﻿Action of Dehydrating Agents on Organic Bodies. 23 



(2) C"" N"'" N'"" C"". In this case the equivalents are held 

 together by the nitrogen. 



(3) C"" W"" C"" N'". In this case the equivalents are held 

 together by one carbon and one nitrogen. 



If the first of these assumed compounds were to be combined 

 with a monatomic body, it would yield a compound (M = raon- 

 atomic body) of the following constitution, N"' C"" M, the mon- 

 atomic body being attached to the C. The second would yield 



C""N"'M, "M" being attached to the nitrogen. The third 

 would obviously yield a mixture of the first two in atomic pro- 

 portions. By assuming the existence of the first two of these 

 different forms of cyanogen, we are enabled to give an account of 

 the difference between the two classes of nitriles ; and we think 

 that some grounds exist for making this assumption. 



We find that the action of the iodides of the alcohol-radicals 

 on different metallic cyanides produce different nitriles. For 

 example, as Meyer showed many years ago, the cyanide of ethyle 

 produced by the action of cyanide of silver on iodide of ethyle 

 yields ethylamine when treated with an acid. Hofmann has 

 shown that the complementary product in this reaction is formic 

 acid; and we, who have also examined this action, can corroborate 

 the observation. Again, cyanide of mercury under some cir- 

 cumstances may be made to yield both of the isomeric cyanides 

 by the action of the alcoholic iodides. We have not completed 

 the examination of this reaction. A volatile mercury compound 

 is formed at the same time. As Hofmann has pointed out, the 

 isomeric nitriles are reproduced when the sulphovinic salts act 

 on the metallic cyanides, though not in quantity. 



The above facts appear explicable only on the hypothesis of 

 two distinct cyanogens, or, in other words, on the assumption 

 that in some cases cyanogen unites by its carbon and sometimes 

 by its nitrogen. The two cyanides of ethyle would then be re- 

 presented thus : — 



(1) Common cyanide, N"' C"" C 2 H 5 . 



(2) Pseudo-cyanide, C"" N'" C 2 H 5 . 



In the first case the carbon of the cyanogen is in union with 

 the carbon of the ethyle, and remains so when the cyanogen 

 undergoes its typical alteration by the assimilation of water. 



In the second case the carbon of the cyanogen is not in union 

 with the carbon of the ethyle, and therefore, when the cyanogen 

 undergoes its transformation by assimilation of water, it does 

 not combine with the ethyle. 



The methods for the production of the common cyanides are 

 three : — 



