302 M. Schiscbkoff on Nitroform. 



It is only attacked witli great difficulty by reagents. Alco- 

 holic potash dissolves it, but it is again precipitated on the ad- 

 dition of water : sulphuric acid dissolves it, the odour of hydride 

 of salicyle becoming perceptible ; chloride of zinc has the same 

 action. By nitric and by chromic acids it is converted into picric 

 acid, and by hydrochloric acid and chlorate of potash into a yel- 

 low substance resembling chlorinated chinone. 



The author was proceeding with an investigation of the action 

 of terchloride of phosphorus on hydride of salicyle and on chlo- 

 ride of acetyle, when he became acquainted with Cahours' results. 

 He proposes to follow the subject in this direction. 



By the action of water on trinitroacetonitrile*, Schischkoff 

 obtained t a new crystallizable body which has the formula 

 C'2(N04)3, NH":— 



C4 (N0'')3 N +4HO = 3C02 + C2 {^O'^f ^R\ 



This body is trinitromethylammonium, or it may be viewed as a 

 compound of trinitromethyle hydrogen with ammonia, 



C^ (NO")^ H, NH^. 



When this body is treated with potash, copious evolution of 

 amm6nia talses place; treated with concentrated sulphuric acid, 

 an acid substance is liberated, which, when brought in contact 

 with ammonia, regenerates the original substance. This new 

 body has the formula C^ (NO"*)^ H ; it is trinitromethyle hydrogen 

 or nitroform. It belongs to the type chloroform, C^ CP H, and 

 is in fact marsh-gas, C"^ H'*, in which three atoms of hydrogen 

 are replaced by 3(N0i). 



Nitroform is a colourless body, solid below 15° C, crystallizing 

 in cubes, easily soluble in water, to which it imparts a dark yel- 

 low colour. It is very combustible and explosive, has an un- 

 pleasant smell and a bitter taste. It cannot be distilled at the 

 ordinary pressure : it decomposes at 100° C. It forms crystal- 

 line salts of a beautiful yellow colour, which are explosive, and 

 which sometimes decompose spontaneously. 



Chloroform is decomposed by potash into formiate of potash 

 and chloride of potassium, and it has been- generally assumed 

 that iodoform cx])eriences a similar change by the same treat- 

 ment. BriiningJ has shown that this is not the case. Alcoholic 

 solution of potash and iodoform are boiled together for some 

 time in a flask, so connected with a condenser that the vapours 

 condense and How back into the flask. On afterwards distilling 



* Phil. Mag. August 1857. 



t Liebig's Annalen, February and September 1857. 



t Ibid. November 1857. 



