172 Intelligence »id Miscellaneous Articles. 



with the mercurial trough. The tube is slightly heated, commencing 

 at the closed end. The methyliac gas displaced by the lime is dis- 

 engaged plentifully, and is received in the jar filled with mercury. 

 The very simple apparatus described allows of very easy regulation 

 of the evolution of the gas, which is never mixed with much air, the 

 tube being almost entirely filled with the mixture. 



Thus prepared, methylamine is a non-permanent gas. At some 

 degrees below C. it condenses into a very mobile liquid, which 

 does not solidify in a mixture of solid carbonic acid and aether. 



In a very moist atmosphere, methyliac gas condenses the vapour 

 of water. Its odour is strongly ammoniacal, and sometimes, when 

 it is not perfectly pure, the smell of stale fish may be detected with it. 



The density of the vapour was determined in the laboratory of 

 M. llegnault'by M. Izarn. Talcen at 43° C. it was 1-08 ; the theo- 

 retic density is r0731 for 4 volumes. 



Methyliac gas is the most soluble of gases hitherto known. At 

 the temperature of 12°-5 C, 0'650gr. of water contained in a small 

 bulb and introduced into the gas dissolved 750 cubic centimetres. 

 According to this experiment, 1 volume of water at \'2°-b would dis- 

 solve 1153"9, or, in round numbers, 1150 volumes of methyliac gas. 

 In another experiment made with a less pure gas, one volume of 

 water took up only 1040 volumes of this gas. A higher temperature, 

 as might be expected, diminishes its solubility : at 25° C. water takes 

 up only 959 times its volume. 



Methyliac gas is strongly alkaline. Like ammonia, it restores the 

 blue colour to reddened litmus, and gives thick white vapour when 

 exposed to a rod moistened with hydrochloric acid. It absorbs a 

 volume equal to its own of hydrochloric acid gas, and condenses with 

 it into a white solid salt, which adheres, like sal-ammoniac, to the 

 sides of the tube, and it deliquesces when in contact with moist air. 



Methyliac gas condenses with half its volume of dry carbonic acid 

 into a white solid, analogous to anhydrous carbonate of ammonia. 

 It is distinguished from ammonia by the following property : when 

 exposed to a lighted taper, it takes fire and burns with a livid yel- 

 lowish flame, like that of all combustible substances which contain 

 nitrogen. In burning it gives rise to water, carbonic acid and ni- 

 trogen ; when the combustion is incomplete, these gases are mixed 

 with a small quantitj'' of cj^anogen or prussic acid. 



The composition of methyliac gas is represented by C^ H^ N = 4 

 volumes. 



To eiFect the analysis, the author employed three different methods, 

 which yielded similar results. The first consisted in burning the 

 gas in the eudiometer with excess of ox3'-gen. In order that the 

 combustion may be complete, it is best to mix the gas to be analysed 

 with three times its volume of dry oxygen, and to add to the mix- 

 ture, as advised by M. Regnault, a certain quantity of gas from the 

 pile perfectly dried. By employing the preceding process, the author 

 obtained, by using a common eudiometer, results which lead to the 

 preceding formula ; but these are far from possessing the degree of 

 precision so readily obtained with M. Regnault's instrument. 



