108 E - DINERS AND T. HAGA. 



proportion to the potassium ethyl sulphate. The evaporation of the 

 solution of the 14*45 grams of salt was effected wholly in the 

 desiccator, that is, without the application of heat. Before evaporat- 

 ing, the alkali was almost neutralised with sulphuric acid. 



The residue from the larger quantity of salt was extracted at an 

 ice-cold temperature, with 5 ces. of proof spirit, and that from the 

 smaller quantity with 4 ces. of proof spirit. In this way almost all 

 remaining sulphate was left insoluble. The spirit solution evaporated 

 gave, in the former case, 2* 64 grams of crude potassium ethyl sulphate, 

 and 1"37 grams in the latter. These quantities were necessarily only 

 fractions of the actual quantities produced, because of the very great 

 waste attendant on the separation of much potassium sulphate from 

 the exceedingly soluble potassium ethyl sulphate. A true measure of 

 the extent to which the nitrososulphate had undergone conversion into 

 the ethyl sulphate was, however, afforded by the quantity of potassium 

 hydroxide produced, which was estimated, by titration, in the ex- 

 periment upon the 46*25 grams of nitrososulphate. It amounted to 

 1'69 grams, or 3*66 per cent, of the weight of salt taken, or about 14 

 per cent, of what would have been formed, had the whole of the salt 

 suffered the same change. This 1*69 grams of potassium hydroxide 

 must have been accompanied by 4*95 grams of potassium ethyl 

 sulphate, although we isolated little more than half that quantity, 

 namely, 2*64 grams. 



In proportion to the amount of salt taken the yield is If greater 

 where the 14 per cent, spirit was used, than where 24 per cent, spirit 

 was used. The difference is sufficiently great to justify the belief that 

 the formation of the ethyl sulphate is actually greater with weaker 

 than with stronger alcohol, in spite of the very imperfect means we 

 took to collect this salt. On first consideration, it may seem that the 

 formation of potassium ethyl sulphate must be favoured by strengthen- 



