256 MR. G. FOWNES ON THE ARTIFICIAL 



paring this substance at will, and in sufficient quantity to serve the purposes of expe- 

 riment ; he found it composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and, what appeared 

 very extraordinary in such a body, the two latter elements were in the proportions to 

 form water. The analytical results, reckoned to 100 parts, were as follows: — 



(1.) (2.) (3.) 



Carbon .... 62-59 61-87 62-55 



Hydrogen . . . 4*37 4*37 4-46 



Oxygen .... 3304 3376 32*99 



100-00 100-00 100-00 



These numbers agree very closely with those furnished by the assigned empirical 

 formula C5 H2O2. 



There could be but little doubt that the oil upon which I had been experimenting 

 was identical with the substance above described ; its properties agreed on the whole 

 pretty well with those assigned by Dr. Stenhouse to his interesting product, with the 

 exception of its extraordinary behaviour with ammonia, which seems to have escaped 

 notice, probably from time being required for the production of the amide. To com- 

 plete the identification, therefore, a small portion of oil was prepared, the process 

 described and recommended being closely followed. 2 lbs. of oatmeal, 2 lbs. of water, 

 and 1 lb. of oil of vitriol, were well-mixed in a small copper still, and heated until the 

 pasty mass became thin and fluid from the conversion of the starch into dextrine ; 

 the head was then applied and luted down, and distillation commenced. As soon as 

 sulphurous acid began to appear, an additional lb. of water was introduced, and the 

 distillation continued until that gas began to escape in large quantity. The liquid 

 which came over was then rectified to one-half, the product neutralized with hydrate 

 of lime to fix the sulphurous and formic acids, and again distilled, the first third only 

 being collected. A small quantity of heavy yellow oil was thus procured, and an 

 additional portion obtained by again subjecting the watery liquid to distillation. So 

 far as could be seen, this oil corresponded in every particular with that examined by 

 myself; when put into solution of ammonia it formed in a few hours the charac- 

 teristic yellowish compound, identical in composition and properties with that 

 already described. 



The nature of the oil so far elucidated, it will be proper to return to the subject of 

 the amide, or ammonia-compound, the latter term being however hardly applicable. 

 The mode of preparation of this substance has been already described ; it is always 

 produced when ammonia and the oil are brought into contact. It is very pale yellow, 

 approaching to white, and nearly inodorous when dry and pure ; in cold water it is 

 insoluble ; alcohol and ether, on the other hand, dissolve it freely. It may be 

 obtained in tufts of small, short, acicular crystals, by allowing a hot, saturated 

 alcoholic solution to cool; or whiter and purer, by adding ammonia to a saturated 

 aqueous solution of the oil, and allowing the mixture to stand several days. In 

 chemical characters this amide much resembles the hydrobenzamide of M. Laurent, 



