415 



the diamine of which, undergoing further substitution, furnishes the 

 higher members of this class of diatomic bases. 



When re;=2, the above equation leads us to the conception of the 

 first term of a series of triammonium-compounds, for 



2R U Br 2 +4H 3 N= [R 2 H 8 N 3 ] Ui Br 3 +[H 4 N] Br ; 

 and in attempting the experimental verification of this equation in 

 the ethylene-series, we are justified in expecting, among the products 

 of the action of dibromide of ethylene upon ammonia, the 



Tribromide of Diethylene-triammonium. . [(C 2 H 4 ) 2 H H 8 N 3 ] m Br 3 , 

 or among the volatile bases liberated from the bromides by the action 

 of an alkali, the 



Diethylene-triamine ^ j^ 2 " j N 3 , 



capable, under the continued influence of dibromide of ethylene, of 

 yielding triamines of a higher degree of substitution. These expec- 

 tations have been fully borne out by experiment. I have satisfied 

 myself that the volatile bases obtained by the action of dibromide of 

 ethylene upon ammonia, which after several rectifications boil between 

 200 and 220, consist almost exclusively of the two compounds, 



Diethylene-triamine C 4 H 13 N 3 =^ C - *p 2 " j N 3 , and 

 Triethylene-triamine C 6 H 15 N 3 =( C s *) u 1 N 3 . 



The separation of these two compounds, which, owing to the 

 proximity of their boiling-points, could scarcely be effected by distil- 

 lation, was attempted by transforming them into saline compounds. 

 But here an unexpected difficulty presented itself in the observation 

 that the triammonias are capable of forming three classes of salts, 

 which may be generally represented as 



B a "H 5 N 3 , 3HC1, 

 R 2 H H 5 N 3 , 2H Cl, 

 R 2 U H 5 N 3 , HC1; 



and that the platinum-compounds of the triatomic bases exhibit a 

 still greater diversity of composition, these bases being not only apt 

 to form the salts corresponding to the chlorides, viz. 

 R^H.N,, 3HC1, 3PtCl 2 , 

 R 2 U H.N 3 , 2HC1, 2PtCl 2 , 

 R 3 U H 5 N 3 , HC1, PtCl 2 , 



