106 



E. DIVERS AND T. HAGA. 



connection, it is very interesting to see the nitrososulphate exchanging 

 its specific radical for an alkyl radical and thus becoming potassium 

 or other ethyl sulphate; also to see alcohol acting as a hydroxide upon 

 an alkali sulphate. And then, along with this as a consequence, 

 comes the most remarkable thing of all, that by submitting potassium 

 sulphite to the action of nitric oxide and alcohol, it becomes possible 

 to generate potassium hydroxide. That alcohol can directly give rise 

 to potassium hydroxide by acting upon any potassium salt, seems an 

 impossibility, and this furnishes a strong argument for believing that 

 its real action upon potassium nitrososulphate is what we have 

 assumed it to be, namely, the formation of acid potassium 

 hyponitrite, which then decomposes with water and gives the 

 hydroxide. 



The constitution of nitrososulphates, now established, shows that 

 these salts have nothing in common with the sulphazotised salts of 

 Fremy, which are all sulphonates, and that they have some relation to 

 the nitrosyl sulphates. 



Experimental examination of the action of alcohol 

 upon nitrososulp hates. 



Potassium nitrososulphate, in fine powder, was sealed up in a 

 tube with absolute alcohol, and kept at 100° for some hours. The 

 two substances had no action on each other. 



Some preliminary experiments made the production of potassium 

 ethyl sulphate from an aqueous solution of potassium nitrososulphate 

 and alcohol almost a certainty, and also enabled us to obtain in the 

 solid state some potassium carbonate, in proof that potassium 

 hydroxide had formed, and had subsequently become carbonated by 

 long exposure to the air. We then made two experiments, which we 

 here describe in full, intended partly to be quantitative, but principally 



