M. Wertheiin on Coniine. 389 



dried over chloride of calcium. The oily body thus obtained is 

 insoluble in water, but readily so in alcohol and ether : it is quite 

 neutral, and is unacted upon by strong hydrochloric or sulphuric 

 acids, or by strong alkalies. Above 200° C. it decomposes with 

 intumescence. This body is as poisonous as coniine, though 

 slower in its action. It has the formula € 8 H 16 N 2 0, and its 

 formation may be expressed in the following manner : — 



€ 8 H 15 N,N 2 3 + H 2 0=C 8 H 16 N 2 + N0 3 H. 



New base. 



This substance Wertheim names Azoconydrine. Some of this 

 substance was placed in a glass bulb, which was then enclosed in 

 a vessel of dry hydrochloric acid gas. On shaking the vessel the 

 bulb was broken, and the contents thus exposed to the action of 

 the gas. The liquid gradually changed almost entirely into a 

 crystalline magma, and on opening the vessel over mercury it 

 was seen that a considerable proportion of the gas had been 

 absorbed. An analysis of the residual gaseous mixture showed 

 that it contained some nitrogen and nitric oxide. The crystals 

 were found on analysis to consist of hydrochlorate of coniine. 

 The decomposition of hydrochloric acid may therefore be expressed 

 as follows, the atom of azoconydrine being quadrupled, 



4(G 8 H 16 N 2 O) =€ 32 H 64 N 8 G 4 ; 



for a determination of its vapour-density showed that this for- 

 mula corresponded to four volumes, 



€ 32 H 6 " 4 N 8 4 + 4HC1 = 4(C 8 H 15 N, HC1) +2N + 2NO + 2H 2 



Azoconydrine. Hydrochlorate 



of coniine. 



Another experiment which Wertheim made with azoconydrine 

 is important as tending to throw great light on the nature of 

 coniine. It consisted in heating azoconydrine with phosphoric 

 acid, in an arrangement by which the action could be moderated 

 and at the same time the gases resulting from the action collected. 

 The products of this reaction were an oily liquid, nitrogen gas, 

 and some phosphoric acid. The rectified oily liquid had the 

 specific gravity 0*76076, and the boiling-point 126° C. From 

 an analysis and a determination of its vapour-density, the formula 

 € 8 H 14 was assigned to it. The formation of this substance, 

 which Wertheim names Conylene, is expressed as follows : — 

 G 8 H ,6 N 2 G + P 2 5 =G 8 H 14 H-2N + P 2 5 H 2 0. 



Azoconydrine. Conylene. Phosphoric acid. 



Conylene is probably the biatomic radical of the imide base 

 coniine. When an alcoholic solution of conylene was treated 

 with an alcoholic solution of bromine in such a manner that the 

 action could only take place slowly, a compound of bromine and 





