316 Mr. E. Sclmnck and Dr. L. Marchlewski. [Feb. 14, 



When a solution of alkachlorophyll in alcoholic potash is heated in 

 a sealed tube for several hours at 190 200 it is decomposed ; on 

 opening the tube no pressure is perceived. 



The contents, consisting partly of small brownish-red crystals, 

 having been poured out, an excess of hydrochloric acid is added; this 

 dissolves a part, yielding a purple solution. 



The latter is filtered off from the undissolved brown mass, and 

 after being nearly neutralised with soda, yields on agitation with ether 

 a solution of a fine crimson colour. The ethereal solution after 

 washing with water leaves on evaporation a quantity of small crystals. 

 The substance so obtained is identical with the one formed by the 

 same process from phyllotaonin and which will be described presently. 

 It seems also to be essentially the same as that obtained by Tschirch 

 in acting on alkachlorophyll with alkali, and called by him "phyllo- 

 porphyric acid," but a comparison of the absorption spectrum of the 

 latter as described by him with that of our substance shows that his 

 product must have been impure. This is evident from the fact that 

 the absorption spectrum of Tsehirch's product shows, according to 

 him, a band in the red about in the same position as band I of the 

 chlorophyll spectrum, whereas this band though visible in solutions 

 of our substance when the latter is not quite pure, disappears entirely 

 in solutions of the pure substance. 



The liquid filtered off from the products insoluble in hydrochloric 

 acid of the process just described, contains in combination with the 

 acid various volatile bases, chiefly ammonia. In one experiment the 

 liquid, after being made alkaline with soda, was submitted to 

 distillation, the vapour evolved being passed into dilute hydrochloric 

 acid. The acid liquid after concentration yielded with platinic 

 chloride a yellow precipitate, which was collected, treated with 

 boiling alcohol, and dried. 



0-1031 gram of the substance gave 0'0451 gram platinum = 43'74 

 per cent. ; calculation for (NH 4 ) 2 PtCl 6 requires 43*90 per cent. 



The filtrate from the platinum ammonium chloride yielded, on 

 evaporation, orange coloured octahedra, containing 38' 7 per cent, of 

 platinum.. It may hence be inferred that along with ammonia some 

 base of higher molecular weight is formed ; the quantity is, however, 

 very small. 



PhylloporpTiyrin. 



The action of caustic alkalis on chlorophyll and its derivatives has 

 been previously investigated. Hoppe-Seyler obtained by acting on 

 his chlorophyllan with alkali at 260290 a substance giving purple 

 solutions. On account of the double fluorescence of its solutions 

 observed by him Le g?we it the name of " dichromatic acid." The 

 discoverer states that it contains no nitrogen, the analysis of the 



