153 



to examine what had hitherto heen done in this direction. Science 

 possesses already some very interesting observations on the ammonia 

 derivatives of hi- acid alcohols. About five years ago, soon after the 

 publication of my experiments upon the action of ammonia upon 

 bromide and iodide of ethyl, M. Cloe'z* obtained a series of bases, 

 on submitting ammonia to the action of the brominetted Dutch liquid 

 (C 4 H 4 Br 2 ) . Two of these bodies he described under the name of 

 formylia and acetylia, whilst a third body subsequently obtained is 

 designated by the term propyliaf. 



To these three bodies M. Cloe'z attributes the following formulae : 



Formylia C 2 H 3 N 



Acetylia C 4 H 5 N 



Propylia .. .. C 6 H 7 N. 



At a later period M. Natanson has studied the action of ammonia 

 on the chlorinetted Dutch liquid (C 4 H 4 C1 2 ) . This reaction produces 

 analogous results, but the number of bases is smaller, the chief 

 product being a chloride, which contains a base either identical or 

 isomeric with the acetylia of M. Cloe'z. 



When carefully considering the results obtained by M. Cloe'z, it 

 appeared to me probable that the bases which he describes, are 

 in fact the di-ammonium -compounds for which I was searching. 

 The constitution assigned by M. Cloe'z to his substances is not very 

 probable. It is difficult to understand how the action of ammonia 

 upon a compound like the Dutch liquid can produce simultaneously 

 three bodies belonging to three different homologous families, the 

 formyl-, acetyl-, and propyl-series. Our doubts are, however, in- 

 creased if we examine into the physical characters of these bodies, 

 especially if we consider their high boiling temperatures, and the 

 differences between the boiling-points of the three bases : 



Formylia.... C 2 H S N 123 i 



Acetylia.... C 4 H 6 N ^difference 47. 



Propylia .... C 6 H 7 N 210} difference 40. 



Methylamin, C 2 H 5 N, which contains only 2 equivalents of hy- 

 drogen more than formylia, is at the common temperature a gas, and 



* Instit. 1853, 213. f Cahours, Le?ons de Chimie Generate, t. ii. p. 654. 



