280 



E DIVERS AND T. H AG A 



one with potassium nitrososulphate. The process we adopted consisted 

 in shaking the solution with acetone, distilling with steam to get over 

 the acetoxime, and evaporating the distillate with hydrochloric acid, in 

 order to get the hydroxylamine as its hydrochloride. Concerning the 

 formation of acetoxime, we have to remark that when we left the 

 acetone with the solution made neutral to litmus, so as to have the 

 hydroxylamine free but no alkali present, the formation of the 

 acetoxime was very slow and unsatisfactory, hut that it was quickly 

 completed when we had potassium hydroxide present in some quantity. 

 In distilling the strongly saline solution by steam, we superheated 

 the steam. Having proved the absence of hydrazine in the product of 

 the action of sodium amalgam upon a solution of sodium nitrite, we 

 were able in the above way to get crystals of hydroxylamine hydro- 

 chloride from it. 



Hydroxylamine not a product of the réduction of nitrososulphate by 

 sodium. — After removing hydrazine from the solution of reduced 

 nitrososulphate by means of benzaldehyde and ether, and evaporating 

 residual ether, we tested for hydroxylamine by the acetone method, 

 and failed to und any. Besides, with removal of hydrazine, all 

 reducing power upon cupric oxide disappeared from the solution. 



Hydrazine. — Hydrazine is quickly formed from nitrososulphate by 

 sodium amalgam, and is then slowly decomposed by it. So long as 

 any nitrososulphate remains, the action of the sodium is diverted from 

 the hydrazine. 



Ammonia can hardly be ranked as a product of the reduction of 

 nitrososulphate, being the result of the hydrogenisation of the 

 hydrazine. During the reduction proper, it is almost entirely absent, 

 but makes its appearance in quantity when the sodium is able to act 

 upon the water and liberate hydrogen. 



HijP'Uiitrite. — The hyponitrite produced by the reduction of 



