NEP. — BIVALENT CARBON. 163 



into sodic fulminate by means of sodium amalgam.* It is possible to 

 convert 32 grams of mercury fulminate in 20 minutes into an aqueous 

 colorless solution of sodic fulminate (free from mercury) as follows. 

 The salt is suspended in about 125 c.cm. water and treated with 

 75 grams of 8 per cent sodium amalgam,! (5 grams more than the 

 theory). The operation is first carried out in a flask, cooling well 

 with water, and then in a flask, having a well fitting glass stopper, 

 taking care to shake thoroughly until the solution contains no 

 mercury. 



The sodium fulminate solution thus obtained (about 150 c.cm.) is 

 cooled to 0°, and added slowly, taking care to cool well, to a solution 

 of hydrochloric acid at 0° (114 parts concentrated acid 1.18, and 114 

 parts water) and thereupon extracting immediately three times with 

 ether. The ethereal solution is placed in a distilling flask and concen- 

 trated to one third its volume by distilling off the ether in a stream of 

 dry air at a low temperature (40°), and the solution is then concen- 

 trated further at reduced pressure. A very concentrated solution of 

 formylchloridoxime in ether is thus obtained, from which the pure 

 substance is isolated by pouring on a watch-glass and evaporating rap- 

 idly in a vacuum desiccator. To insure success in these operations, 

 a very cold winter temperature is essential, and the concentrated ethe- 

 real solutions must be kept at 0°. On evaporation of the ether, per- 

 fectly transparent veiy long colorless needles, clear as glass, separate 

 out, which are first transferred to a clay plate (cooled at 0°) and 

 quickly powdered with a platinum spatula, and then weighed as 

 quickly as possible at a low temperature. 



0.1235 gram substance, poured directly after weighing into water, 

 and treated with silver nitrate and concentrated nitric acid, gave, 

 after digesting on a water batli, 0.2128 gram AgCl. 



0.6585 gram substance gave 1.1006 grams AgCl. 



Theory for CH.,N0C1. Found. 



CI 44.65 42.63 41.35 



* Journ. f. prakt. Chem., [2], XXV. 241. Cf. also Scholvien, Ibid., XXXII. 

 462. 



t Sodium amalgam is best made by adding 80 grams sodium to 400 c.cm. 

 toluene in a two-litre flask, and then slowly adding 920 grams of mercury. The 

 toluene heats up to its boiling point, and, after about one half of the mercury 

 has been added, the mass gets solid. The toluene is poured off, the residue 

 melted in a crucible, and then poured out on clay plates. In this way large 

 quantities of sodium amalgam can be made without danger, and with the 

 greatest ease. Cf. Chem. Zeit., 18G4, p. 720, and Gmelin, Kraut, III. 857. 



