Ethyl ammoniumsulphite. 



By 



Edward Divers and Masataka Ogawa, 



Imperial University, Tokyo. 



In attempts to obtain ammonium amidosulpliite, which 

 proved successful only when made in another direction, we 

 have found that, in absence of water and at a low temperature, 

 ammonia and alcohol unite with sulphur dioxide and form a 

 new salt of the composition of ammonium ethylsulphonate and 

 yet quite distinct from it. Evidently, ammonia and alcohol 

 react with sulphur dioxide as though they were ethylammo- 

 nium hydroxide, for ammonia in the cold has no action upon 

 ethylsulphite or upon ethyl ethylsulphonate and, when heated 

 with the former produces ethylamine and ammonium sulphite 

 (Carius, A^m., 1859, 110, 221), and with the latter ethylam- 

 monium ethylsulphonate (Carius, J. pr. C%., 1870 [2] 2, 262). 



Warlitz' potassium ethyl sulphite, never l)ut doubtfully 

 distinct from a sulphonate, has now been shown to be none 

 other than potassium ethylsulphonate (Rosenheim and Lieb- 

 knecht, Ber., 1898, 31, 405). From the experiments of Carius 

 and from those of the chemists just named, it is also certain 

 that ethyl sulphite does not react directly to form a salt inter- 

 mediate to itself and potassium sulphite, and is thus distinguished 

 from a sulphonate, as Carius pointed out (see also the action 

 of ammonia, just referred to above). 



