ee 
T. S. Hunt on the Constitution of Leucine. 65 
acids, including the glycocollic which are bibasic; the glycocolls 
are then monamids of bibasic acids, and while they possess the 
power of combining with acids, like alkaloids, have still an atom 
of saline hydrogen so that they may combine alike with nitric 
acid and nitrate of silver. The nitrate of glycocoll is indeed a 
copulate of two monobasic compounds, and thus in accordance 
with M. Gerhardt’s law of saturation necessarily bibasic. 
The glycocolls are isomeric with urethane and urethylane, those 
singular compounds discovered by M. Dumas by acting with am- 
moni and upon the chlorocarbonic ethers of ethylic and methylic 
cohol. 
- Mate relations to these bodies. ve shown some time since 
p] 
that water is to be regarded as the homologue of the alcohols, 
and that consequently the ethers are homologous with their parent 
acids,t and M. Wurtz has found that as cyanic acid combines with 
ammonia and produces urea C, H,N,O,, a body pertaining to 
the formic series ; the cyanic ethers give rise by the same action to 
two new compounds which have the formulas C,H, N, O, and 
C,H, N, O, and are the ureas of the acetic and metacetic series. 
The action of water upon the cyanic ethers is not less remark- 
able; carbonic acid gas is disengaged and crystalline substances 
are formed which are soluble in alcohol and water. The reac- 
tion is dependent upon the assimilation of the elements of water 
_ and is thus represented, 
7 2C i 
NO, +2HO=2C0,+C,H,N, 0, 
O, +2HO=2C0, +C, /H,, N, 0,. 
4 3 
___ The first of these has the composition of metacetic urea, and 
the second that of valerianic urea, but the substance thus obtained 
from the cyanomethylic ether differs from the true metacetic urea 
in its properties, and M. Wurtz hence regards these new bodies 
as Constituting an isomeric group. 
e have then in the urethanes and the glycocolls, the ureas 
and the new compounds of Wurtz, two groups of isomeric bodies 
which present some interesting relations. If the glycocolls are 
the monamids of their peculiar acids, the new compounds of 
Wurtz are equally their binamids. 
| Acids, Glycocolls. |Comps. of Wurtz.) Urethanes. | Ureas. 
Formic series Oz HH, Oa| unknown UH, 8.0. 
series,| 6 ; —_—— — |CeHgN2V2 
|Acetic “ , F 0, O4 H, O,4 unknown. O,H;NO40,H_N202 
\Metacetic ie Cy He Osg Og H, NO, Cg Hg N202CgH,NOgCgHgN202! 
Butyrie « Cg He Os unknown. unknown. unknown. unknown. 
Valerianic “ |C) 9H 1006 . Cy0H12N202 ee . 
Caproie « |C,5H;20¢/C,;2H,,NO,4} unknown. * « 
* Chem. Gazette, Oct. 16th, from Comptes Rendus, Aug. 28th, 1848. 
+ This Jour., March, 1848, p. 265. 
Seconp Series, Vol. IX, No. 25.—Jan., 1850. 9 
