18 ART. 15,— TAMEMASA HAGA. 



assume a slight violet colour, applies in reality only to the case 

 where the 2/3-normal salt is contaminated with nitrite, the pure 

 salt never oxidising nor colouring in this way. The interaction 

 with lead peroxide points clearly either to the peroxide constitution 

 or, but with much less probability, to a rise in the combining power 

 of the nitrogen to quadrivalency. 



The fact of the ready reversion, at the common temperature 

 and in solution, of a peroxylaminesulphonate to a hydroxy laminedi- 

 sulphonate by acting as an oxidising agent is equally strong evidence 

 of the same constitution. This reversion is also quantitative to an 

 extent that admits of its beina- used to estimate the amount of the 

 salt present in a solution (Schatzmann, Hantzsch and Semple). 



Its combination with a molecule of normal sulphite (p. 1 3) 

 affords convincing evidence to the same effect, since it is effected 

 through the oxygen atoms of the peroxylaminesulphonate : 

 (S0 3 iq 2 NO-ON(S03K) 2 + K-S03K=(S03K) 2 ]S T OK+(S03K)ON(S0 3 K) 2 . 

 This interaction will be again discussed on page 20. Inferentially in 

 favour of the peroxide constitution are also the odour which the 

 peroxylaminesulphonates impart to the skin, their colour, and their 

 decomposition into nitrous acid and sulphonated hydroxylamines. 



So soon as it is recognised that peroxylaminesulphonates are 

 peroxides, all doubt is removed as to the valency of their nitrogen, 

 which then can be only that of a triad. Contrariwise, when such a 

 constitution is not admitted, the nitrogen of a peroxylaminesulphon- 

 ate, with equal certainty, cannot be trivalent. In order, therefore, 

 to strengthen the conviction that the peroxylaminesulphonates are 

 indeed peroxides and peroximides, it becomes important to state the 

 reasons against admitting the nitrogen of these salts to be quadri- 

 valent or more than trivalent. 



To begin with, it is extremely improbable that oxidation by 



