290 W. Gibbs on Urie Acid. 
In a state of combination the body, N€H, may be termed 
prussyl. With these preliminaries it is easy to see Y that cyanyl 
and its derivatives must possess a remarkable aptitude forthe 
formation of polymeric bodies, since the first and last terms — 
of any compound may develop at least two free units of com- 
bining power. Thus dicyanic acid when free or saturated may be 
N=€—Ho or N-—€-Ho 
y 1) Y} 
N=—¢—Ho N—€-—Ho, 
but when combined may be 
' ! 
N=€-Ho N-€-Ho N—€-Ho N—€-Ho 
I ! 
N~ €—Ho, N- 6— Ho, N— e- Ho, ae €— Ho. 
] a 
In like manner trhepuaic or cyanuric acid has eS the free state 
a molecular structure represented by the formula 4 
i= € = 
N-€ —Ho 
: N ancl —Ho. 
; Here again we may have by metastasis either 
N-€ 7 —Ho or Seay Ho 
N-€-—Ho N—€-—Ho 
: ‘x- ne Ho N - o-He. 
melid i is pi ‘ 
mines the hee of the acid, and its peat a is oe same 
that of oxatyl, @—€ : €—Ho, in organic acids not containing 
pe 
aking eyanic acid, the lowest term in ae series, a8 the 
sara point, I propose a urea = form 
=€ ss 
- ae 
ee N= ation of 4 
which affords a better explanation “both of the form : 
urea from cyanic acid ammon oat 
into cyanic acid, Maret, « cyanuric eid, &c., than ee e es 
received view which makes urea carbamid N» 
this view biuret becomes ais 
; * Since the above was written I find that this formula has been PPP” 
4 Wanklyn and Gamgee. Journal of Chem. Society, vi, p- 31. 
