132 REPORT — 1851. 



It may be doubtful whether kreatine, not being alkaline, is strictly entitled 

 to this termination, and at any rate it should be understood, that it is to be re- 

 stricted to bodies containing nitrogen ; thus the ethers are rightly excluded, 

 because although possessing basic properties, the absence of nitrogen is 

 attended with properties of quite a different nature. 



Dr. Hofmann, whose most valuable researches on the nature of the vege- 

 table alkalies have added so much to the number of these bodies, proposes 

 to designate them by terms constructed out of those which signify the hydro- 

 carbons present in each. 



Thus Aniline being denoted by NH 



H 

 C- H% will be phenylamine ; 



Ethylaniline NH 



C* H^ 



C"^ H*, will be ethylophenylamine ; 



Methylaniline NH 



C2 H» 



C'2 H^, will be methylophenylamine ; 

 and when all the three atoms of hydrogen are replaced, we should be com- 

 pelled to adopt words of the truly formidable length of methylethylophenyl- 

 amine. 



I would suggest to the distinguished author, who amidst the herculean 

 labours of unravelling these intricate combinations, may have wanted time to 

 bestow upon so subordinate a point as their nomenclature, whether his names 

 may not be conveniently abridged by using only the first syllable of that ex- 

 pressive of the organic radicals which replace the hydrogen atoms. 

 Thus let meth stand for methyl, 



eth ethyl, 



am amyl, 



chl* chlorine, 



br bromine, 



nitr nitric acid, 



phe phenyl ; 



adding in the five former cases to the end the next vowel, when the succeed- 

 ing syllable begins with a consonant, and in the last the next consonant, when 

 the succeeding syllable begins with a vowel. 



In this manner it will rarely happen that the number of syllables of which 

 the word consists can exceed six, as will be seen by the following table : — 



Symbol. Common Name. Hofmann' s Name. Abbreviation proposed. 



Aniline Phenylamine Phenamine. 



" 1 



H J.N...Anilir 



C»2 HsJ 



H 



Qu JJ4 ^N ... Chloraniline Chlorophenylamine Chlophenamine. 



CI'. 



* Some may prefer the abbreviation chlor for chlorine, and brom for bromine. This 

 change however will involve the use of an additional syllable, whenever the next substance 

 expressed begins with a consonant : thus chlophenamine would be chlorophenamine, brophe- 

 namine, bromophenaraine, &c. The advantage in point of perspicuity will therefore have to be 

 balanced against the inconvenience of increasing still further the length of words, often of 

 necessity extended already to the limits of ready utterance. When however nitrous acid 

 is the replacing body, the introduction of a second syllable to indicate its presence cannot 

 well be avoided, for ni alone might stand for several other substances. 



