146 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



CH3-C : NOAg, 

 I 



which then reacts with the iodide of methyl or ethyl, forming either 

 the methyl ester or the ethyl ester of ethylnitrolic acid, 



CHg-C : NOCH3 or CH3C : NOC^Hg- 



That this explanation of the reaction is the correct one, is proved 



with certainty by the following fact : fulminuric acid is, as will be 



shown in the paper presented directly after this one, identical with 

 nitrocyauacetamide, 



CN-CHNOo. 

 I 

 HOC : NH 



On treating the silver salt of this substance, 



CN-C == NOAg, 

 I II 



HOC : NH O 



with'ethyliodide, there is formed, by direct replacement of the silver, 

 the ester, 



CN-C = NOC2H5, 

 I II 



HOC : NH O 



which, in this case, can be isolated. This compound is, however, very 

 unstable, and shows, just as the above assumed intermediate products 

 (A and B) and as the nitromethane salts, great tendency to intra- 

 molecular oxidation. On boiling with water it is split quantitatively 

 into acetaldehyde and cyanisonitrosoacetamide (see following paper). 



CN-C = NOCHHCHs = CN-C : NOH 



I II I + CH3CH : O. 



HOC . NH O HOC : NH 



Cyanisonitrosoacetamide. 



This decomposition is perfectly analogous to those above. 



Tlie formation of /? dinitropropane from silver dinitroethane and 

 methyliodide is in all probability to be explained T)y an addition of 

 methyliodide to tlie silver salt of dinitroethane ; 



