72 KANSAS UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY. 
A few grams of iodin were placed in the bottom of a vacuum 
jacketed test tube and liquid ammonia was then run in from the 
wrought iron cylinders in which it was purchased. The whole 
apparatus was at ordinary temperature, so of course considerable gas 
preceded the liquid. As soon as this gas came in contact with the 
iodin the latter melted and a portion of it even volatilized. The 
remainder dissolved in the liquid ammonia, forming a dense black 
solution. For every 4 or 5 grams of iodin used 25 to 30 cc. of 
ammonia was added. 
The solution was protected from water vapor by a chlorid of 
calcium tube filled with soda lime, and being surrounded by a 
vacuum of course the ammonia evaporated only very slowly. 
The color of the solution was at first a dense black through 
which light could not penetrate, in a few moments, however, it 
began to change to a yellowish green and in a short time an olive 
green, crystalline precipitate separated out leaving the liquid above 
almost clear and colorless. This precipitate was taken up on a 
perforated platinum spoon washed with liquid ammonia and 
quickly transferred to a platinum crucible lid and dried over sul 
furic acid in a desiccator. If the solution has been properly 
protected from water and the transfer has been made with sufficient 
rapidity the dried product is crystalline and has a beautiful olive 
green color, otherwise it generally melts to a black liquid and 
afterwards forms black amorphous solid. 
The olive green substance is violently explosive, although more 
stable than nitrogen iodid. It explodes at the slightest touch or 
on very slight rise in temperature, it does not, however, seem to 
be more unstable when in contact with wood and paper than it is 
with other substances. The dried compound is only slightly vola 
tile, much less so than iodin, and may be kept in desiccators for 
for several days but will generally explode in less than a week. It 
may be weighed together with the platinum lid upon which it was 
dried. It is soluble in ether, alcohol, and chloroform, in, each 
case with the evolution of gas. It.is insoluble in dilute hydro- 
chloric, sulfuric and nitric acid, but is slowly decomposed by 
them, generally exploding a few minutes after being placed in the 
liquid, and always doing so instantly if the acids are concentrated. 
It is dissolved by potassium iodid in solution, often with explosion, 
is decomposed and dissolved in very dilute hydrochloric acid and 
sulfurous acid or hydrogen sulfid, also by potasium hydroxid. In 
every case gas is evolved during the process of solution and in the 
majority of cases the experiment is interrupted by an explosion 
