248 Dr. W. Ramsay on Picoline 



lively stable body, as water when cold has but slight action 

 on it. 



Amide. — From the chloride, the amide was prepared by 

 iiassing anhydrous ammonia over it while hot. The amide is 

 insoluble in water; it dissolves in a large quantity of hot 

 alcohol ; when this solution was evaporated over sulphuric 

 acid, it came down as a white, apparently amorphous powder. 

 It is also insoluble in ether, and possesses neither taste nor 

 smell. It melts at 295*5-297° (uncorr.). When w^armed, a 

 sublimate of long needles w^as obtained, the melting-point of 

 which was above the boiling-point of mercury. Whether 

 this body was an amide or not I was unable to ascertain, as I 

 had not a sufiicient quantity at my disposal. 



Methyl Ether. — The methyl ether was prepared in two 

 ways : — first, by boiling the silver salt of the acid with methyl 

 iodide in presence of alcohol ; and, second, by ochobating the 

 chloride with methyl alcohol. In both cases the same body 

 was obtained. 



When prepared by the first method, 12*5 grms. of the 

 silver salt were boiled with 200 cubic centimetres of alcohol 

 and 11 cubic centimetres of methyl iodide for some days. 

 The liquid was concentrated to a small bulk ; and small white 

 crystals were deposited, w^hich were redissolved in alcohol 

 a.nd recrystallized. 



It was also prepared from the chloride by placing some in 

 a dry flask, and adding to it anhydrous methyl alcohol. Heat 

 was evolved, and the alcohol began to boil. When the action 

 had moderated, the mixture was cohobated for some days, to 

 ensure the complete conversion of the chloride into the 

 ether. Most of the alcohol was then removed by distillation; 

 and the ether crystallized out when its solvent had become 

 cold. In both cases the substance obtained consisted of well 

 formed modified rhombohedral crystals (?). The methyl ether 

 melts at 117°'5 ; it is easily soluble in Avater, alcohol, and 

 ether. It has a faint smell of mice. It was analyzed with 

 the following results : — 



0-4070 grm. gave 0-1640 grm. of H2 0, and 0-795 grm. of 

 CO2; H = 3-98 per cent., and = 53-26. Theory demands 

 4-6 1 per cent, of hydrogen and 53-38 per cent, of carbon for 

 C,H3¥(COO.CH3),._ 



Aldehyde. — Two grains of the lime-salt were mixed ^x'lih. 

 3 grains of calcium formate, and distilled from a bulb made 

 of combustion-tubino-. The reaction boffan at a red heat. 

 The distillate consisted partly of a yellow oil and partly of 

 AA'hitc crystals, which solidified in the tube of the condenser. 



