( 705 ) 



( „//, {NO t \ . -V-r// : , + KOE <',//., (N0J t . 0K + EN CH t 



I I 



NO, NO, 



might have become decomposed '). 



From the reaction of niethylamine on tetranitrophenyl-methylnitra- 

 mine and on trinitromethylamidomethylnitramidobenzene he after- 

 wards concluded 2 ) that, probably, there had been formed methyl- 

 nitramine, meanwhile discovered by Franciiimont and Klobbie 3 ). 



The amount of amine formed by the decomposition of trinilro- 

 phenyl-methylnitramine by alkalis is considerably smaller than might 

 be expected from theory; the possibility, therefore, exists that the 

 reaction proceeds indeed mainly in the above indicated sense. 



We have, therefore, taken up the problem again in the hope that 

 by suitable modifications in the reaction, we might get at a process 

 for the preparation of methylnitraniine which would have the advan- 

 tage of yielding this costly substance from a cheap, easily accessible 

 material. We were not disappointed in our expectations. 



If trinitrophenyl-methylnitramine, which is the final product of the 

 nitration of dimethylaniline and melts at 127°, is boiled with a 10% 

 solution of potassium carbonate a brownish-red solution is obtained, 

 which oji cooling gives an abundant deposit of potassium picrate. 

 If after filtration the liquid is acidified with sulphuric acid and again 

 filtered off from the picric acid precipitated and then agitated with 

 ether, the latter yields on evaporation crystals, which after purifica- 

 tion, melt at 38°, and are identical with methylnitraniine, as was 

 proved by comparing the compound with a specimen kindly presented 

 to us by Prof. Franchimont. The yield, however, was very small. 



If the finely powdered nitramine, m. p. 127°, is treated with 

 20 % methylalcoholic ammonia this becomes intensely red, the mass 

 gels warm and after a few hours the reaction is complete, and a 

 huge amount of picramide has formed which is removed by filtration. 

 The alcoholic solution is distilled in vacuo, the residue treated with 

 dilute sulphuric acid and, after removal of a yellowish byeproduct by 

 filtration, the liquid is agitated with ether. On evaporation of the 

 ether, crystals of methylnitraniine were obtained. In this reaction 

 also, the yield was not large, amounting to only 15 % of the theoretical 

 quantity. With ethyl-alcoholic ammonia a similar result was obtained, 

 whereas an experiment in which ammonia was passed into a solution 



') Rec. d. Trav. chim. d. Pays-Bas, II. (1883) p. 115. 



2) lb. VITI (1889) p. 281. 



3 ) lb. VII (1888) p. 354. 



