NITROGEN BODIES OF MODERN CHEMISTRY. 205 



It is necessary to state that in all acetic acid salts a radical called 

 acetyl is couiuiou. This radical is represented as follows, in Fig. 2 : 



Fis. 2. 

 ""Qi 'H, "O — >. 



or 



In order to form the salt from this radical we need a link of oxygen, 

 which shall unite the radical of the base ammonium ('""N 'H4,) whose 

 equivalence is one, there being four atoms of hydrogen and one of pente- 

 valent of expanded nitrogen. This uniting oxygen is represented in 

 rig. 3. 



Fig. 3. 



CO 



Fig. 4. 



or 



OOOCOCOt 



o< 

 o< 

 o< 



0( 



The oxygen, which is here (Fig. 4) somewhat more distinctly marked, 

 holds together the radical of the acid and the radical of the base, and 

 thus forms acetate of the oxide of ammonium. 



Now, when, by chemical agency, we force the water from this salt, 

 as by a high degree of heat, by the action of chloride of phosphorus, or 

 an anhydrous acid, (chemists have many expedients for separating water 

 from organic compounds, forming it anew, and eliminating it again,) 

 when, therefore, we take from this compound two molecules of water, 

 2 ('H2 "O,) the nitrogen contracts from five to threefold equivalence, 



and we have the following formation : 



/// 



— --^ Fig. 5. Fig. 6. 



N oooccoo 0000 



/// 



•which represents the compound acetonitryl. 



Wc obtain the same result if we saturate acetic acid with carbonate 

 of ammonia 3 evaporate the liquid and distill the salt with chloride of 



