80 KANSAS UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY. 



The ammonia used in the following experiments was the commer- 

 cial product. It was drawn directly from the cylinder into Dewar 

 tubes, or more commonly into flasks, insulated by placing them in 

 beakers and filling the sj^ace between the neck of the flask and the 

 sides of the beaker with cotton. This seemed quite effective in pre- 

 venting too rajjid evaporation of the ammonia. 



ACTION OF LIQUID AMMONIA ON ACID CHLORIDS. 



The chlorids first used were those of mono-, di- and trichloracetic 

 acids. Our experiments were carried on as follows : The chlorid was 

 dropped slowly from a dropping funnel into a small insulated flask 

 containing liquid ammonia. This produced a violent reaction, due 

 not only to reactive tendencies of the two substances, but also to 

 the great difference in their temperatures. The chlorid at the tem- 

 perature of the room was fully 60^ warmer than the boiling ammonia ; 

 consequently, dropping the warm chlorid into the cold ammonia 

 caused the latter to boil violently. So violent was the reaction that 

 dense white fumes, probably composed of a mixture of the amid and 

 ammonium chlorid, were given off. This loss was overcome, to a large 

 degree, by cooling the chlorid to the temperature of boiling ammonia, 

 by immersing the vessel containing it in a bath of ammonia, and then 

 dropping ammonia into the cooled chlorid. When the first reaction 

 was over the mixture was treated with an excess of ammonia, which 

 was then allowed to evaporate. The amids were then obtained pure 

 by extracting the white residue with chloroform. 



By this method the amids of the three chloracetic acids were ob- 

 tained. They were identified by their characteristic melting-points, 

 and this identification was supplemented in two of the compounds by 

 chlorine determinations according to the method of Carius. 

 I. 0.1721 g. substance gave 0.3^82 g. AgCl. 



Calculated for dichloracetamid, . . Found. 

 CHC1-.C0NH.2 



CI 55.41% 55.76% 



11. 0.0731 g. substance gave 0.1952 g. AgCl. 



Calculated for trichloracetaraid, . . Found. 



CCI3CONH2 

 CI 65.49% 66.02% 



This method, which has proved so successful in preparing chlor- 

 acetamids, did not, however, succeed with acetamid itself. A similar 

 treatment of acetyl chlorid with liquid ammonia gave a mixture which 

 possessed the unmistakable odor of acetamid ; but, thus far, our at- 

 tempts to obtain crystals of acetamid have been unsuccessful. 



With bromacetyl chlorid a white mass was obtained, which did not 



