Tetrethylphosphonium and their Decomposition hy Heat. 199 



I. II. 



cub. centims. cub. centims. 



Gas taken 8'9 10'0 



Oxygen and gas 36*0 39*1 



After explosion 31*6 34*2 



After addition of caustic potash . 23"0 24-5 



Which give : — 



Carbonic Anliy- 

 Gas taken. Oxygen consumed. dride produced, 



cub. centims. cub. centims. cub. centims. 



I. . . 8-9 4-1 8-6 



II. . . 10-0 4-6 9-7 



Allowing for the roughness of the experiment and the 

 probable slight impurity of the gas experimented upon, the 

 above numbers agree fairly well with the ratio in volumes. 



Carbonic Anhydride 

 Gas taken. Oxygen consumed. produced. 



2 : 1 : "2 



proving that the gas consisted of carbonic oxide ; for 



2CO + 2 = 2C0 2 . 

 2 vols. + 1 vol. = 2 vols. 



From these results we consider it probable that the de- 

 composition of the oxalate can be expressed by the following 

 equations : — 



(1) /|C 2 H 5 



(W <Lrco 



I 7 = 2(C 2 H 5 ) 3 PO-f (C 2 H 5 ) 2 CO + CO. 



(c 2 H 5 ) 3 p<°r C0 





NaiL 



(2) /IdHJH 



{C2H5)3P <ohco A -' 



\ j If =(C 2 H 5 ) 3 PO + (C 2 H 5 ) 3 P + 2C 2 H 4 



l/O-iCO +2CO + H 2 0. 



(C 2 H 5 ) 3 P<| h 



j\C 2 HJH 



(3) [(C 3 H 5 ) 4 P] 2 2 4 = (C 2 H 5 ) 3 PO + (C 2 H 5 ) 3 P + (C 2 H 5 ) 2 C0 + C0 2 . 



W [(C 2 H 5 ) 4 P] 2 C 2 4 = 2(C 2 H ft ) 3 P + 2C 2 H 4 + H 2 + 00 2 + CO. 



Several attempts were made to prove the existence of 

 ethane in the carbonic oxide gas, and numerous analyses of 



