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i . Chemistry and Physics. 115 



6. On a series of Alkaloids homologous with Ammonia, — Wurtz 

 lias at length published in detail the results of bis researches on the 

 series of organic bases discovered by himself more than two years 

 ago, and since partially described in various scattered notices. The 

 bases in question were obtained by one of three different reactions, by 

 the action of potash on the cyanic ethers, by the action of poiash on 

 the cyanuric ethers, or by the action of potash on the ureas. To these 

 modes of preparation Hofmann has, as is well known, added a fourth, 

 namely the action of the iodids or bromids of ethyl, methyl, &c., upon 

 ammonia, and others still have been discovered by Strecker, Anderson, 

 Rochleder and VVerlheim. 



We shall confine ourselves here to a notice of those properties of the 

 new bases which have not hitherto been fully described. iMethylamine 

 is readily prepared by distilling its chlorohydrale with twice its weight 

 of caustic lime and collecting the gas evolved over mercury. It is a 

 colorless gas which condenses a few degrees below 0" into a highly 

 mobile liquid ; its odor is strongly ammoniacal ; in water it is more sol- 

 uble than any other gas with which we are acquainted ; 1 vol. of water 

 at 12*^ '5 C. dissolves 1154 volumes of methylamine. It readily in- 

 flames and burns with a yellowish flame yielding water, carbonic acid, 

 and nitrogen ; with chlorohydric or carbonic acid gas It readily unites, 

 forming white solid salts; the chlorohydrate is deliquescent. The 

 aqueous solution of methylamine strongly resembles aqua ammonia, 

 the gas is expelled by boiling and the solution precipitates a large num- 

 ber of metallic oxyds and dissolves some of them when added in ex- 

 cess ; the salts of magnesia, manganese, iron, bismuth, chromium, ura- 

 nium and tin are precipitated as by ammonia; the salts of copper and 

 ztnc are also precipitated and the precipitates are redissolved by an 

 excess of the alkali. Nitrate of silver is completely preclpitated^ by a 

 solution, of methylamine: the resulting oxyd is readily dissolved in the 

 alkaline solution *and when the liquid js allowed to evaporate spontane- 

 ously a black substance is formed containing carbon, hydrogen, nitro- 

 gen and silver and probably corresponding to fulminating silver: it 

 does not explode however either by heat or by a blow. Passed through 

 a red hot porcelain tube, methylamine yields cyanhydrate of ammo- 

 r»ia, prussic acid, marsh gas and hydrogen. Jodine instantly acts upon 

 a solution of methylamine and is transformJfe into a garnet-red pow- 

 der represented by the formula C2H3I2N, and corresponding to the 

 so-called iodid of nitrogen which is doubtless HUN; it does not ex- 

 plode by heat. When proto#lorid of platinum is heated with a so- 

 ■JJtion of methylamine a green precipitate is obtained corresponding to 

 *ne green salt of Magnus, and from this a new base may be obtained 

 analogous to that known as Eeiset's base and represented by the for- 

 mula, CiH3PtN2 or NH2(C2H3)+NHPt(C2H3). The oxalate of 



"Methylamine yields by dry distillation, meihyloxamid, C2O2, Nf^CCsHs) 

 ^vhich may be regarded as oxamid in which one eq. of hydrogen is re- 

 placed by one eq. of methyl ; in like manner the acid oxalate of me- 

 thylamine yields methyloxamic acid, C2O3+C2O2, NH(C2H3). 

 ^thylamine is readily obtained from its chlorohydrate by distillation 

 ^»th hme and condenses in a cool receiver as a limpi^l colorless liquid 

 ^vhich boils at SS^-T: its density at 8^ is 0-6964; it possesses an ex^ 



