32 EEDUCTION OF ALKALI NITRITE BY AN 



closed four days ; when opened it was found to contain the 

 nitrous oxide little if at all deteriorated as a supporter of 

 combustion. In another similar experiment, a saturated solution 

 of sodium hydroxide was poured over the amalgam ; in this case 

 the amalgam did not coat the sides of the bottle, but the solu- 

 tion served to keep the nitrous oxide dissolved in contact with 

 the amalgam. The bottle was often vigorously shaken and was 

 not opened till after four days. The nitrous oxide remained 

 almost or quite unchanged. Holt and Sims (J. Ch. Soc, 1894, 

 65, 432) have studied the oxidation of sodium and potassium 

 by nitrous oxide, but only at much higher temperatures than 

 those in these experiments, which were 25-30° (hot weather). 



