ee SCC 
AND ON THE CONSTITUTION OF HYPONITRIC ACID. 427 
non-nitrogenous compound, and that nitronaphthalase, by a 
somewhat prolonged action of nitric acid, is converted into ni- 
trite of the oxide of naphthyle, 
2(C!° H + NO*) = (C* H? O? + 2NO*)*, 
just as the nitrite of the protoxide of benzine and toluine are 
converted under the same circumstances into peroxide of benzine 
and toluine. 
Nitronaphthalese (C7 H?O + NO®) and _ nitronaphthalase 
(C?° H7 O? + 2NO%) are therefore haloid combinations, which 
may be designated by the names of protonitrite of naphthyle and 
pernitrite of naphthyle, naphthyle representing the radical C”® H? 
of naphthaline. 
31. The preceding examples have shown that, with the assist- 
ance of heat and of nitric or hyponitric acid, an oxide of a radical 
may be converted into one of higher degree; but since this 
radical is formed under the dehydrogenizing action of these acids, 
and the oxides are generated by the oxidizing effect of the same 
agents, it will be easily conceived that if the action is allowed to 
continue longer, or is rendered more powerful, the radical may 
be at the same time modified, and oxides produced containing 
more oxygen than those previously formed. 
In fact, M. Laurent has observed that when the acid solu- 
tion of the nitrite of the oxide of naphthyle is kept boiling until 
an oily body separates, a compound is formed to which the 
French chemist has applied the name of nitronaphthaleise, but 
to which the name of nitrite of the oxide of naphthaleine (azotite 
naphthaleisique) is more applicable in reference to the formula 
{C*” H!? O° + 5NO%), which probably expresses its composition. 
When naphthaline is boiled four or five days with nitric acid, 
the preceding compound is converted into nitronaphthalise, or 
into the compound (C*? H® O? + 3NO%), which, like those above 
mentioned, contains as many equivalents of acid as there are 
equivalents of oxygen in the base. The new salt is consequently 
the nitrite of the oxide of naphthalise. 
32. Thecompounds justconsidered, instead of being composed 
of an oxy-base and nitric acid, rather contain as the electro-nega- 
tive constituent, the least powerful oxidizing agent of the three 
* The analysis of this compound gave 2:90 hydrogen. According to calcu- 
lation only 2:41 should have been obtained, supposing the compound to contain 
only 3 at. of hydrogen to 10 at. of carbon. But since 2°41:2-90::6:7-22, 
it follows that the empirical formula is not C¥ H®? NO4, but 2C H% NO* 
== C”'H7 N? 08. 
B33 De 
