126 M. Landolt on Phasphuretted Hydrogen. ~ 
Its density is 1-012 at 15°. It has a very disagreeable odour ; it is 
insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, ether, and sulphide of 
carbon. Nitric acid attacks it violently, as also do chlorine, bro- 
mine, and hypochlorite of lime. Its alcoholic solution, mixed 
with an alcoholic solution of bichloride of mercury, gives a white 
precipitate which dissolvesin hotalcohol. It consists of the new 
body combined with 6 equivalents of bichloride of mercury. 
Léwig* has examined the action of sodium on oxalic ether. In 
the presence of water, sodium acts on oxalic ether, liberating 
carbonic oxide and forming carbonic ether. The mass becomes 
coloured, and a new acid is formed which the author calls myrinic 
acid. 
With a pulverized sodium amalgam the action is quite differ- 
ent ; oxalate of soda is deposited, only a few bubbles of carbonic 
oxide are disengaged, and not a trace of carbonic ether is formed. 
Treated with water, a colourless solution is formed, which, agi- 
tated with ether, gives up a neutral body of a bitter taste, which, 
on evaporation of the ether, is left as a syrupy colourless liquid. 
In two or three days this deposits beautiful white crystals, which 
have the crude formula C* H? O°. 
Neither baryta water nor subacetate of lead act in the cold on 
the aqueous solution of these crystals; but on the application of 
heat, a white precipitate is formed which contains no oxalic acid. 
Graham showed long ago that phosphuretted hydrogen, which 
is not spontaneously inflammable, is made so by admixture with 
a very small quantity of nitrousacid. Tandolt describest a con- 
venient mode of performing this experiment. Phosphuretted 
hydrogen, which is not spontaneously inflammable, is generated 
by heating phosphorus with concentrated soda lye, to which 
about double its volume of alcohol has been added, and is passed 
through some nitric acid placedina porcelain dish. Ifthe nitric 
acid is about 1°34, and has been previously freed from hyponi- 
tric acid by boiling, the bubbles of gas burst without inflaming. 
But if now a few drops of fuming nitrie acid be added, each 
bubble takes fire, forming the usual rings. The spontaneous 
inflammability is again destroyed by an excess of hyponitric acid, 
for then the phosphuretted hydrogen is destroyed in the liquid. 
The hyponitric acid doubtless causes the formation of a small 
quantity of the spontaneously inflammable liquid compound 
PH?. At the same time the nitric acid plays some part; for 
water to which hyponitric acid has been added produces no 
such effect. 
* Journal fiir Prakt. Chemie, vol. lxxix. p. 453. 
tT Liebig’s Arvnalen, November 1860. 
