On Alloxan and new Derivatives. 285 
By the action of pentasulphide of phosphorus on mercaptan, 
or better on mercaptide of mercury, Carius has obtained ¢etra- 
sulphophosphate of ethyle, or phosphate of ethyle in which all 
the oxygen is replaced by sulphur. 
5(CPHHg8) + P= 21'S + Cepiyente ++ cons ¢S 
g P= 2 Teg’ 275)2 Ho f° ays f? 
Bt ccantide, of 2 Cet) He (C*H”) 
mercury. Tetrasulphophos- 
l phate of ethyle. 
Tetrasulphophosphate of ethyle is an oily, clear, yellow liquid, 
which is very hike disulphophosphate of ethyle, but more de- 
composable. 
Alloxan, C® H? N?08, and parabanic acid, C° H? N? 0%, both 
products of the oxidation of uric acid, exhibit a great analogy of 
properties ; both are decomposed by alkalies in a similar man- 
ner, and yield homologous products. By the action of reducing 
bodies on alloxan, a substance, alloxantine, is formed. Lim- 
pricht has found* that, by the action of nascent hydrogen on pa- 
rabanic acid, a corresponding compound, owalantine, is formed :— 
2 (C® H? N? 06) + 2H=C!? H4N40!04+2HO 
Parabanic acid. Oxalantine. 
It is prepared by adding dilute hydrochloric acid and zine to a 
solution of parabanic acid; a slow disengagement of hydrogen 
takes place, and a white crystalline compound of oxalantine and 
zinc is formed. When this is treated with sulphuretted hydrogen, 
and the solution evaporated, oxalantine is obtained in crystalline 
crusts. It is little soluble in water, and almost insoluble in 
alcohol and ether. 
Alloxan, by the action of different cyanides, undergoes differ- 
ent decompositions. When treated with cyanide of potassium, dia- 
lurate of potash is formed; but if cyanide of ammonium be used, 
the result, as Rosing and Schischkoff have shownt, is different. 
They found that a new body, oxalan, to which they ascribed the 
formula C*®° H® N'4 0%, was formed in the reaction. Liebig, 
who had previously observed this reaction, examined the body f, 
and found that the formation of oxalan might serve as a test for 
the presence of alloxan in animal fluids. If to a liquid contain- 
ing only a small quantity of alloxan, hydrocyanic acid and then 
ammonia be added, a precipitate of oxalan is formed. Although 
he did not propose a new formula for the body, he analysed it, 
and pointed out that the ratio of the carbon to the nitrogen was 
as 2:1§. 
Strecker has subsequently examined § the formation of oxalan, 
* Liebig’s Annalen, August 1859. + Ibid. vol. evi. p. 255. 
} Ibid. vol. evil. p. 126, § Ibid, January 1860, 
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