210 EDWAKD DIVEES AND SEIHACHI H ADA ; 



It must be mentioned that the numbers for the selenion dioxide 

 in the above two acid selenites differ very little, each to each, 

 from those calculated for Cameron and Macallan's two seleno- 

 samates, while those for the ammonia are entirely out of agree- 

 ment. But as these chemists adopted a method of questionable 

 accuracy for determining the selenion, much weight cannot be 

 laid upon these coincidences. 



Now, we have tried repeatedly but fruitlessly to get these 

 selenosamates, or any other salts which might be amido or 

 imidoselenites. Some years ago, also, Mr. Toyotaro Kamiya 

 tried, in this laboratory, to prepare Cameron and Macallan's 

 selenosamates, at the instigation of one of us, who then wanted to 

 see whether the acid salt, (NH4)H(Se02NH2)2, might not be diam- 

 monium imidoselenite HN(Se02NH4)2, instead. But Mr. Kamiya 

 reported failure to get products of uniform composition, or any 

 having the composition of Cameron and Macallan's salts, or any 

 which did not readily yield up all their nitrogen as ammonia 

 when boiled with potassium hydroxide. To Mr. Kamiya we are 

 indebted for the preparation and analysis, above given, of the salt 

 which proved to be the three-fourths-acid ammonium selenite. 



Having failed in our attempts to confirm the observation 

 of Cameron and Macallan that dry ammonia causes precipita- 

 tion in a solution of selenious anhydride in absolute alcohol ; 

 having obtained in these attempts only a very soluble salt, 

 ethyl ammonium selenite ; and having got precipitation, ap- 

 parently such as theirs, only when moisture had in some way 

 entered in, which precipitation was, however, of ammonium 

 selenites only, we may proceed to point out what a lack of 

 reliable evidence there is contained in their paper, for the 

 existence of these salts. 



