Mr. J. A. Wanklyn 07i some new Ethyle-coinpounds. 225 



13. 'That the fibres of the lens are serrated for the purpose of 

 unitiug either to other, so as to allow them greater freedom of 

 motion without altering their ultimate relations to each other. 



14. That the ciliary muscle is very highly endowed with nervous 

 matter to supply all these varying requirements. 



15. By the above postulates, all the modern discoveries in the 

 microscopical anatomy of the eye receive a distinct expression of 

 their individual functions, and, by so doing, adapt the organ of 

 vision to the acknowledged laws of light. 



"Researches on the Foraminifera." — Part. III. On the Genera 

 PeneropHs, Onerculina, and Amphistegina. By W. B. Carpenter, 

 M.D., F.R.S. &c. 



"Further Researches on the Grey Substance of the Spinal Cord." 

 By J. Lockhart Clarke, Esq., F.R.S. 



" On some new Ethyle-compounds containing the Alkali-metals." 

 By J. A. Wanklyn, Esq. 



The very remarkable composition and properties of that class of 

 substances comprehending kakodyle and zinc-ethyle, have justly at- 

 tached no ordinary degree of interest to the so-called organo-metallic 

 compounds. 



Influenced by that interest, I was led to inquire whether the series 

 might not include members into whose composition the alkali-metals 

 entered. It was a question whether combination between so power- 

 fully electro-positive a body as potassium or sodium on the one 

 hand, and a hydrocarbon radical on the other, did not involve 

 impossible conditions. It seemed that the answer to this query 

 would not be valueless as a contribution to the store of facts out of 

 which we may hope some day to evoke the conditions of chemical 

 combination. 



My researches in this direction have already enabled me to pro- 

 duce combinations of ethyle with potassium and sodhim ; and I have 

 little doubt that I shall be able to produce similar compounds con- 

 taining lithium, barium, strontium, calcium, and magnesium. Com- 

 binations containing methyle in place of ethyle will also hS sought. 

 The present paper will be devoted chiefly to the ethyle-compound of 

 sodium. 



Sodium-ethyle. 



Experiments made with a view to the formation of this body by 

 reactions similar to that by which zinc-ethyle is produced, yielded 

 negative results ; but some months ago I made the observation that 

 potassium and sodium decomposed zinc-ethyle, and I found the action 

 to consist in the replacement of a portion of the zinc by the metal 

 employed. 



Sodium-ethyle was prepared as follows : — :A tube of soft glass was 

 closed at one end and filled with coal-gas. In it was then placed a 

 suigle clean piece of sodium ; its open extremity was then closed 

 with the finger, and whilst still filled with coal-gas, the tube was 

 contracted about the middle, drawn out and bent twice at right 

 angles ; pure zinc-ethyle, in quantity about ten times the weight of 



