OP ARTS AND SCIENCKS. 



77 



This proves the correctness of our inference that the substance melt- 

 inff at 124°-12G° cannot form salts ; and the blood-red salt observed 

 must have been derived from the decomposition product left after the 

 removal of the group NO2 from our substance. It may be added, that 

 acid or neutral sodic carbonate has no action on the nitrite in aqueous 

 solution, and very little, if any, in presence of alcohol. 



Nitrite of Anilidotrinitrophenylnialonic Ester, 

 CoII(C«H5Nll)(N02)3CNO,(COOC2H5)2. 



Aniline acts with great violence on the nitrite of bromtrinitrophenyl- 

 malonic ester. If the substances are mixed at ordinary temperatures, 

 the action is almost explosive, a good part of the mixture is thrown 

 out of the beaker, and the product seems to be principally carbon. If 

 the mixture is kept cool by immersing the beaker in water, the action 

 goes more mildly, but the product is still very black and impure. We 

 therefore carried on the reaction in ethereal solution with the best 

 results as follows : — 1 gr. of the nitrite of bromtrinitrophenylmalonic 

 ester was mixed with a small quantity of ether, and, disregarding the 

 fact that a portion of the crystals had not dissolved, a slight excess of 

 aniline was added ; the ether at once turned red, and the undissolved 

 crystals of the nitrite were taken up, while aniline bromide was de- 

 posited in their place. At the end of a few minutes the reaction was 

 complete, and, after washing out the aniline and aniline bromide with 

 water containing a little hydrochloric acid, the ether was allowed to 

 evaporate, when it left a vivid red mass, which was purified by dissolv- 

 ing it in hot chloroform avoiding long heating, and then adding alco- 

 hol until the crystals began to separate, as it had been found that this 

 Bubstance, like the corresponding bromine compound, was decomposed 

 by heating with alcohol. After the substance showed the constant 

 melting point 119° it was dried in vacuo for analysis. 



The combustion of this substance was even more difficult than that 

 of the bromine compound, as it decomposed with almost explosive 

 violence at a temperature a few degrees above its melting point, and 

 did not begin to decompose at all at lower temperatures. We were 

 unable therefore to burn it in an open tube, but at last got satisfjictory 

 results by using a closed tube, mixing it with a long layer of plumbic 

 chromate and applying the heat very gradually. Its analyses led to 

 the foUowina: results : — 



I. 0.1542 gr. of the substance gave on combustion 0,2538 gr. of car- 

 bonic dioxide and 0.0678 gr. of water. 



