134 REPORT — 1851. 



only eliminated by art, we shall mark in this manner the distinction between 

 bodies, which though often isomeric are not identical. 



Thus the compound artificially produced, which consists of NH 



may be called methypheimmine ; whilst the principle extracted from oil of 

 tolu, which is found to have the same composition, may retain its name of 

 toluidine. The dissimilarity in properties between these isomeric bodies 

 renders a different name for the two indispensable. 



Analogy therefore might perhaps lead us to assign to Fownes's artificial 

 alkali, furfurine, the name of furfui amine, although its composition is more 

 complicated than that of Hofmann's alkaloids, as it contains oxygen 

 (CsoN«H'2 06). 



No such change would be warrantable in the names of bodies, like kreatine, 

 kreatinine, thialdine, &c., which, even if entitled to their present designations, 

 as they contain nitrogen, and the two latter at least possess decided basic pro- 

 perties, bear little resemblance to the vegetable alkaloids, and can neither be 

 referred to the class of amides, according to the old theory, nor yet be resolved 

 into substitutions of hydrocarbons for hydrogen, agreeably to the views of 

 Hofmann. 



But how are we to deal with bodies which, like oxamide, bioxamide, &c,, 

 though artificially produced in the same manner as the bodies we have been 

 considering, do not, nevertheless, possess alkaline properties? For them 

 I would propose to retain the received name of amides ; only as the distiuc- 

 tipn between amides, imides and nitriles, seems now to point to an exploded 

 theory, it would be better to extend to them the same principle of nomen- 

 clature as that adopted by Dr. Hofmann, namely, that of calling the com- 

 pound in which 2 atoms of benzoyle are substituted for 2 of hydrogen, not, 

 as Laurent has done, henzimide, but d'lbenzamide ; and if one were discovered 

 in which 3 atoms were so introduced, to name it tnhenzamide, and so with 

 the rest. 



Mr. Robson, indeed, in a late communication to the Chemical Society, has 

 already pointed out a compound which he terms dibenzoylimide, but this has 

 the composition of C^s H" NO^, or NH3+2C"H«0-. It is therefore an 

 ammoniacal compound of benzoyle, and not an amide. 



Some chemists have adopted a still more abbreviated form of expression, by 

 attaching the termination am, with the name of the combining body prefixed, 

 to indicate such compounds. 



Thus hemidam has been used to designate aniline ; melam for the com- 

 pound of ammonia with mellon, in the proportion of three of the former to 

 two of the latter. Nothing, however, is gained in point of convenience by 

 adopting the former term, in compensation for the confusion which its use 

 would introduce; for phenamine is as concise a term as benzidam, and cer- 

 tainly more euphonious ; but melam belongs altogether to another series, 

 since in it the mellon does not replace the hydrogen atoms of ammonia, but 

 unites with ammonia as such, in the proportion of 2 to 3 : — 

 Benzidam, NH Melam, NH-, 



H hI+C«H* 



C'^H^ HJ 



NH-, 



hI-i-c«h* 

 hJ 



NH-, 

 Hi 

 Hj 



