AMPHI-CBEATIN. 459 



small, opaque scales, or as small, orange yellow, granular masses 

 composed of needle-shaped crystals. This he considered to be xantho- 

 creatinin, derived from the large excess of creatinin in the food. 



Amphi-creatin, CgHjj,N,0^, is slightly soluble and crystallizes 

 from boiling water into yellowish white oblique prisms, which 

 possess, if any, a slightly bitter taste. When heated to 100° it 

 decrepitates somewhat, and at 110° it becomes opaque white. 

 Potassium hydrate does not decompose it in the cold. Although 

 d, weak base, it combines to form salts just as the preceding mem- 

 bers of this group. The hydrochlorid is crystalline, and is not 

 deliquescent; the platinochlorid forms rhombic plates, which are 

 soluble in water, but are insoluble in absolute alcohol ; the auro- 

 chlorid crystallizes in easily soluble, very small, microscopic crystals, 

 which are tetrahedral to hexahedral in their habit. It is not pre- 

 cipitated by copper acetate or by mercuric chlorid ; nor does it give 

 the murexid test, or the xanthin reaction. Sodium phosphomolyb- 

 date produces a yellow, pulverulent precipitate. In its properties it 

 resembles creatin, and indeed Gautier thinks it may be possibly a 

 combination of creatin, C^HgNjOj, and a base, CjHj^N^O^, which, it 

 will be seen, differs from the former only by a HCN group. This 

 second compound, if it reaUy exists, has an analogy in cruso-creatinin, 

 the relation of which to creatinin may be expressed by the equation : 



C^H^Np = C,H,N30 + HCN. 



RnHO-CRRATINTN. CRSATINIir. 



O O 4 1L t o 



Cbubo-cbbatikin. Ckbatinin. 



In a similar manner, amphi-creatin may be regarded as 

 C,H,,N,0, = 2C,H,N30, + HCN. 



AlIFHI'«KEATIH. CBBATIN. 



A Base, C^H^^Nj^Oj, was isolated by Grautier from the mother 

 liquors of xantho-creatinin. It crystallizes in colorless or yellowish, 

 thin, apparently rectangular plates, which are tasteless and possess 

 an amphoteric reaction. The hydrochlorid forms bundles of fine 

 needles ; the sulphate yields a confused mass of needles ; the platino- 

 chlorid is soluble, non-deliquescent and crystalline. When heated 

 with water in a sealed tube at 180°- 200° it gives off ammonia and 

 carbonic acid, and is converted into a new base, which, however, has 

 not been studied. This reaction may be expressed by the equation : 



C„H,,N,A = 2C,H,„NA + CO(NH,),. 



ITbba. 



The urea which at first forms is, in turn, decomposed thus : 

 CO(NH,), + H,0 = CO, + 2NH3. 



