642 [June 18, 



The sulphate and nitrate are easily crystallizable salts, somewhat 

 less soluble in water than the hydrochlorate. 



Beta-phenylene-diamine and its salts are remarkable for the facility 

 with which they are converted into violet- and blue-coloured com- 

 pounds under the influence of oxidizing agents such as chlorine, 

 bromine, chromic acid, ferric and platinic chloride, &c. 



Both alpha- and beta-phenylene-diamine are readily attacked by 

 the iodides of the alcohol radicals ; and a means was thus afforded of 

 ascertaining whether both substances exhibit the same degree of 

 substitution. Since only the last products of substitution presented 

 any interest, I have submitted the two bases to methylation. This 

 experiment showed that both alpha- and beta-phenylene-diamine 

 are capable of absorbing six equivalents of methyl to produce ammo- 

 nium compounds of perfect substitution, and that both bases must 

 therefore be represented by the formula 



In the case of both bases, alternate treatment with iodide of methyl 

 and oxide of silver or distillation with soda, thrice repeated, leads to 

 the formation of a well-crystallized iodide of the formula 



Whether prepared from alpha- or from beta-phenylene-diamine, 

 this salt crystallizes in plates extremely soluble in water-, less so in 

 alcohol. I have found no other difference except that the beta- 

 phenylene-compound is more soluble than the derivative of the 

 alpha-base. 



Whilst studying the methylated derivatives of the two bases, I 

 have, of course, repeatedly obtained the lower, still volatile bases, 

 which on this occasion were submitted to a few experiments. 



The compound 



CTT XT _ (C 6 H 4 ) 1 -^r 

 lo-^ie^a (C H 3 ) 4 J 2 ' 



procured from beta-phenylene-diamine, when submitted to the action 

 of iodide of methyl, was found to produce, in the first place, a rather 

 difficultly soluble iodide, 



