T. S. Hunt on the Compound Ammonias. 207 
Although ammonia and its derived alkaloids form with acids, 
salts analogous to those of the inorganic bases, they must be dis- 
tinguished from oxyds like Zn2O, inasmuch as they unite directly - 
with HCl and NHOs, while the oxyds yield salts only by the 
elimination of water; in chlorid of ammonium it is the hypo- 
thetical NH, which represents Zn in the chlorid of zine. ‘The 
analogy between Zn2O and H2O leads us to suppose the possi- 
bility of such a compound as the oxyd of ammonium which 
would be formed by a direct union of ammonia with the ele- 
ments of water. But such compounds, if they exist, are very 
unstable ; and as the alkaloids are either readily disengaged from 
their aqueous solutions by heat, or else are insoluble in water, it 
- An ammonia uniting with water which has two atoms 
of replaceable hydrogen, might form either NH;O=NH:«, HO 
or NeHeO=(NH.)2O. Did triethammine unite directly with 
hydric ether, we might obtain the alcohol compound correspond- 
ing to the latter oxyd, but alcohol is Et HO containing but one 
atom of C2Hs, and consequently we have NEts,HO. It is 
obtained by the action of triethammine upon iodid of ethyl, 
Which is the homologue of hydriodic acid ; and as the acid pro- 
ees with ammonia the iodid of ammonium, the ether yields 
the iodid of the new quasi-metal tetrethylammonium, which, 
When decomposed by oxyd of silver, yields the hydrated oxyd of 
the new base (N Et: H)O, corresponding to (KH)O, hydrate of 
potash, which it closely resembles in its acridness, causticity and 
powerfully alkaline characters, particularly as shown in its reac- 
tions with metallic salts, and in its power of saponifying oils. 
Although termed an organic alkaloid, it will be seen that this 
hd its analogous compounds cannot be assimilated to the organic 
°S containing oxygen like quinine, with which they have been 
pe. as the latter combine directly with acids and carry 
their oxygen into their saline combinations, while Hofmann’s 
s eliminate an equivalent of water which contains their atom 
of oxygen. | 
. The action of an alloy of potassium and antimony upon the 
of ethyl, has furnished to MM. Léwig and Schweizer a 
Volatile liquid, spontaneously inflammable and having the formula 
CoHisSb, which corresponds to triethammine, in which N is 
? 
replaced by Sb.* It does not appear whether it forms direct 
* Jour, fiir Prakt, Chem. t. xlix, p. 385, t.1, p. 21, and this a See 
