MM. Schischkoff and Kekulé on Fulminice Acid. 101 
In accordance with this interpretation, it was to be expected 
that fulminating mercury, when treated with chlorine, would 
yield chloride of cyanogen and chloropicrine ; and experiment 
showed this to be the case. Kekulé obtained as products of this 
reaction gaseous chloride of cyanogen, and an oil which had all 
the properties of chloropicrine, but was probably contaminated 
with chloride of carbon. In this reaction no carbonic acid was 
formed, and the equation would thus be,— 
C2 (NO*) (C2 N) Hg?+6Cl = C2(NO4)C + CyCl+2HgCl. 
Fulminating mercury. Chloropicrine. Chloride 
of cyanogen. 
By distilling fulminating mercury with hypochlorite of lime, 
pure chloropicrine is obtained. By treating fulminating mer- 
eury with sulphuretted hydrogen, Kekulé obtained sulphocyanide 
of ammonium and carbonic acid, the occurrence of which in this 
reaction had hitherto been unnoticed. The reaction did not, 
however, give concordant results on analysis. The previous ex- 
planations given of this reaction are not quite correct: it is 
rather to be assumed that the free fulminic acid decomposes with 
sulphuretted hydrogen at the moment of its formation into sul- 
phocyanide of ammonium and free carbonic acid, 
C2 (NO*) CyH?+ 2HS=2C0? + Cy NH*S?. 
Fulminic acid. Sulphocyanide of ammonium. 
Schischkoff derives fulminic acid from the type biuret, to which 
he gives the rational formula 2(C? 0? NH) NH®. Ifthe hydrogen 
of the ammonia be replaced by the bibasic radical C+ H* (NO*), 
we get the formula of fulminic acid, 2(C? O?NH) .N(C*H*NO%). 
In an analogous mannerfulminuric* acid is derivable fromthe type 
urea (C20? NH) NH, in which the hydrogen of the ammonia is 
replaced by the same tribasic radical, Ct H?(NO*). If this view 
were correct, we ought to get from these compounds evidence 
of the presence of NO*, and of the group NC* H?(NO*), which 
would be mononitroacetonitrile. Schischkoff made the experiment 
on fulminuric acid, which gave chloropicrine on treatment with 
hypochlorite of lime, as Kekulé had found was the case with ful- 
minating mercury under the same treatment. Schischkoff found 
also that fulminuric acid, when treated with nitrosulphuric acid, 
gave anew body, which is trinitroacetonitrile, NC4(NO*)’. This is 
a compound similar to camphor, possessing a penetrating unplea- 
sant smell, which melts at 41°5 and explodes at 220°C. Its 
formation may be thus expressed :— 
(C?02NH) (NC4H?NO*) + 2NOS H = NC*4(NO*)? + 2HO + 2CO?+ NH?. 
Fulminuric acid, Nitric acid. —_‘ Trinitro- 
acetonitrile. 
* Phil, Mag. March 1856. 
