ETHYL AMMONIUMSULPHITE. 199 



as a fact, it does combine with the ethoxide. Both chemists 

 had failed in their attempts to exclude water, and we, too, have 

 failed to keep back all moisture. In 100 cc. of concentrated 

 alcoholic ammonia, we had never much less than 80 mgm. 

 water, but, fortunately, we could still eliminate this, as anhy- 

 drous ammonium sulphite, which is insoluble in alcohol. 



The alcohol, at its final distillation from lime, was received 

 direct into the reaction-flask, which was then closed by a dried 

 cork provided with inlet and outlet tubes, the latter dipping 

 into mercury as a seal. Ammonia, partially dried by passing 

 it up a spiral tube immersed in a cooling mixture, was then 

 sent through a series of tubes, packed with crushed and recently 

 fused potassium hydroxide, into the alcohol in the reaction-flask, 

 which was kept cool in a freezing-mixture. When ammonia 

 began to freely escape through the mercury, no more of it was 

 sent in, and a current of sulj^hur dioxide, well dried by sul- 

 phuric acid, passed in slowly until this gas in turn began to 

 bubble freely through the mercury, when the current was 

 stopped. While the sulphur dioxide was being passed into 

 the flask, care was taken to keep the temperature of the ice- 

 and-salt mixture, as nearly as practicable, down to — 15°, and 

 to agitate the flask. There was a double reason for keeping 

 the temperature low, for, in the first place, a very concentrated 

 solution of ammonia in the alcohol must be begun with, in 

 order to get the greater part of the alcohol taken up afterwards 

 in forming the new salt, and thus lead to the crystallisation 

 of the latter by removal of the alcohol, in which it is quite 

 soluble. The other purpose served by the low temperature 

 was to prevent any of the sulphur dioxide from acting oxidis- 

 ingly upon the ammonia, and thereby producing an orange- 



