(91) 
Attention must also be called to the acid character of nitro-ureo- 
ethanol which not only yields a compound with NH; but may be 
readily titrated in aqueous solution with potassium hydroxide, using 
phenolphtalein as indicator. It then saturates one mol. of potassium 
hydroxide and consequently behaves, apparently, like a monobasic 
acid, such as nitrohydantoine for instance. If we do not wish to 
assume that the hydrogen of the group CH, is replaceable by metals 
Vi 
under the influence of the negative group — N Zen or in other 
words, that it causes the acid character of the substance, then 
similar substances and also nitrohydantoïne, ethylenedinitro-ureïne 
ete. would have a structure totally different from that of the nitra- 
mines, which from the manner in which they are prepared have 
one hydrogen atom linked to the nitrogen. When in these substances 
the presence of the group — N—NOH is assumed, instead of 
NO/ 
— NH NO, mitrohydantoïne ete. ought to contain the group 
— CH—N—NOH unless, as has been rendered highly probable in 
Se Ge 
the case of nitrohydantoïne, the alkali simply forms and eliminates 
one mol. of nitrous acid. Should oxethylnitro-urea prove to be 
better suited than nitrohydantoïne to settle this point we will not 
neglect to have this matter further investigated. 
Chemistry. — Professor FRANCHIMONT reads a paper from Miss 
E. VAN AKEN on: “The oxidation of organic nitrogen-com- 
pounds and the estimation of the carbon and nitrogen therein 
by the moist process.” 
The oxidation of organic nitrogen compounds is a subject about 
which a good deal has already been and is still being written. The 
knowledge thereof is also of practical importance as it is applied not 
only to the quantitative determination of the nitrogen but also to 
that of the carbon and nitrogen. The result is that the nitrogen is 
either liberated or converted into ammonia. This does not only depend 
on the nature of the oxidizer and the circumstances under which 
the oxidation takes place, but also, if not in the first place, on the 
chemical structure of the nitrogen compound. Thence it follows that 
none of the methods for the quantitative determination of the nitrogen 
can be applied in every case and even the method of DuMAs, which 
