540 Royal Society. 



oxygen. This reaction, which is also common to zincmetbyle and 

 zincamyle, led me to suppose that, like cacodyle, these bodies com- 

 bined directly with oxygen; but the results of a closer study of the 

 action of oxygen upon zincethyle prove that no such compound is 

 formed ; the white body being ethylate of zinc, and containing no 

 organo-metallic compound, in the strict sense of the term. The 

 action of oxygen upon zincethyle is expressed in the following equa- 

 tbn:- C^Zn| =C4H50Za0 



The ethylate of zinc thus produced is decomposed by water into 

 hydrated oxide of zinc and alcohol — 



Zn O C H 5 1 _ / O H 5 O HO 

 2HO/~t ZnOHO. 



Zincethyle is acted upon with great energy by iodine ; when the 

 violence of the reaction is moderated, by the application of intense 

 cold and the intervention of ether, the sole products are iodide of 

 zinc and iodide of ethyle — 



C + H*Zn\ _ /OH* I 

 I, I / — 1 Znl. 



Bromine acts with explosive violence on zincethyle, but the action 

 may be moderated by adding the bromine in the form of diffused 

 vapour and cooling to 0° C. The sole products of the reaction are 

 then bromide of ethyle and bromide of zinc — 

 OH 5 Zn\ _ J OH 5 Br 

 Br,Br/-t Zn Br. 



Zincethyle burns with a lurid flame spontaneously in chlorine gas ; 

 the zinc and hydrogen are converted into chlorides, whilst carbon is 

 deposited in the form of soot. I have not studied the products of a 

 more moderate action, as it is difficult to bring the materials toge- 

 ther without too great an elevation of temperature. There can be 

 no doubt, however, that the moderated action cf chlorine would be 

 analogous to that of bromine or iodine, and that the products would 

 be chloride of ethyle and chloride of zinc — 



O H* Zn \ _ / C< H 3 CI 

 CI, CI J ~ \ Zn CI. 

 Carefully dried flowers of sulphur have only a slight action upon 

 an ethereal solution of zincethyle, but the application of a gentle 

 heat suffices to produce a brisk reaction ; the sulphur gradually dis- 

 appears, a white flocculent precipitate is formed, and a strong odour 

 of sulphide of ethyle developed. The chief product of this reaction 

 is the double sulphide of ethyle and zinc (mercaptide of zinc), which 

 is produced as follows : — 



C4 ^ Z s n } = C^H^ + ZnS. 



A little free sulphide of ethyle is also formed — 

 C*H 5 Zn") _ JC<H»S 

 S, S / - \ Zn S. 



