212 M. C. Lea on New Coloring Matter. 
by addition of mineral acids. If it is placed in an open capsule 
and heated on the sand bath with addition of dilute sulphuric 
acid, the pale violet color gradually deepens in intensity to rich 
blue purple. After atime, a black crystalline precipitate falls 
which must be separated. The brown filtrate by further heating, 
again becomes rich purple and deposits a further quantity of 
precipitate. But eventually the liquid becomes muddy brown 
it constituted nearly black needles with a most brilliant golden 
green glitter. After being dissolved in alcohol, it was obtained as 
a dark red powder, which when placed on glass and a platinum 
spatula drawn a few times over it, gave a bright green, almost 
metallic reflecting surface, contrasting strongly with the red 
powder around it. 
It dissolved somewhat readily in alcohol coloring it an in- 
tensely deep blood red. The addition of a very small quantity 
of sulphuric or nitric acid brought this through a succession of 
shades as the quantity of acid increased, first ruby, then crimson, 
then rich purple and finally blue purple, all of the richest shades, 
and so intense as to require great dilution to render the solution 
at all transparent. The substance exhibits considerable resist- 
ance to acids. The alcoholic solution acidulated with sulphuric 
a 
acid may be boiled without destroying the color; if nitric acid @ 
be substituted, the solution by boiling becomes pale straw color, 
possibly an effect of the reaction of the nitric acid on the aleohol 
body obtained by Schiff in the spontaneous decomposition © 
naphthylurea; by the body obtained by Church and Perkins from 
nitrosonaphthaline ;+ by carotin, as observed by Dr. Husemann; 
y a blue coloring matter obtained from picric acid deseribed by 
- myself. The frequency of this reaction is constantly increasing 
as we become better acquainted with organic coloring matters. 
* Much to the author’s regret he was obliged to discontinue this examination a 
nseqi ined injurious effect upon his heal manipulating W? 
phe ea ine 
fe hresbericht, 1857, p. 390. 
$ Chem. Centralb, May 1861, p. 347. 
