350 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



substance thus produced is the same as that of cyanamide, but its 

 properties are different; it has all the characters of melamine, which 

 ought, according to this new mode of origin, to be regarded as the 

 amide of cyanuric acid, and called cyanuramide or cyatmramine, ad- 

 mitting thai it results from the tripling of the molecule of cyanamide. 

 Cyanamide does not alter in dry air; it dissolves readily in water; 

 but on evaporating the solution, a residue is obtained, which is 

 nearly insoluble in water, and which we suppose to be cyanuramine. 

 Anhydrous alcohol and aether dissolve it without altering it; alkalies 

 decompose it. It furnishes with some acids, nitric acid* among 

 others, crystalline compounds, which we intend examining. 



The volatile bases of M. Wurtz and a large number of organic 

 alkalies behave in the same manner as ammonia towards the chlo- 

 ride of cyanogen ; in general a hydrochlorate of the base and a cor- 

 responding cyanic amide are produced. We have already obtained 

 several of these compounds, but as yet have examined only those 

 which result from the action of chloride of cyanogen on methylia, 

 aethylia and amylia, viz. cyanomethylamide, cyanethylamide and 

 cyaiiamylamide. All these bodies are members of the series of 

 which cyanamide is the first term, as the following table will show : — 



Cyanamide Cy, NH^ dnaan s / J?Mn=:C« H^^ N« 



Cyanomethylamide ,'(?^^tJ«;#''^^J;2r^^ N« 



gjQsanethylamide . . .,Cy,riGl :W- N=C*( " )N=C« H^ N« 



.,,..; . . ;-: ,'•1 -y^r-l : • \ '^Y / 



Cyanamylamide iT"''fiy, C" H^s ]Sl = C'o( p'MN=Ci2 H'^ N« 



In certain cases, tlie chloride of cyanogen, in acting upon a base, 

 may give rise to a new alkali, as observed by M. Hofmann in regard 

 to aniline. The constitution of the bases thus obtained may be re- 

 presented by the cyanamide of the base acted upon conjoined with 

 the base itself. On this view, the melanilin^ of,M..|^ofmann might 

 be represented by the formu.a — ^h -.vVi c 'inft FmiIt! 



2!d.' ji ' ' ' - jithfliiie. Cyanilide. Melaniline. 



The bromide and the iodide of cyanogen produce with ammonia 

 and the volatile alkalies mixtures of the hydrobromate or hydriodate 

 of the alkali acted upon and the corresponding cyanic amide. — 

 Comptes-RcTidus, Jan. 13,1851. 



Md'jniti. vi.;i.. 



irignS ' OCCURRENCE OP GADOLINITE iN^fSilA-ND. 

 "'^'Zb the Editors of the Philosophical Magazine and Journal. 



■ Gentlemen, Dublin, Jan. 29, 1851. 



The occurrence of gadolinite in Ireland, where it has not been 

 before discovered, is possibly worth notice in your pages, it being 

 a mineral of considerable rarity in any locality. 



♦ Nitric acid, added in small qnantity to aa Ktherial solution of cyauaiuide, 

 produces nitrate of urea. 



