920 E * DIVE:RÖ -.AX-D T. H AG A 



our assertions. The total absence of ammonia peremptorily forbids 

 any admission of the generation of hydroxy amine. ;■.;-,■;.■ 



Cold dilute alkali or alkaline-earth hydroxide suffices to partly 

 effect the change under consideration. Consequently every attempt 

 to form di potassium or sodium oxyamidosulphonate corresponding 

 with the dibarium salt has failed in our hands because of this re- 

 solution of the salt into simpler ones on adding alkali. Also for the 

 same reason Fremy's dibarium salt, described in this paper, although 

 an almost insoluble salt, cannot, we find, be prepared quite free from 

 sulphite, and when kept for any considerable time becomes charged 

 with it and with traces of hyponitrite. 



To effect the complete or nearly complete conversion of these 

 salts into sulphite and hyponitrite they may be either lefc for days 

 in the cold with the very strongest potassium-hydroxide solution, 

 or be heated to boiling for a short time with strong alkali. In both 

 cases effervescence occurs, due to the decomposition of hyponitrite. 

 The gas is not the feeble supporter of combustion met with by Claus, 

 but so far behaves as oxygen, as Fremy had observed. Only it is 

 not oxygen but nitrous oxide, soluble in water. The highly alkaline 

 liquor when acidified gives abundance of sulphur dioxide, and when 

 only neutralised gives with barium chloride a precipitate which 

 might of course be taken for sulphate by a mind prepossessed as 

 Claus's almost admittedly was, and which does, as is well-known, 

 rapidly change into sulphate on the filter. A\ ^hen partially or fully 

 neutralised with acetic acid the solution gives on treatment with 

 sufficient silver nitrate much silver hyponitrite together with a very 

 little reduced silver owing to the never quite complete destruction of 

 the sul phonic salt. At first the silver nitrate is consumed in forming 

 potassium-silver sulphite, and this consumption can be avoided if 

 desired, either by using the barium salt instead of the potassium salt, 



