N02 

 \CH2NO2, 



• 



but which, on account of its very dangerous properties,* was not 

 further investigated or analyzed. 



Since such heavy metal salts might perhaps be especially well 

 adapted for a determination of the constitution of the nitroparaffine 

 salts, a study of this salt was therefore again taken up, and it soon 

 became evident that it is not a salt of nitromethane at all because it 

 contains no hydrogen. 



On adding quickly an aqueous solution of sodic nitromethane to a 

 solution of corrosive sul)limate, or vice versa, a white precipitate is first 



* Ber. d. chem. Ges., V 1030. Cf. Ann. Chem. (Liebig), CLXXI. 36. 



