224 W. Gibbs on the action of the 
and dissolved in boiling water. Beautiful colorless needles of 
argentic oxalurate were formed. 
0°3925 gr. gave 0°1771 gr. silver = 45°12 per cent. 
0°2821 gr. gave 0°1277 gr. silver = 45°22 per cent. 
The formula €,H,AgN.,0, requires 45°18 per cent silver. 
The formation of oxaluric acid from alloxan might be repre- 
sented by the equation 
©,H,N,0,+H,0+N,0, = ©,H,N,0,+60,+2N0 
It seems, however, more probable that the alloxan is first 
oxydized to parabanic acid which then passes into oxaluric 
acid by taking up an atom of water ; thus 
€,H,N,0,-+N,0, = €,H,N,9,+€0.+2N0 
and €,H,N,0,+H,© = €,H,N,0, 
When alloxan is boiled for some time with an alkaline nitrite 
and acetic acid, the oxaluric acid is more or less completely de- 
composed into oxalic acid and urea, which last is, however, re- 
solved, as fast as set free, into carbonic acid, nitrogen and water, 
according to a well known reaction. 
Action of the nitrites upon alloxanic acid.—Baric alloxanate 
was boiled with potassic nitrite and acetic acid. The usual ef- 
fervescence was observed and after some time a buff-colored 
crystalline barium salt was formed while the supernatant liquid 
had a strong yellow tint. The barium salt proved on examina- 
tion to be merely not quite pure baric oxalate. It gave 598 
per cent Ba@ in place of 58°4 per cent. It is, to say the least, 
probable, that in this case oxalic acid is a final product only, 
and that oxaluric acid is the intermediate product, since allox- 
anic acid differs from alloxan only by the elements of one atom 
of water. 
Action upon parabanic acid.—Perfectly colorless crystals of 
parabanic acid were treated for a short time only with potassic 
nitrite and acetic acid, A strong effervescence ensued, an 
after cooling, large colorless crystals of a potassic salt separated, 
which were purified by repeated recrystallization. 
0°9349 gr. gave 0:1639 gr. water and 0°7230 gr. carbonic acid = 
21°09 per cent carbon and 1:94 per cent hydrogen. 
iis: gave 115 ¢.¢. nitrogen at 6°25° ©. and 762°7™™ = 16°50 
en 
per cent. 
Fo 
Cc S . 31°17 21°09 
Hydrogen 3 1-76 1°94 
Nitrogen 2 16°47 16°50 
The formula is therefore €,H, KN, which is that of potas- 
sic oxalurate, The salt was dried at 102°C. The acid obtained 
F a eae 
Soe 
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