LECTURE VIII.] HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY. 133 



duces sulphovinic acid directly. Liebig endeavours to prove 

 that Hennell's etherin was contaminated with the vapours of 

 alcohol and of ether, and that the pure gas is not absorbed 

 by sulphuric acid. 12 He then attacks the formulas of Zeise's 

 platinochloride compounds, which, according to their dis- 

 coverer, consist of etherin, platinous chloride, and potassium 

 chloride. 13 Liebig thinks he is justified in concluding from 

 Zeise's analyses, and from the reactions of the substances, that 

 it is not etherin but ether that they contain. Finally, he dis- 

 putes the existence of the ethyl-oxalate of ammonia (ethyl- 

 oxamate) which Dumas and Boullay had prepared from oxalic 

 ether and dry ammonia gas. 14 According to Liebig, the same 

 substance is formed by the action of aqueous ammonia, and is 

 identical with oxamide. By this attack all the supports of the 

 etherin theory seemed to be destroyed. Liebig, in bringing 

 the matter forward, admits his adherence to the hypothesis of 

 Berzelius regarding the ethereal compounds, while he only 

 differs from him in his view with respect to alcohol. In the 

 latter substance also he assumes the radical C 4 H 10 , which he 

 calls ethyl ; and with him alcohol is the hydrate of ether, 

 C 4 H 10 O,H 2 O. In Liebig's opinion it was no objection that half 

 as many atoms were thus assumed in one volume of alcohol as 

 were assumed in the same volume of ether. Chemists were 

 now further than ever from adopting Avogadro's hypothesis, as 

 may be gathered from the following assertions of Liebig : 15 



" Apart from the contradiction which is involved, if ethei 

 as an oxide is deficient in the property of uniting with water 

 to form a hydrate, while, like other oxides, it is able to unite 

 with acids, and like the metals, its radical is able to unite with 

 the halogens, the specific gravity of alcohol vapour cannot be 

 looked upon as any evidence for its constitution as an oxide of 

 another radical. On the contrary, I believe the very circum- 

 stance that ether and water vapour unite in equal volumes, and 



12 Berthelot afterwards showed that absorption can be brought about 

 by vigorous shaking. 13 Mag. f. Pharm. 35, 105; Pogg. Ann. 21, 533. 

 14 Ann. Chim. [2] 37, 15. 15 Annalen. 9, 16. 



