Hofmanu oji the Action of Bichloride of Carbon on Aniline. 133 



from 3 molecules of aniliue from which 4 equivalents of hydrogen 

 have been eliminated by the 4 equivalents of chlorine in the bi- 

 chloride, the carbon entering as a biatomic molecule into the complex 

 atom. The new body would thus become a triamine. 



H. J 



It is however more probable that the carbon replaces in the form of 

 cyanogen, when the new compound appears in the light of a diamine, 

 as 



Cyan-triphenyl- diamine (Cj, H-)3 I Nj. 

 'H. J 

 The new compound thus becomes closely allied to melaniliue, which 

 may be viewed as diphenyl-cyan-diamine, 



C,N 1 

 Melaniline C^e Hjj N3= (C j, H^), \ N^. 

 . . 'H3 J 

 It deserves to be noticed, that in its appearance, and in its general 

 characters, cyan-triphenyl-diamine resembles melaniline in a re- 

 markable manner. 



If we are entitled to view the new body which forms the subject 

 of this note as a cyanogen-substitute, we have not less than four well- 

 defined diamines of the phenyle-series. 



Diethylene-diphenyl-diamine >p* „'< ^ L jj^. 



Formyl-diphenyl-diamine .... (CjoHj)., \ N^. 



'H ■ J 

 C, N ^ 



Cyan-diphenyl-diamine (Cj, H.), )>N2. 



"H3" J 

 C, N ^ 



Cvan-triphenyl-diamine (Cj, 11^)3 >N„. 



'H. J ' 

 I intend to continue the inquiry still further in this direction, and 

 propose next to examine the deportment of aniline with the so-called 

 protochloride (C, Cl^) and sesquichloride of carbon (C^ Cl„) . 



"Researches on the Phosphorus-Bases." By A. W. Hofmann, 

 Ph.D., F.ll.S. 



In a paper published in the Transactions of the lioyal Society, we 

 (M. Cahours and myself) have given a detailed account of the pre- 

 paration of the phosphorus-bases, and also an accurate description of 

 triethylphosphine, the most characteristic and accessible represent- 

 ative of this class of compounds. 



Tlie object of our joint inquiry was chiefly to examine the phos- 

 l)horus-bascs as a class, and to establish their analogy with the corrc- 



