Bell — On a Series of Bases clerked from Pyrrol. 37 



thermometer. The retort or bottle containing the thoroughly-dried 

 mucate is connected, the latter by means of a wide tube, with an effi- 

 -cient condenser, and the temperature of the bath gradually raised. 

 At about 136° 0. the salt shows signs of decomposition, while the dis- 

 tillation proceeds rapidly, but not tumultuously, when the bath is 

 heated to 190° C. If an ordinary retort be employed, it is almost im- 

 possible to prevent the intumescent mass from frothing over. Water 

 at first comes over, with ethylamine in abundance, while carbonic 

 anhydride is the only gaseous product. After a time, minute oily 

 drops, wMch gradually increase in bulk and number, appear in the 

 condenser, and when the operation is ended, as indicated by the cessa- 

 tion of the evolution of gas, the liquid in the receiver is found to 

 consist of two layers — a lower watery one holding in solution carbon- 

 ate of ethylium and free ethylia, and an upper oily stratum possessing 

 an odour closely resembling that of pyrrol. To purify the latter, it is 

 shaken up twice or thrice with its own bulk of water, and then with 

 very dilute sulphuric acid, in order to remove the last traces of 

 ethylia ; again washed with potash solution and water, and finally 

 dried over calcium chloride. Submitted to fractional distillation, if 

 the material used in its preparation were perfectly pure, it commences 

 to boil at a few degrees below 131° C, the thermometer rapidly rising 

 to that temperature, at which it remains until about half the liquid 

 in the retort has passed over. This is collected separately. On con- 

 tinuing the heat the thermometer again quickly rises, until at 

 569°-270° it becomes stationary. The distillate at this temperature 

 solidifies in the condenser and tube of the retort. The products boil- 

 ing at these two temperatures constitute almost the entire mass of oily 

 ■distillate. 



When the bottle, or retort, in which the distillation has been con- 

 ducted, is allowed to cool, it is found to contain a mass of crystals, 

 saturated with an oily liquid identical with the high-boiling liquid 

 previously obtained. The two substances may be easily separated by 

 means of cold alcohol, in which the crystalline residue is very slightly 

 soluble, while the oily liquid is miscible with it in all proportions. 

 The solid is then repeatedly crystallized from boiling rectified spirit, 

 when it is obtained in delicate needles, melting at 229°-230° C. (im- 

 •corrected). The cold alcoholic residue is evaporated on the water 

 bath to remove the spirit, and may then be at once distilled, when it 

 furnishes a large amount of the product boiling at 269°-270° C. It is 

 better, however, to distil it by means of a current of steam from a re- 

 tort placed in a paraffin bath heated to about 220°. The distillate 

 then consists of a heavy oil, the high-boiling product in question, sur- 

 mounted by a layer of water ; from the latter, by shaking with ether, 

 an additional quantity may be recovered. The collected products may 

 be again distilled, and the portions coming over at about 270° C. 

 induced to solidify by contact with one of the crystals first obtained. 



The three products resulting from an operation conducted as above 

 were separately examined. 



