208 EDWARD DIVERS AND SEIHACHI H AD A ; 



Tlie deviations of the quantities found from those calcu- 

 hited are clearly attributable to slight decomposition of the salt 

 by moisture into alcohol lost and acid ammonium selenite. 



Ethyl ammonium selenite is crystalline, soluble in alcohol, 

 insoluble in ether, exceedingly deliquescent, and at once de- 

 composed by water into ammonium hydrogen selenite and 

 alcohol. It cannot be heated or even kept long without de- 

 composing, selenion being one of the products. Thus, after 

 ten days or so in the desiccator, the decomposed salt may 

 contain as much as 5 per cent, of its weight of free selenion, 

 oxidised alcohol (acetic acid ?) and ammonia having volatilised. 



Non-existence of amidoselenites (selenosamates). 



Since it is not easy to get normal ammonium selenite from 

 its aqueous solution, on account of its great solubility and the 

 readiness with which it loses much of its ammonia, Berzelius, 

 Muspratt, and others have all had resort to an alcoholic solution 

 of seleuious acid, from which to precipitate the salt by gaseous 

 ammonia. Now, when an alcoholic solution of ethyl ammonium 

 selenite is exposed to moist air or mixed with a very little 

 water, separation of ammonium selenite at once occurs, either 

 normal or acid, according as much ammonia is present or not. 

 The same behaviour has been noted by Hinsberg in an alcoholic 

 solution of ethyl phenylammonium selenite. Moreover, the 

 alcoholic solution of ethyl ammoniumsulphite behaves in a quite 

 analogous way (see preceding paper). Accordingly, we have 

 found that, unless precautions are taken to specially dry the 

 materials and to exclude aerial moisture, the passage of ammonia 

 into a solution of selenion dioxide in good ordinary absolute 



