OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 285 



The acid properties of this substance are much less marked than 

 those of the corresponding bromine compound, as was to be expected 

 from the substitution of bromine by the basic radical C-H S NH. 

 Aqueous sodic hydrate has no action on it in the cold, and but slight 

 when warm, but if alcohol is added a brownish red solution of the 

 sodium salt is obtained. Amnionic hydrate, on the other hand, could 

 not be made to act on it, even by warming in presence of a large 

 excess of alcohol. Potassic carbonate in aqueous solution had no 

 action on it, either cold or hot, but gave a very slight action when a 

 large quantity of alcohol was added. The behavior of the solution of 

 a soluble salt with various reagents could not be studied, as the alco- 

 holic solution of the sodium salt was decomposed completely by dilut- 

 ing it with water. But in spite of these weaker acid properties we 

 selected the sodium salt of this substance for analysis, as there was no 

 danger of a decomposition of this ketone by the alkali used, such as 

 had prevented us from getting good results with the corresponding 

 bromine compound. For the same reason, the hydrazone for analysis 

 was prepared from this substance instead of from the bromdinitro- 

 benzylmethylketone. 



Sodium Salt of Anilidodinitrobenzylmethylketone, 

 C 6 H 2 (C C H 5 NH) (N0 2 ) 2 CHNaCOCH 3 . 



This substance was prepared by adding an alcoholic solution of 

 sodic ethylate to an excess of the ketone also dissolved in absolute 

 alcohol. The narrow beaker containing the mixture, after the addi- 

 tion of a little ether, was sunk to its rim in a steam bath. In this 

 way, at first the ether, and later the alcohol vapor, prevented the car- 

 bonic dioxide of the air from acting on the salt during the evapora- 

 tion. The dry residue was thoroughly washed with benzol to remove 

 the excess of the ketone, and the salt thus purified dried at 100°, and 

 analyzed with the following result: — 



0.2380 <xr. of the salt gave after evaporation with sulphuric acid 

 0.0500 gr. of sodic sulphate. 



Calculated for 



C c II.,(C 6 H5NII)(NO :! ) : ,C30H 4 Na. Found. 



Sodium 6.82 6.80 



Properties. — A brownish black mass, soluble in alcohol, giving a 

 much browner solution than any of the other salts described in this 

 paper, so that it could be recognized with ease by its color. It is 

 .decomposed at once by water, the brown alcoholic solution being 



