248 Dr. E. J. Mills on certain Cobaltamines. 



filter, washed with strong alcohol, and dried at 40°-70°, amounted 

 to 0-4119 grm. 



(b) 0*5471 grm. substance, similarly treated (except that the 

 spirit used contained less hydric chloride), gave 0*5168 grm. 

 hexammoniochloride. 



(c) 0*5626 grm. substance, extracted with warm water and 

 precipitated with spirit only, gave 0*5045 grm. product. 



(d) 0*5754 grm. pentammoniochloride, 1*8150 grm. sal-am- 

 moniac, and 8 cubic centiras. aqueous ammonia, after digestion 

 for twenty- two hoars and treatment as in (c), gave 0*5852 grm. 

 hexam moniochloride. 



Found. 



(a) {b) (c) (d) Calculated. 



Yield per cent. . 96*80 94*46 89*67 101*70 106*76 



In the above experiments the quantity of the chloride pro- 

 duced was ascertained by collecting it on a filter, washing, dry- 

 ing, and weighing; the filter was then thoroughly washed with 

 warm water, dried, and again weighed ; the difference between 

 these two weights was the number required. In (c) and (d), 

 the former more especially, there was a residue of cobaltic per- 

 oxide on the filter ; in (a) and (b) there was, of course, none of 

 this. It will be observed that extraction with aqueous hydric 

 chloride increases the yield, and that the presence of sal-ammo- 

 niac in the digesting mixture has the same effect. The action 

 in both cases is essentially that of chlorine on cobaltic chloride 

 in presence of ammonia. It will also be remarked that the 

 water of the aqueous ammonia is not prevented from producing 

 to a certain extent a decomposition which might be entire were 

 the ammonia absent. 



Sal-ammoniac and cobaltic chloride were found in the alcoholic 

 filtrate from (c). Further proof that the hexammoniochloride 

 is not a direct result of the combination of ammonia with the 

 /3 --pentammoniochloride may be found in the fact that the latter 

 chloride, if heated to 87° in a current of dry ammonia for an 

 hour, experiences no increase in weight, whereas when sealed 

 up with strong aqueous ammonia, and submitted to the previous 

 conditions, abundance of hexammoniochloride is formed. As it 

 is known that no greater pressure than that of the atmosphere 

 is absolutely essential to the success of the latter experiment, it 

 follows that the presence of water (in other words, the occur- 

 rence of a complex reaction) is necessary for the genesis of the 

 substance in question. 



Action of Water on Cobaltic Hexammoniochloride. — According 

 to various authors, the aqueous solution of this chloride is soon 

 decomposed on ebullition ; the yellow liquid becomes colourless, 



