94 



Memoirs and Proceedings of the Chemical Society. Part 16. — By 

 the Society. 



Maps of the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom of Great Bri- 

 tain. — By Sir H. T. De la Beche, Director-0 eneral of the 

 Geological Survey. 



Monday 20th April 1846. 



The Right Rev. BISHOP TERROT, Vice-President, in the 

 Chair. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. On the Constitution and Properties of Picoline, a new or- 

 ganic base from Coal-Tar. By Dr T. Anderson. 



The author, after alluding to the investigations of the oily bases in 

 coal tar, by Hoffmann, who had failed in obtaining Runge's pyrrol, 

 stated, that in searching for that substance among the more volatile 

 products of the distillation of coal-tar, he had been enabled to con- 

 firm its existence in small quantity, as well as that of the new base 

 to which he has given the name of picoline. 



Picoline is obtained in the pure state by several successive distilla- 

 tions of the mixed bases contained in coal-tar, after the perfect separa- 

 tion of pyrrol and empyreumatic oils, by processes described at length 

 in the paper, and finally by collecting the product which distilled at 

 272° Fahrenheit. The analysis of the base purified by these pro- 

 cesses, gave the following mean result, viz. : — 



Carbon, ..... 

 Hydrogen, .... 



Nitrogen, .... 



100-00 100-00 



This corresponds with the formula Ci-, H; N, which is that of ani- 

 line ; and the author further found by the analysis of the platinum 

 salt of picoline, that its atomic weight is identical with that of anihne. 

 The identity in constitution, however, of these substances is accom- 

 panied by an entire difference in properties. Picoline having a specific 

 gravity of 0-955 boiling at 272°, and being soluble in water in all pro- 

 portions ; it is incapable of giving the violet colour with chloride of 

 lime, and the yellow colour to fir wood moistened with hydrochloric 

 acid, which are produced by aniline, and it gives, with chloride of gold, 

 a highly characteristic precipitate, soluble in hot water, and deposited, 

 on coolino-, in delicate yellow needles. The author observed that these 



