426 K@NE ON THE NATURE OF 4QU4 REGIA, 
effect of this acid; the elements of the base C® H’O are here 
present in the acetone. 
But if this acid be made to act upon mesitylene, it has like- 
wise an oxidizing effect; we obtain 
C°H* + NO® = (C°H‘*O + HO) + NO’, 
because the radical C® H* requires oxygen to form a base. The 
proof that the reaction takes place in the manner indicated by 
the above equation, is that chlorine forms with the same sub- 
stance a compound corresponding to the base of the nitrite of 
the oxide of pteleyle by its dehydrogenizing and chlorizing action. 
Owing to the existence of the radical pteleyle, which forms 
with oxygen an oxide that sometimes combines with nitrous acid, 
sometimes with water, chlorine and nitric acid furnish com- 
pounds with mesitylene which cannot be compared, although in 
principle the reaction of these agents is identical; be it however 
well understood according to the hypothesis of Berzelius, for it 
is impossible to account for it according to that which regards 
hyponitric acid as a radical, since nitric acid in its reaction on 
mesitylene yields no compound in which hyponitric acid makes 
its appearance as a constituent, and consequently no compound 
having an analogous composition to the product of the reaction 
of chlorine upon mesitylene. 
28. On adding water to a hot solution of benzine in red nitric 
acid, there is formed 
C!? H® + NO* = (C2 HO + NO*); 
and the proof that this new compound does not correspond to 
the compound (C!? H® + SO?), but is a salt formed by the union 
of the protoxide of benzine with the nitrous acid, is, that when 
the solution of this salt in red nitric acid is raised to boiling, the 
protoxide of benzine is converted into oxide of benzine, and 
the salt (C!? H® O? + 2NO°) is formed. 
29. Toluine also forms a nitrite of the oxide of toluine by the 
action of boiling red nitric acid; on the contrary, a nitrite of the 
protoxide is formed at the ordinary temperature (Deville). 
30. On treating naphthaline with boiling nitric acid until the 
oil which forms on the surface of the liquid has lost the property 
of naphthaline, there is obtained, according to M. Laurent, a 
compound (C*°H7 + NO*). M. Berzelius urges against this 
view, that if this body were so composed, the nitrite of the oxide. 
of ethyle must be considered as (C*H® + NO4). I may add, 
that paranaphthaline yields under the same circumstances a 
