Prof. Strecker on some Cvmpouiuh uf Acetamide. 137 



When dry acetamide is heated in a retort in a current of dry 

 hydrochloric acid gas, there is obtained in the receiver a mixture 

 of a colourless liquid and a crystallized distillate, while the retort 

 contains a solid, difficultly-volatile residue. The liquid distillate 

 consists of a mixture of chloride of acetyle and of concentrated 

 acetic acid, together with traces of acetonitrile or cyanide of nie- 

 thyle. The crystalline mass was mostly soluble in aether. The 

 insoluble part consisted of hydrochlorate of acetamide. The 

 Eetherial solution, on evaporation in vacuo over sulphuric acid, 

 deposited hard granules ; they gave on analysis the composition 

 Q12 j-p2 jvf2 Q6^ j^,^(j consisted of a mixture in equal equivalents of 

 acetamide and diacetamide, 



C12 H12 N2 06= C4 H5 N02 + C8 H^ NO". 

 The residue in the retort consisted of sal-ammoniac, and of a sub- 

 stance soluble in alcohol, and separating from its alcoholic solu- 

 tion in colourless columnar crystals. These were separated from 

 adherent sal-ammoniac by re-solution in absolute alcohol. They 

 were the hydrochlorate of a new organic base which neutralizes 

 the strongest acids, and which Strecker names acediamine. The 

 aqueous solution of the hydrochlorate gives with chloride of pla- 

 tinum no precipitate, but on evaporating the solution, large, hard, 

 yellow crystals of a platinum double salt are obtained. This is 

 soluble in water, but insoluble in a mixture of alcohol andajther. 



It has the formula C^* H« N^ HCl, I'tCF. The sulphate ob- 

 tained by digesting the hydrochlorate with sulphate of silver, 

 crystallizes in colourless pearly plates. It is easily soluble in 

 water, and is quite neutral. 



It was found impossible to prepare the base by treating the 

 sulphate with excess of baryta, as in the free state it decomposes 

 under assimilation of the elements of water into acetic acid and 

 ammonia, according to the equation 



C4 P16 N2 -f 4H0 = C-t H4 0* + 2NH3. 



The decomposition of acetamide by dry hydrochloric acid 

 yields diacetamide, acediamine, sal-ammoniac, and acetic acid, 

 and small quantities of chloride of acetyle and of acetonitrile. 

 These bodies result from various decompositions, which may be 

 thus expressed : — 



2 (C* LP NO^) + HCl = C8 W NO" + NH" CI. 



Acetamide. Diacetamide. 



2(C''H^N02) + HC1 = C''H«N2, HCl + C^H^O" 



Acetamide. Hydrochlorate of Acetic acid, 



acediamine. 



CMPN02 + 2HC1 = CMP02, CI -fNH"C1. 



Acetamide. Chloride of acetyle. 



CH^NO^ =CM13N +2H0. 



Acetamide. Acetonitrile. 



