OF THE MEADOW-SWEET. " 163 



If chloride of spiroil be briskly heated, the melted mass gradually be- 

 comes darker, and a slight carbonaceous residue remains. 



No other products besides muriatic acid and chloride of spiroil are 

 formed. 



Pure chloride of spiroil possesses a peculiar and somewhat aromatic 

 odour, which nevertheless has much similarity to the smell of diluted 

 prussic acid. Its boiling point does not appear to exceed that of water. 

 It is inflammable, and burns with a greenish sooty flame. 



It is quite insoluble in water. 



When it is boiled with water it evaporates entirely ; by this operation 

 not the slightest trace of muriatic acid is formed. Neither dry nor 

 moist air has any action on it. Chloride of spiroil is easily soluble in 

 aether and alcohol. 



The alcoholic solution gives with acetate of copper a greenish yel- 

 low precipitate; salts of lead are precipitated yellow. Baryta water im- 

 mediately separates chloride of spiroil from the alcoholic solution, and 

 uniting with it a yellow precipitate falls. 



Chloride of spiroil forms yellow, neutral, difficultly soluble compounds 

 with the alkalies. The salts of iron are also coloured blueish black by 

 the same. 



- In the combinations of chloride of spiroil with the metallic oxides and 

 the alkalies, it appears to combine unaltered, as it may again be obtain- 

 ed unaltered M'hen these compounds are decomposed by an acid. 



Nitrate of silver causes a scarcely perceptible milkiness in the filtered 

 solutions of the alkaline compounds which have been decomposed by 

 nitric acid. 0"780 grra. of chloride of spiroil treated in the above-men- 

 tioned way gave 0*09 grm. chloride of silver, therefore scarcely 0*02 grm. 

 chlorine. This small amount of chlorine was no doubt due to the pre- 

 sence of muriatic acid, as from 0*628 grm. hydrospiroilic acid 0*795 

 grm. of chloride of spiroil was obtained; therefore at least 0*157 grm. 

 chlorine must have been taken up. 



If chloride of spiroil be melted with potassium by the application of 

 a very gentle heat, violent evolution of heat and light suddenly takes 

 place. A portion of the chloride of spiroil is decomposed thereby ; car- 

 bon is deposited, whilst another portion unites with the potash which 

 has been formed. If the remaining mass be dissolved in water, and the so- 

 lution decomposed by nitric acid, pure chloride of spiroil is precipitated. 

 If this same fluid be filtered, nitrate of silver gives a large precipitate of 

 chloride of silver. If the neutral solution of the chlorospiroilide be 

 slowly evaporated, yellow tasteless crystals are obtained which are inso- 

 luble in alcohol. If these crystals be heated in a platinum crucible, heat 

 and fight are evolved long before the crucible is red hot. The mass 

 blackens, and by the continued application of heat is converted into 

 pure chloride of potassium, in the aqueous solution of which not flic 



M 2 



