﻿Ethylene-sodium and of its Homologues. 177 



Sodium-triacetyle, as I pointed out at the last Meeting of the 

 British Association [vide also the January Number of Liebig's 

 Annalen), is obtained by the action of sodium on acetic ether. 

 Although its formula may be represented in another way, still 

 the most elegant representation is Na m (C 2 H 3 O) 3 . 



In the common sodium-salts I regard the sodium as having 

 united with itself; thus common salt is looked upon as being 



Na'"— CI 



II 

 Na"'— CI 



In fine, I regard sodium as being an analogue of nitrogen and 

 arsenic rather than of hydrogen. 



Hijdrated Oxide of Ethylene-sodium. 



This compound was described in my last paper under the 

 name of the absolute ethylate of sodium, and is obtained by 

 heating the well-known crystals which are the product of the 

 action of sodium on alcohol. It is also formed by the action of 

 sodium on the ethyle-ethers of the fatty acids. 



It is a snow-white amorphous solid, non-fusible, and of remark- 

 ably low specific gravity. There are difficulties in the way of 

 taking its specific gravity with great precision. It appears to 

 be lighter than ether, in which it swims. There is just the pos- 

 sibility that this extreme lowness of specific gravity may be to 

 some extent simulated, and that the floating in ether may be 

 due to adherent gas (hydrogen). 



Whether or not the specific gravity is lower than that of ether 

 must be determined by further experiment ; but that the specific 

 gravity does not exceed that of water has been shown by a de- 

 termination. 



As has already been described, this substance possesses the 

 property of withstanding a very high temperature without de- 

 composition. It will bear being heated to 290° C. ; possibly it 

 will bear a much higher temperature ; but, as might have been 

 expected, it will not bear a low red heat without carbonizing.* 



In contact with excess of water, it gives caustic soda and 

 alcohol, the latter, as I showed in my last paper, being obtained 

 in the theoretical quantity from product which had undergone 

 heating to 200° C. Heated with an insufficient quantity of 

 water to convert all of it into caustic soda and alcohol, the reac- 

 tion is still of the same kind, a quantity of water liberating an 

 equivalent of alcohol, thus : — 



O 2 R 4 Na 1 



2 - ^ j°+ 2H20=2C2H60+Na2 ( H °) 2 ' 



Phil Mag. S. 4. Vol. 37. No. 248. Mar. 1869. N 



