JOURNAL 



OF THE 



ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL, 



Vol. LXXII. Part II. — NATURAL SCIENCE. 

 NO. 1.— 1903. 



A Study on the Constitution of Dimercur 'ammonium Salts. — By 



P. C. Ray, D.Sc. 



[Read 3rd December 1902.] 



A solution of mercuric chloride with ammonia yields what is com- 

 monly known as the infusible white precipitate for which two different 

 formulas have been proposed from time to time, according as it is regarded 

 as the amido- derivative of the sublimate : NH 2 -HgCl or as the mono- 

 substitution product of sal-ammoniac : Hg. NH 2 CI. Rammelsberg and 

 Pesci even go a step further ; they propose to double the formula of the 

 compound and look upon it as a double salt of ammonium chloride and 

 di-mercurammonium chloride: NH 4 Cl + NHg 3 Cl. 



Hofmann and Marburg, who have recently repeated the experiments 

 of Rammelsberg and Pesci, have come to the conclusion that through the 

 researches of the last named chemists the formulas of the mercurammonium 

 compounds have been unnecessarily complicated, and they further main- 

 tain that the infusible white precipitate may be regarded as amido mer- 

 curic chloride, and as the salts of Millon's base contain " water of con- 

 stitution," they should be looked upon as oxyid mercurammonium salts 

 of the type OHg 2 = NHgX. 1 



1 Zur Keantniss der Stickstoffqnecksilber-verbiudangen Annalen : Bd. 305, 

 p. 191. 



J. II. 1 



