211 
over lime. The residual erystalline mass, after being reerystallised 
from methyl alcohol, proved to consist mainly of unchanged acetyl 
derivative. The mother liquor, however, exhibited colour phenomena 
which may raise a suspicion that a small fraction of the acetyl group 
has been replaced by the nitro-group. 
Finally, also a few derivatives of methyliminodiacetic acid 
CH,N(CH,CO,H), were made, in which the hydrogen atom of the NH- 
group which is placed between 2 CH, has been replaced by methyl. First 
of all the diamide by acting on the methyl ester of the said acid 
for some time, with NH, in methyl alcoholic solution. This diamide 
CH,N(CH,CONH,), forms beautiful, large crystals melting at 162— 
163°; it is readily soluble in cold water, methyl- and ethyl alcohol, 
very little so in acetic ether, acetone, ether, petroleum ether, chloro- 
form and benzene. It was recrystallised from boiling methyl alcohol. 
From the diamide the zmzde was prepared by sublimation under 
a pressure of 17—18 m.m. at 200 —220°. The methyliminodiacetimide 
CH,N(CH,CO),NH thus obtained was first recrystallised from boiling 
acetic ether in which the amide is practically insolnble, then from 
boiling acetone and finally from a little boiling methyl alcohol. It 
then forms white, glittering crystals which melt at 106°. This imide 
gives crystallised compounds with one mol. of HCI or NO,H. The 
first is decomposed by heating above 235°; the second by heating 
above 130°; treated with absolute nitric acid an oxidation seems to 
take place slowly at the ordinary temperature, at least after being 
some time in vacuo over lime a decidedly strong evolution of red 
fumes took place and from the residual swollen mass no well-defined 
product could, as yet, be isolated. 
Although the question as to the position of the nitro-group in 
nitroiminodiacetimide is not yet quite solved, as this position will 
be determined fully only then when the analogous isobutyrie acid 
derivative HN(C(CH,),CO),NH has also been tested as to its behaviour 
on nitration, yet it has been rendered very probable by the results 
obtained, the publication of which was rendered desirable owing to 
to the departure of Dr. Dussky. 
The direct nitration capacity of the above acyclic aliphatic amino- 
compounds, also the differences in the readiness of this nitration 
point to a connection with what has been found in the case of 
aromatic N-compounds where the nitration capacity, or otherwise 
the formation of nitramines by direct nitration, has been first shown 
by vAN Rompureu. 
This connection is quite in harmony with what I have demonstrated 
