IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 83 



sodium salt with an acid, however, it did not evolve nitrous 

 oxide but carbon dioxide. It did not yield nitrogen by any 

 of the common qualitative tests. I also attempted to 

 determine the amount of nitrogen by the absolute method 

 but found none. The salt obtained was therefore a 

 carbonate. The fact that the sodium and the silver, 

 obtained by the analysis of the respective salts, correspond 

 to both carbonate and hyponitrite, is explained by the 

 fact that hyponitrous acid and carbonic acid have the same 

 molecular weight. 



H,N.A=- 2+28+32 = 62. 



H,C03=-2+124-48=62. 



I endeavored to prepare sodium hyponitrite by this 

 method repeatedly, varying the conditions each time, but 

 always with the same result. 



In view of the above experiments there are several other 

 reasons that would lead one to suspect that Menke 

 obtained sodium carbonate instead of sodium hyponitrite. 



First. — Like sodium carbonate, Menke's salt was an 

 efflorescent substance. It contained six molecules of water 

 of crystallization (using the double formula), but sodium 

 carbonate, under varying conditions, crystallizes out with 

 one, two, five, six, seven, ten or fifteen molecules of water. 



Second. — Menke obtained the best yield by keeping the 

 crucible at a red heat for an hour after deflagration ensued. 

 This might be explained on the ground that it would give 

 more time for the oxidation of the carbon in the iron, 

 which exists very largely asgraphite and which is completely 

 oxidized to carbon dioxide only by long continued heating 

 with sodium nitrate. A gieat deal of carbonate must have 

 been formed during the process, especially in view of the 

 fact that cast iron was used, which contains from 2 to 5 

 per cent of carbon. The carbon in uniting with sodium 

 and oxygen would produce nearly nine fold its own weight 

 of sodium carbonate, or for every 100 grams of iron 

 employed there would be produced from eighteen to forty- 

 five grams of sodium carbonate, providing there was 

 sufficient sodium to combine with it. While there would 



