274 Researches respecting the radical of Benzoic Acid. 
acids. It is readily inflammable, burning with a white, but very 
smoky flame. 
Benzamide.—By conducting dry ammonia over pure chloroben- 
zoy], the former is absorbed with much heat, and the liquid is con- 
verted into a white, solid mass, consisting of a mixture of muriate of 
ammonia and a new body which we call Benzamide. For in its be- 
havior and composition it bears a perfect analogy to oxamide. 
The perfect saturation of chlorobenz6y] with ammonia takes place: 
at first with such violence, that it is slowly and difficultly attained ; 
for the rising solid mass soon begins to protect the yet unsaturated 
portion from farther contact of the gas. It is therefore often neces- 
sary to take the mass out of the vessel, crush it and again continue 
the action of ammonia. 
It may be inferred from the formation of muriate of ammonia at 
the same time, that by the union of the two bodies, a decomposition 
of ammonia takes place; for, as we have before remarked, the chlo- 
rine in chlorobenzéy] is contained as chlorine and not as hydrochlo- 
ric acid. 
It is indeed imaginable that the exchange of elements happens 
when water is poured over the white mass to expel the muriate ‘of 
ammonia; but the behavior of cyanobenzGyl sufficiently proves, that 
this separation first occurs, the moment the ammonical gas comes in 
contact with the chlorobenzoyl. 
The cyanobenzoy! suffers an altogether analogous change i in am- 
monia to the chlorine compound ; it forms benzamide and cyanuret 
of ammonia, which latter rises in consequence of its fluidity, with 
the excess of ammonia, and sublimes in the form of brilliant erystals. 
To isolate benzamide, the muriate of ammonia formed is washed 
out of the white mass with cold water, and the remaining benzamide 
is dissolved in boiling water. By cooling, the solution deposites crys- 
tals. 
By neglecting perfectly to dry the ammonia over burnt lime or 
hydrate of potassa, a corresponding mass of benzoate of ammonia is 
formed, by the action of the moist gas upon the chlorobenzéyl, and 
the same proportion of the new body is lost. 
Also when the chlorobenzéyl has not been fully saturated with 
ammonia, then upon treating the mass with hot water, the formed 
benzamide, as is proved by its behavior to acids, is either wholly or 
in part decomposed according to the quantity of free chlorobenziyl. 
