644 [June 18, 



I submitted dinitrophenylamine, 



[C 6 H 3 (N0 2 ) 2 ] 

 C 6 H 5 N 3 4 = N, 



to distillation with iron and acetic acid, but, instead of the compound 

 which I endeavoured to procure, I invariably obtained beta-phenylene- 

 diamine and ammonia, 



C 6 H 9 N 3 + H 2 = C 6 H 8 N 2 + H 3 N. 



Phenylic tria- Beta-phenylene 



mine. diamine. 



Again, dinitrazobenzol, 



when submitted to the action of powerful reducing agents, yields 

 likewise beta-phenylene-diamine 



C 12 H 8 N 4 4 



Dinitrazobenzol. Beta-phenylene- 



diamine. 



Here also beta-phenylene-diamine is the final product of the re- 

 action, the formation of which is preceded by that of another base, 

 the diphenine of Messrs. Gerhardt and Laurent. Diphenine, accord- 



ing to these chemists, is 



C I2 H 12 N 4) 



a formula chiefly supported by the unequivocal presence of C 12 in 

 the molecule of azobenzol, C 12 H 10 N 2 , whence it derives. The facility, 

 however, with which diphenine under the influence of nascent hydro- 

 gen, by treatment with sulphuric acid and zinc, for instance, is con- 

 verted into beta-phenylene-diamine renders it probable that the mole- 



cule of diphenine is 



C 6 H 6 N 2 , 



when the two bases become related to each other as kinone and 



hydrokinone, 



Kinone ...... C 6 H 4 O 2 Diphenine .......... C 6 H 6 N 2 



Hydrokinone . . C 6 H 6 O 2 Beta-phenylene-diamine C 6 H 8 N 2 . 



I have hitherto vainly tried to transform kinone into diphenine or 

 beta-phenylene-diamine ; but it deserves to be noticed that M. Wos- 

 kresensky*, by treating kinone with ammonia, has obtained a green 



* Woskresensky, Journ. Pract. Chem. vol. xxxiv. p. 251. 



