D. Breed on Bismethyl. 405 
furnace, yet full of glowing coals, is closed air tight, and left to 
cool slowly. ‘The bismuth-potassium is found at the bottom of 
the crucible as a silver-white leafy crystalline mass. It is easily 
fusible and often remains fluid or soft after cooling. Brought in 
coutact with water it evolves hydrogen gas. It tastes strongly 
alkaline. Exposed to the air it soon decomposes, but in thick 
pieces it can be kept long in a closely moppot bottle. The alloy 
is brittle and easily pulverize ed. 
e iodid of ethyl is produced in the ordinary way by the 
“united action of iodine and et ssp upon alcohol of 9U per 
cent, 
Bismethyl differs from stibethyl éeseritially i in the fact that it 
cannot be distilled alone but at a certain temperature decomposes 
with a powerful explosion. From this it is evident: that it can- 
~ be formed by igating iodid of ethyl with bismuth- ——_ 
stibethyl is formed with antimovinm-potassiun. best 
enethad of making bismethyl! is the following: Finely pie 
a bismuth- ae is quickly brought into a small flask into 
which an excess of iodid of ethyl is speedily poured ; the appa- 
mics is feacac tials closed with a cork through which passes a 
long distillation-tube discharging into a receiver cooled by ice. 
After a few moments the action of the iodid of ethyl upon the 
bismuth- ~potassium commences, accompatiied by considerable evo- 
lution of heat, in consequence of which the excess of iodide of 
ethyl whieh has been added disti!s off. Cautious exposure to the 
Water-bath is sometimes employed to facilitate the complete dis- 
tillation, or to hasten the commencement of the action. We now 
pour distilled and well boiled water ito the flask, close it air- 
tight and then leave it upon the water-bath, until the mass softens 
aud the iodide of potassium is dissolved. e now repeat the 
described operations with ten or twelve flasks and. then bring 
their softened contents as quickly as possible into a large flask 
filled with carbonic acid and repeatedly shake the whole with a 
considerable quantity of ether, which must not be sparingly used 
Since bismethyl is only slightly soluble in ether. ‘l’o the etherie 
solution we add water freed from air aud completely distill off the 
ether over the water-bath. After this operation js terminated, we 
find the bismeethyl below the water upou the betiem of the flask. 
To obtain it completely pure it is distilled with water over a 
spirit lamp, Hie shaken with a small portion of dilute nitric acid 
to remove a little oxyd which for ms, and finally dried over chlo- 
tid of calcium. It is evident that in all these operations the air 
must be excluded. [employed the apparatus of Professors Lowig 
aud Sweizer described in the treatise meg stibethyl. 
The analysis of bismeethyl offers on the whole no difficulty, 
The combustion is easy aud soon a ab oxyd of copper itself 
Without the employment of chlorate of potassa. The determiua- 
