oOG DIVERS & HAGA : DECOMPOSlTIOxNT OF OXYAMIDOSULPHATES. 



of amidosulphate sulphur, the full amount of which was ascer- 

 tained by adding to it twice the quantity of that in the ammo- 

 nium sulphate extracted by hydrolysis from the crude barium 

 precipitate. The sulphur from the hydroxyamidosulphate, ob- 

 tained as sulphate, w^as found by subtracting from the total the 

 sum of the quantities of sulphur present as (a) copper sulphate 

 taken ; (b) barium sulphate from the hydrolysed barium amido- 

 sulphate which had been precipitated along with the barium 

 sulphate by barium chloride ; (c) sulphuric acid added for 

 hydrolysing the hydroximidosulphate, when that salt had been 

 started w^itli ; and (d) in the same case, sulphuric acid resulting 

 from the hydrolysis of the hydroximidosulphate to hydroxy- 

 amidosulphate. 



Hardly any attempt was made to estimate the amount of 

 nitrous oxide liberated. To do so would only have been useful 

 as a check on the accuracy of the determinations of the amido- 

 sulphate, and for that purpose the two substances would have 

 had to be estimated in the products of one experiment. This, 

 it did not seem possible to do. An experiment in which hydroxy- 

 amidosulphate was decomposed gave 55.3 per cent, of the 

 nitrogen as nitrous oxide, as against 56. G calculated from the 

 equation most in accordance with amidosulphate and other sul- 

 phur determinations. The method of measuring the nitrous oxide 

 and nitrogen was to expel air from the apparatus by a current 

 of carbon dioxide continued for some time, and then heat the 

 copper salt and boil out the gases which were collected over 

 mercury and potassium hydroxide and measured. The alkali 

 was then replaced by absolute alcohol to dissolve the nitrous 

 oxide, and the residual gas measured. 



