230 DR T. ANDERSON ON THE PRODUCTS OF THE 
Action of Iodide of Ethyl on Collidine. 
Iodide of ethyl and collidine react upon one another in the same manner as 
the bases already mentioned. An oily layer separates on heating the mixture, 
which refuses to crystallize on cooling. After removal from the tube in which 
the action was effected, and separation from the excess of iodide of ethyl, the 
fluid was allowed to stand for some time, but no crystals appeared. It was then 
exposed to cold, in the hope of inducing crystallization, but without success; and 
no better result followed the attempts made by dissolving in the smallest possible 
quantity of absolute alcohol, and adding ether. As the properties of the com- 
pound did not appear promising, no further experiments were made with it; but 
it was converted into a platinum salt, for the purpose of ascertaining whether 
the collidine had actually combined with ethyl. The process employed was the 
same as that used for preparing the ethylopicoline salt. A sparingly soluble and 
scarcely crystalline compound was obtained, the platinum of which was deter- 
mined by the following experiment :— 
5°855 grains of the platinum salt gave 
1618 ... platinum. 
Experiment. Calculation. 
,\QYr— 
Carbon, : - : we 34-06 C,, 120 
Hydrogen, . E A one 4-50 130 16 
Nitrogen, . ; ‘ be 3°68 N 14 
Chlorine, . “ - ae 29:98 Cl, 106-5 
Platinum, . : 27°65 27°78 Pt 98-7 
100-00 355:2 
This corresponds completely with the platinum salt of ethylocollidine, but as 
that substance did not appear likely to give results of interest, I contented myself 
with this experiment as a sufficient proof of its existence. 
The experiments described in the preceding pages sufficiently establish the 
fact that picoline and its homologues must be considered as nitryl bases, that is 
to say, bases capable of taking up only one additional atom of ethyl or any simi- 
lar radical, by doing which they are converted into fixed compounds, of the class 
designated ammonium bases. If this be their constitution, we must, according 
to the views at present entertained, assume that these bases are formed from 
ammonia by the replacement of its three atoms of hydrogen by as many different 
radicals. Of the exact nature of these radicals, the experiments we at present 
possess afford no data for drawing definite conclusions; but a moment’s consider- 
ation suffices to show that they must be substances remarkable for the simplicity 
of their constitution. If we confine our attention to pyridine, as the fundamental 
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