82 



CHEMISTRY. (NEW SUBSTANCES.) 



classify this body as a very complex but nonexplo- 

 sive copper acetylene, and give it a formula which 

 implies a loss of carbon. This formula is criticised 

 by F. A. Gooch and DeForest Baldwin, who, upon 

 revising it, deduce the conclusion that the new 

 product is deficient in hydrogen, not in carbon, as 

 compared with acetylene. The results of the ex- 

 periments of these authors go to show that, while 

 metallic copper may at comparatively high tem- 

 peratures induce the polymerization of acetylene, 

 the action is an oxidizing one which starts at 

 moderately low temperatures; and they find no 

 evidence that the product of the action of acety- 

 lene on the oxides of copper under the conditions 

 of their experimentation is other than a mixture 

 of a hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons with metallic 

 copper, and, probably, in the darker preparation, 

 some free carbon. 



The hydrate of sulphuric acid, H.SO^HoO, 

 whose existence was predicted by Mendeleeff, has 

 been obtained in crystalline form by Von Biron 

 by cooling with liquid air a mixture of strong 

 sulphuric acid and water in the required propor- 

 tions. The whole solidifies into an amorphous 

 mass, which, when rubbed with a glass rod, be- 

 comes crystalline, the temperature at the same 

 time rising to 75 C. If a solution of sulphuric 

 acid of the right strength is now cooled with 

 solid carbonic acid and ether, and a fragment of 

 the crystalline hydrate is added, the liquid crys- 

 tallizes well. The crystals melt at 38.9C. 



Numerous attempts have been made to obtain 

 the condensation product N 6 from the curious 

 compound of nitrogen and hydrogen known as 

 hydrazoic acid. Among the experiments were 

 those made in the laboratory of Prof. William 

 Ramsay, using the method of the interaction of 

 silver azoimide and iodine. Although the sub- 

 stance sought could not be isolated, Prof. Hautzsch 

 has succeeded in isolating a definite iodide of nitro- 

 gen from the products of the reaction. By work- 

 ing at a low temperature and as rapidly as possible 

 in the presence of ether, the new iodide is taken 

 into solution by the ether, and can be obtained 

 as a yellowish solid in minute quantities, not ex- 

 ceeding 0.2 gramme, by the rapid evaporation of the 

 ether. The solid is too unstable to submit to anal- 

 ysis, but an examination of the solution showed 

 that its composition was N S I. This iodide is vio- 

 lently explosive. Attempts to prepare N 8 by the 

 action of the iodide on silver azoimide, or by the 

 spontaneous decomposition of the iodide, were un- 

 successful. 



M. Moissan has been able, by the aid of a method 

 in which a U-tube of copper takes the place of his 

 original platinum-iridium apparatus, to study 

 without difficulty reactions demanding considera- 

 ble quantities of fluorine. A new fluoride of man- 

 ganese obtained by him casts some light on the 

 valency of the metal. Fluorine gas reacts readily 

 with powdered manganese, and in Prof. Moissan's 

 experiments a higher fluoride than MnF 2 was 

 formed, which, however, on account of the vio- 

 lence of the reaction, was not of constant com- 

 position. The interaction of fluorine and man- 

 ganese iodide gave a definite fluoride, Mn 2 F , 

 which in many of its reactions behaved like free 

 fluorine, giving with pentat-hloride of phosphorus 

 I'l , and with amorphous carbon a fluoride of car- 

 bon. On heating this manganese fluoride splits 

 up into MnF 2 and fluorine gas. 



Metallic caesium may be prepared, according to 

 Herren Graeffe and Eckhardt, by the reduction of 

 caesium carbonate by means of magnesium powder. 

 The. mixture is heated in an iron tube, through 

 which a slow current of hydrogen passes. The 

 metal distills over, and is collected under melted 



paraffin. It has a silvery luster with a slight yel- 

 low tint, and remains bright under paraliin. On 

 exposure to air it oxidizes quickly, melts, and 

 finally inflames. In its action on water it resem- 

 bles potassium. 



Experiments have been described by Hall in the 

 American Chemical Society which he has made to 

 ascertain the cause of the loss in weight which 

 platinum vessels are known to suffer when heated 

 in the flame of a Bunsen burner or over a blow- 

 pipe. Platinum wires inclosed in glass tubes were 

 heated strongly by an electric lamp in the vapor 

 of various gases. There appeared practically no 

 loss in hydrogen, carbonic oxide, and carbonic acid, 

 but there was a rapid loss when the gas was oxygen 

 or air. Similarly it was found that platinum wires 

 suffered a greater loss of weight when heated in 

 an oxidizing flame than when heated in a reducing 

 flame. The author suggests that these phenomena 

 are best explained by the hypothesis that platinum 

 forms a volatile oxide, stable at high and low 

 temperatures, but unstable at intermediate tem- 

 peratures a similar behavior having been ob- 

 served by Troost and Hautefeuille in the case of 

 platinous chloride. 



A new cellulose product acetate of cellulose 

 is described by Dr. C. O. Weber as a substance 

 which constitutes a point of departure for a whole 

 series of homologous bodies, some of which are 

 destined to play an important part from the in- 

 dustrial point of view. The new substance is 

 prepared by a method discovered by Cross and 

 Bevan, the application of which is already car- 

 ried on on a large scale, as is also the manu- 

 facture of tetrabutyrate of cellulose, which is 

 prepared in an analogous manner. Besides these 

 ethers of cellulose, nothing is at present known 

 beyond the nitrates of cellulose, which are dis- 

 tinguished from the ethers by their explosive prop- 

 erties. The ethers are not inflammable, and burn 

 only imperfectly. With solvents they behave in 

 the same manner as the nitrates, in so far that 

 all their solutions are of a colloidal nature, but 

 they differ from the nitrates in regard to the ex- 

 tent of their solubility. The solution of the ace- 

 tate in nitrobenzene becomes on cooling a solid 

 but completely transparent jelly. The acetate 

 resists the action of reagents in a remarkable 

 manner; dilute acids, with the exception of nitric 

 acid, do not attack it at all; neither do the alka- 

 line lyes, even at a high temperature; while these 

 reagents complete!}' destroy the nitrates, even in 

 the cold. When boiled for several hours with 

 an alcoholic solution of soda very fine particles 

 are completely saponified; but the saponification 

 does not disintegrate the materials, so that the 

 particles retain their form and transparency. 

 The insulating properties of the acetate surpass 

 those of India rubber and gutta-percha. The 

 substance is very durable and does not begin to 

 soften below a temperature of 150 C. The 

 change is not accompanied by any destruction of 

 material. Hydrate of cellulose resembles the 

 acetate in chemical properties and resistance to 

 the action of reagents and to high temperatures, 

 but is more soluble in many substances. The 

 filaments prepared from the butyrate closely re- 

 semble those formed from the acetate, but are a 

 little more flexible and softer. These properties 

 promise to give commercial importance to the 

 acetate and butyrate of cellulose, which will prob- 

 ably be found preferable to celluloid in cases 

 'where a noninflammable material is desired rather 

 than a very inflammable one. By reason of their 

 noninflammability, their resistance to the action 

 of moisture and to high temperature, and their 

 high insulating properties, they can easily replace 



