76 



SCIENCE 



[jST. S. Vol. XL. No. 1019 



urements, to be fortunate enough to determine 

 whether or not such a substance as NaNKn-2NII„ 

 for example, in solution in liquid ammonia dis- 

 sociates into NaN anions and K cations, though 

 it may well turn out that such experiments will 

 show no results because of ammonolytic decompo- 

 sition of the salt, for certaialy if acid at all 

 sodium amide must be a very weak one. 



(2) The Action of Potassium Amide on Cad- 

 mium, Nickel and Chromium Salts in Liquid Am- 

 monia Solution. By E. C. Franklin and George 

 8. Bohart. Experience in this laboratory has 

 shown that metallic amides, imides or nitrides are 

 precipitated when a liquid ammonia solution of 

 the ammono base, potassium amide, is added to 

 similar solutions of the salts of heavy metals. It 

 has also been found when the precipitant is added 

 in excess that, in many cases, compounds are 

 formed which are related to ammonia as the zin- 

 cates and aluminates are related to water. (C/. 

 preceding abstract.) Following the procedure thus 

 indicated the amides of cadmium and nickel, 

 Cd(NH.), and Ni(NH2)3, have been prepared, 

 both of which may be deammonated and thus con- 

 verted into the corresponding nitrides, CdaN. and 

 ISTiaNi. It has also been shown that compounds of 

 the second class indicated above are formed when 

 potassium amide is added in excess to solutions of 

 the sulfocyanates of cadmium, nickel and chro- 

 mium. The products obtained have the composi- 

 tion represented by the empirical formidas, 

 CdNjHsK,, NijNoHisK^ and Cr.NgH^Ks. Some 

 light is thrown upon the nature of these com- 

 pounds if they are formulated as follows: 

 Cd(NHK)..2NH3, or Cd(NH,)2-2KNH„ 



K:,NN"i— NK— NiNKj . 6NHs 

 or 



2Ni(NH;,),.5KNH,, 



KN = Cr— NK— Cr = NK . SNHj 

 or 



(NH,),Cr— NH— Cr(NH,) .3KNH,. 



They may receive the respective names; potassium 

 ammonocadmiate (or cadmate), potassium am- 

 mononickelate and potassium ammonochromate. 

 When potassium nickel cyanide is treated with po- 

 tassium amide one of the three complex com- 

 pounds of the respective formulas, 



NisN^H-IC, ( CN ) e . 8NH3 



(which loses ammonia to form Ni3]SrjH,K,(ON)62), 

 NiNHIL,(CN), and Ni3NuH~,K,(CN)2, is formed 

 depending upon the relative quantities of the nickel 

 salt and potassium amide used. We are unable to 



and 



assign rational formulas to these compounds. 

 Formulation as follows, however, furnishes some 

 clue to their nature. 



(1) K,(CN)sNi— NH— Ni— NH— Ni(CN)s 



K,.8NH, 



(2) 



K,Ni(CN)e-6NH3-2]Sri(NH,)j 

 K(CN)3NiNHK 



K:„Ni(C!N),.Ni(NHK)j. 

 (3) (CN)Ni— NK— Ni— NK— Ni 



(CN).5KNH,.4NHs. 



Number 1 is a mixed potassium nickel cyanide- 

 nickel amide or imide. Number 2 is a mixed po- 

 tassium nickel cyanide-potassiimi ammononickelate, 

 as is also number 3. 



Gas Analyses by Liquefaction and Fractionatives 

 and the Condition of Natural Gas in the Earth's 

 Strata: Gr. A. Burrell and Frank M. Seibbrt. 

 The exact composition of natural gas such as is 

 used in Pittsburgh, Pa., Cincinnati, Ohio, and many 

 other cities is shown for the first time. As a re- 

 sult of this work it is shown that these gases are 

 accumulated in their deposits in the gaseous con- 

 dition, and not as liquids. If present therein as 

 liquids it would be possible for single small sub- 

 terranean reservoirs to hold much larger quanti- 

 ties of gas than they now do. 



The Condition of Natural Gas in the Earth's 



Strata: G-. A. Bukeell and Frank M. Seibert. 



(Lantern. ) 

 Collisional and Diffusional Viscosities: Eugene C. 



Bingham. 

 Heat and Chemical Energy of Molecules, Atoms 



and. Suhatoms: J. E. Siebel. 

 Electrostenolysis : Harrt N. Holmes. 



By electrostenolysis is meant the deposition of a 

 metal or its oxide in very fine capillaries when the 

 solution filling these capillaries is electrolyzed. 

 Braun and Coehn experimented only with cracks 

 in glass tubes. The author improved this method 

 by the use of capillary membranes in the form of 

 glass tubes packed with finely powdered sub- 

 stances such as glass, sulfur and silica. This multi- 

 plies greatly the capillary surfaces and permits the 

 use of . many different membranes. Working with 

 tubes so prepared, the author added a number of 

 examples of electrostenolysis to the list recorded 

 by Braun. 



Charles L. Parsons, 



Secretary 

 (To he concluded) 



