AND SOME OF ITS DERIVATIVES. 415 
Biethylomeconate of Ammonia.—Some of the ether was dissolved in strong, 
nearly absolute, alcohol, and dry ammoniacal gas was passed into the fluid ; the 
whole soon became a nearly solid yellow mass. When this was freed by pres- 
sure from the ammoniacal alcohol, it was found to crystallise from hot spirit in 
tufts of radiated silky yellow needles. From its analysis, 
5°140 grains, dried in vacuo, gave 


9-055 ... carbonic acid, and 
' 2°610 ... water. 
| 5825 ... dried in vacuo, gave, on burning with soda lime, 
5065 ... platinum salt of ammonia. 
; Calculation. 
ES) a ee 
Carbon, 4 ; 48:04 48°35 C,, 132 
Hydrogen, . C 5°64 5:49 Lie 15 
Oxygen, i : ache 41-04 One Li2 
Nitrogen, . : 5:46 5:12 N 14 
100:00 100-00 273 









Its constitution is evidently represented by the formula, 
NH,0, 2 0,H,0, C,, HO,,; 
it crystallises without water. 
Biethylomeconate of ammonia is readily soluble in cold water to a yellow fluid ; 
acids precipitate from this the unchanged ether. Its aqueous solution gives the 
following reactions :—with nitrate of silver a yellow gelatinous precipitate in- 
soluble in boiling water, and apparently unaltered by the elevation of tempera- 
ture; with sulphate of copper, a green gelatinous precipitate; with acetate of lead, 
a heavy yellowish white, and, with sulphate of magnesia, a crystalline precipi- 
tate ; with the chlorides of barium, strontium, and calcium, it produces pale yel- 
low semi-gelatinous precipitates, insoluble in boiling water, but readily soluble in 
excess of the earthy salts; a determination of the base in the baryta salt was 
made, ; 
{ 5-533 grains, dried at 212°, gave 



1:985 ... sulphate of baryta. 
Calculation. 
Bee a eS 
Carbon, : : vise 40-78 C,, 1382 
Hydrogen, . 2 Bue 3°39 H,, 11 
Oxygen, : 3 GbE 32°15 O,, 104 
Baryta, : : 23-54 23-68 BaO 76°64 
100-00 100-00 32364 
which leads to the formula for biethylomeconate of baryta, of 
. BaO, 2 C,H,0, C,, HO,,. 
I believe, from an experiment made on a small scale, that biethylomeconic 
_ acid, when heated with ammonia, undergoes a change; the result is probably an 
