90 



E. DIVERS AND T. HAGA. 



hydroxide present or none at all, have worked for abundant yields of 

 salt from the first, or have stopped before crystals had begun to form 

 and then evaporated the solution over sulphuric acid, or, lastly, have 

 evaporated the mother-liquors of the first formed crystals. 



Potassium nitrososulphate, we may here state, is soluble in a 

 little more than 8 parts of water at 14|°, according to our own 

 determination, but is less soluble in presence of potassium hydroxide. 

 Tt can readily be recovered by evaporating its solution over sulphuric 

 acid, though not without loss in the absence of alkali. 



In composition, so far as potassium and sulphur are concerned, 

 which alone were estimated by Raschig, this nitroxysulphite of his 

 agrees very nearly with his ' bisic potassium dihydroxylamine sul- 

 phonate ' (op. cit, p. 192) in a state of dampness. From that salt, 

 too, it appears to be indistinguishable by any properties, save an 

 inconstant one. Raschig says that, on several occasions, this nitroxy- 

 sulphite was observed to develope some nitrous oxide in being dis- 

 solved in hot weak potash solution. But so would Pelouze's salt have 

 done, with which, therefore, it may have been occasionally mixed, in 

 the crystalline crusts of an evaporated solution. Otherwise, both the 

 dihydroxylamine salt and this nitroxysulphite, even in dilute solution, 

 give a barium precipitate soluble in acids, the solution quickly deposit- 

 ing barium sulphate. Both salts, it must be inferred, freely evolve 

 nitrous oxide when acidified, and both are decomposed by water and 

 then yield oximidosulphonate. 



Reserving for future publication all details, we may state now 

 that oximidosulphonates and also salts similar to, if not identical with, 

 the obscurely known dihydroxylamine salt, are obtainable very easily 

 from potassium sulphite and nitrous fumes. Even with nitric oxide, 

 unless quite special precautions are taken, at least minute quantities 

 of dipotassium oximidosulphonate are always formed, and can be 



