ACTION OF SILVER 119 



that when silver oxide, e. g. is used as a base, all the equiva- 

 lent hydrogen atoms are replaced, as in sulphuretted hydro- 

 gen, fulminic acid, c., from which, it is well known, SAg 9 

 and NCCNO 2 Ag 2 are formed. 



2. Influence of Negative Elements. 

 (a) Influence of Chlorine. 



It is well known that the introduction of chlorine 

 produces or increases acidity, and it will be sufficient 

 amongst inorganic bodies to bring forward the difference 

 between water and hypochlorous acid : 



HOH and C10H, 



which shows that chlorine replacing hydrogen may convert 

 a neutral compound into an acid. In the organic region 

 this phenomenon recurs often, as is shown, e.g. by the 

 dissociation constants of acetic acid and its chlorine 

 derivatives. 



CH 3 COOH CH 2 C1COOH CHC1 2 COOH CC1 3 COOH 

 K = 0-000018 0-00152 0-0516 1-21 



That here also the distance of the chlorine from the 

 hydrogen atom in question is of influence was fully demon- 

 strated in Part II, p. 101, since it was made use of there to 

 decide on constitution. It was shown too how chlorine 

 depresses the basic character of, e. g. aniline. We may here 

 point out a simple series of bodies and their chlorine 

 derivatives : 



H H H O H H 3 C CH 2 OH 



C1_H Cl O H H 2 C1C CH 2 OH. 



The effect is clearly the most energetic on hydrogen, the 

 strong hydrochloric acid being produced : in water chlorine 

 being further off acts less energetically, the hypochlorous 

 acid produced being less strong; finally, in ethyl alcohol 

 this influence is only to be detected with sharper means 

 of observation, as ethylene chlorhydrin has not a decided 

 acid character. 



