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IV. On a new Method for the Preparation of Tin Tetr ethyl. 

 By Prof. E. A. Letts, D.Sc, Ph.D., Sfc, Queen's College, 

 Belfast, and Norman Collie, Ph. T)., Science Lecturer, the 

 Ladies College, Cheltenham* . 



HAVING had occasion to prepare large quantities of zinc 

 ethyl, we employed Gladstone and Tribe'' s excellent 

 methodf , and observed quite accidentally the formation of a 

 liquid bye-product which contained a metal, but was not 

 affected by air nor decomposed by water. 



For some time we were baffled in our attempts to ascer- 

 tain the nature of this substance, as we scarcely anticipated 

 that the commercial zinc we employed would contain any 

 foreign metal in sufficient quantity to give an organo-metallic 

 body. Eventually, however, we proved that the substance 

 contained tin, and was in fact tin tetrethyl, as the following 

 particulars show. 



Boiling-point 179°-180° C. 



(1) 0*232 grin, substance gave 0*3465 grm. C0 2 and 

 0*1820 grm. H 2 0. 



(2) 0*244 grm. substance gave 0*3655 grm. C0 2 and 

 0-1925 grm. H 2 0. 



I. II. 



Carbon .... 40-73 40'91 



Hydrogen . . . 8*71 8-77 



And a vapour-density determination carried out by Hofinann's 

 method gave the following numbers : — 



I. II. 



Weight of substance taken . 0-1019 grm. 0*02568 grm. 



Temperature of vapour . . 182° C. 182° C. 

 Height of barometer . . . 761 mm. 762*5 mm. 



Height of mercury in tube . 504 mm. 344 mm. 

 Temperature of air ... . 15° C. 15° C. 



I. II. 



Vapour-density . . . 8*16 7*96 



0-822 grm. substance gave 0*532 Sn0 2 = 50*04 per cent. Sn. 



Found. 

 Calculated for , A . 



(C 2 H 5 ) 4 Sn. I. H. III. 



Carbon . . . 41*02 40*73 40*91 



Hvdrogen . . 8*54 8-71 8-77 



Tin .... 50-43 ... ... 50*04 



* Comuiunicated by the Authors. 

 t Cheni. Soc. Journ. 1879, i. p. 571. 



