427 



which has ,all the characters of the non-volatile monammonium-, 

 diammonium-, and triammonium- bases which I have previously de- 

 scribed. Treated with hydriodic acid, it is converted into the tetri- 

 odide, which is very soluble in water, but which may be obtained 

 from alcohol in white exceedingly soluble crystals, of the composition 



r(c a Hj 3 B ] T 



C 22 H 54 N 4 I 4 = (C 2 H 5 ) 8 lN 4 I 4 . 

 H 2 j 



It deserves to be noticed that the tetrammonium-compound, which 

 I have endeavoured to sketch, does not contain more than three mo- 

 lecules of ethylene that it is, in fact (if we disregard the acci- 

 dental circumstance of its octethylated condition), the simplest 

 tetrammonium-compound which could possibly be formed, three 

 molecules of ethylene being, as is evident from a glance at the ge- 

 neral equation given at the commencement of this note, the small- 

 est number of diatomic molecules by which a tetrammonium-com- 

 pound may acquire the necessary stability. I have submitted the 

 free octethylated base to the action of iodide of ethyl. This treat- 

 ment gives rise to a beautifully crystallized iodide less soluble in 

 alcohol, which contains 



C M H M NJ 4 =[~(CX); IN.] I 4 . 



L H J J 



I have not carried the ethylation any further. 



Action of Dilromide of Ethylene upon Ethylamine. 

 The reaction between these two bodies, as might have been expected 

 from the number of unreplaced hydrogen-equivalents in ethylamine, 

 is far more complex than the process previously examined. The 

 action is rapidly accomplished at 100 ; and it deserves to be noticed 

 that very little bromide of vinyl is formed in this operation, only 

 traces of gas being evolved on opening the digestion-tubes. The 

 crystalline mass which remains on evaporating the product of the 

 reaction to dryness, is a mixture of six, and occasionally of seven 

 bromides, viz. 



Bromide of ethylammonium ( c a H 5 ) j N~j Br 



