192 Drs. Letts and Collie on the Salts of 



0-203 grm. salt gave 0*428 grm. C0 2 , and 0'218 H 2 0. 

 0=57-49 and H== 11-93. 



Theory for 

 P(C 2 H 2 ) 4 C 2 H 3 2 . Found. 



"C = 58-25^. . . . 57-49 

 H = 11-16 .... 11-93. 



About 24 grms. of the salt were transferred to a distilling 

 flask connected with a Liebig's condenser and an apparatus 

 for collecting any gases that might be formed. 



On applying heat to the crystals they fused, but no appa- 

 rent change took place until the temperature reached 230° 0., 

 when an effervescence occurred and liquid began to distil. 

 Eventually 500 cub. centims. of gas were collected and a large 

 quantity of liquid distillate. This distillate when fractionated 

 yielded two products — one boiling at 80-100° C, the other 

 at 230-250° C. The first had a strong odour of triethyl- 

 phosphine. It was therefore shaken with hydrochloric acid 

 to remove that body. There remained a volatile insoluble 

 liquid smelling of acetic ether. This was warmed for some 

 time with caustic potash solution until the odour of the ether 

 disappeared. As the liquid suffered scarcely any change in 

 volume when thus treated, the quantity of acetic ether present 

 could only have been very small. 



Purified by these processes the liquid now had a slight 

 pleasant odour and a boiling-point which lay between 

 80-90° C, but as the quantity at our disposal was very small 

 we could not determine it exactly. The boiling-point of 

 ethylmethylketone is 81° C, and yields on oxidation acetic 

 acid only. To establish the composition of the liquid under 

 examination it was submitted to oxidation with bichromate of 

 potash and sulphuric acid, and yielded an acid distillate. The 

 latter was saturated with oxide of silver, and the mixture 

 warmed and filtered ; on cooling, a considerable quantity of a 

 silver salt separated out, which had all the appearance of the 

 acetate. The salt was dried and a determination of silver 

 made. 



0'914 grm. gave 0*588 grm. Ag=64*33 per cent. 

 Calculated for C 2 H 3 2 Ag . . . =64*67 per cent. 



The composition of the salt was further verified by warm- 

 ing a portion with sulphuric acid, when the odour of acetic 

 acid became apparent. 



The other fraction of the distillate boiling from 230-250° C. 

 yielded on redistillation a considerable quantity of oxide of 

 triethylphosphine, which was identified by its boiling-point, 



