134 



CHEMISTRY. (NEW SUBSTANCES.) 



solid nonvolatile substances, and are represented 

 by the general formula M a N0 2 , where M stands 

 for cither of the four metals mentioned. The 

 discoverers propose the name metaux nitres, or, 

 in English, nitro-metals. Nitro-copper is un- 

 alterable in dry air at ordinary atmospheric 

 temperature. When heated in pure nitrogen it 

 is dissociated. It is useful in liquefying nitrogen 

 peroxide. If a quantity of it be placed in one 

 limb of a Faraday V-tube and heated, the nitro- 

 gen peroxide liberated collects as a liquid in the 

 cool limb. In moist air it deteriorates rapidly, 

 is enveloped in red fumes, and its surface be- 

 comes green. Hydrogen is without action on it 

 in the cold, but when it is heated to 180 C. large 

 quantities of ammonium nitrite and free am- 

 monia are produced. Dry ammonia gas reacts 

 at the ordinary temperature with some en- 

 ergy upon it. With sulphureted hydrogen at 

 the ordinary temperature heat is evolved, and 

 the water sulphur and a blue sulphide of copper 

 are separated. Nitro-copper thus appears to be 

 of a kindred nature with the metallic carbonyls, 

 the nitrogen peroxide being held in a similar 

 manner to the carbonic oxide of those com- 

 pounds. It may be employed as a convenient 

 means of storing nitrogen peroxide, with a cer- 

 tainty of being able to liberate it by a com- 

 paratively slight rise of temperature. Metallic 

 cobalt burns energetically in the cold in nitro- 

 gen peroxide. When the nitrogen peroiide 

 vapor is diluted with nitrogen, the heat of the 

 reaction is modified, and the formation of nitro- 

 cobalt occurs in a regular manner. It is a black 

 solid. Its reaction with water is very violent, 

 but less nitric oxide is produced than in the 

 case of nitro-copper. Heated in an atmosphere 

 of nitrogen it deflagrates violently and burns 

 with a very brilliant flame. It forms a danger- 

 ous explosive when mixed with a combustible 

 substance. Nitro-nickel is more difficult to pro- 

 cure in a pure state. It closely resembles nitro- 

 cobalt ; is black ; reacts with water, giving out 

 nitric oxide ; and deflagrates with explosive 

 force when heated in a current of inert gas. 

 Nitro-iron is still more difficult to isolate, the 

 energy of the action often bringing about a 

 brilliant deflagration and destruction of the 

 product. 



Turacin is the name given to soluble animal 

 pigment containing copper, which Prof. A. H. 

 Church has discovered in the feathers of the 

 plantain-eater bird, or turaco. It is a colloid 

 substance, which retains, when precipitated, an 

 immense proportion of water. Consequently, 

 when its solution in ammonia is precipitated by 

 an acid the coagulum formed is very volumi- 

 nous. One gramme of it is capable of forming 

 a solid mass with 600 grammes of water. But, 

 while soluble in pure water, it is insoluble in 



Eresence of mere traces of saline matter. When 

 eated to the boiling point of mercury it be- 

 comes black, is no longer soluble in alkaline 

 liquids, and ceases to yield, on the application of 

 stronger heating, the purple vapors which the 

 unchanged turacin gives off under the same 

 circumstances. Treated with concentrated sul- 

 phuric acid, it is dissolved with a fine crimson 

 color and yields a new compound, the spectrum 

 of which greatly resembles that of haematopor- 

 phyrin, the substance obtained by the same treat- 



ment from haematin ; to which the author gives 

 the name turacoporphyrin. But, unlike the 

 derivative of haematin, it seems to retain some of 

 its metallic constituent. The percentage com- 

 position of turacin is probably one which corre- 

 sponds nearly to the formula CssHeiCiiaNQOsa. 



Copper, according to Prof. Church, is widely 

 distributed in the animal kingdom, but only 

 one organic compound besides turacin has been 

 as yet recognized in animals. This is a respira- 

 tory product, discovered by Leon Fredericq, and 

 called by him haemocyanin. It has been ob- 

 served in several genera of Crustacea, arachnida, 

 gasteropoda, and cephalopoda, but has not prob- 

 ably ever been obtained in a state of purity. 



Carbide of boron, as isolated and described by 

 Dr. Miihlhauser, of the University of Chicago, 

 iss an extremely stable substance, and capable of 

 resisting the action of almost all the usual 

 solvents and reagents. It was prepared by heat- 

 ing boric anhydride with the hard kind of 

 carbon employed for making the terminals of 

 electric arc lamps, and appears in the form of 

 black graphitoidal spherules, having a bright 

 metallic luster, frequently aggregated so as to 

 resemble a bunch of grapes in shape. When re- 

 duced to powder it closely resembles graphite in 

 outward appearance, blacking the fingers in a 

 similar manner with a coating that has the 

 same bright metallic luster and greasy feel. Ex- 

 amined under the microscope it appears bluish 

 black and transparent, and reflects light with 

 chromatic effects. When heated to a high tem- 

 perature the powder cakes, forming a solid mass, 

 which is readily malleable and capable of being 

 rolled. At a very high temperature it? fuses 

 into a liquid resembling molten metal. It 

 burns with great difficulty in oxygen, but is 

 combustible with chromate of lead. It is in- 

 soluble in all the ordinary solvents, but fused 

 caustic or carbonated alkalies attack it with 

 formation of borate of the alkali and liberation 

 of the carbon. 



The statement made three years ago that the 

 hydrate of hydrazine may be preserved in closed 

 vessels unaltered for any length of time is now 

 modified by Herr Schrader, who says that it de- 

 composes sooner or later, with the production 

 chiefly of ammonium hydrate. The reactions 

 between the hydrate of hydrazine and a large 

 number of metallic oxides are described by Herr 

 Schrader in his paper. In them the strong re- 

 ducing proclivities of hydrazine are exhibited in 

 a marked degree, and the reaction is frequently 

 explosive. A series of double sulphates contain- 

 ing hydrazine sulphate and the sulphate of a 

 metal are characterized by the general formula 

 R" S0 4 (N^H^a H 2 SO 4 , where R" may represent 

 copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, manganese, zinc, or 

 cadmium. These double sulphates, which con- 

 tain no water of crystallization, and are further 

 distinguished from the double salts containing 

 ammonium by their difficult solubility, are 

 readily prepared by the admixture of solutions 

 of the constituent simple sulphates. Difficulty 

 was found in preparing double chlorides of 

 fixed composition containing hydrazine chloride. 

 Good crystals of very soluble double chlorides 

 are easily obtained, but so many appear capable 

 of existence that the conditions for the forma- 

 tion of salts of definite constitution have not yet 



