430 Scientific Intelligence. 



cienc for ordinary preparatory or research work in organic or 

 inorganic chemistry. — J. Che/n. Soc, lxxiii, 502-511, June, 1898. 



G. f. b. 

 4. On the Chemical Effects of the Silent Electric Discharge. — 

 An elaborate series of experiments has been made by Bebthblot 

 on the chemical effects of the silent electric discharge, having 

 reference specially to the union of nitrogen with compounds of 

 carbon. The mixture under examination was enclosed in a nar- 

 row space about a millimeter wide, through which passed the 

 discharge from a coil having a Deprez contact-breaker and 

 including a Leyden in circuit. The sparks were 12 to 15 mm long, 

 the discharges being alternating. They were kept up generally 

 for 24 hours. If the vapor pressure was high the liquids behaved 

 like gases, but if low the reaction was slow. The intermediate 

 products when examined were found to differ considerably from 

 the final products. While the speed and nature of the reactions 

 seem to be functions of the intensity ot the discharge, actual 

 sparking should be avoided. Final equilibrium depends in gen- 

 eral upon the production of solid or resinous products having 

 a low vapor pressure and a low conductivity. When nitrogen is 

 absorbed the product resembles an amine or an amido derivative, 

 being often a poly-amine. Methane thus treated gives up half 

 its hydrogen, yielding a solid body C 10 H 18 . If nitrogen be pres- 

 ent, it is absorbed in amount rather less than one-quarter of the 

 volume of the hydrogen set free, giving a solid body 0,11,]^, 

 alkaline to litmus and probably a tetramine. Ethane loses a 

 third of its hydrogen and yields the same condensation product ; 

 while in presence of nitrogen, the solid produced C 10 H 32 N 4 is 

 analogous to that from methane. Ethylene condenses to a solid 

 C 8 H 14 ; while with nitrogen the volume of this gas absorbed is 

 substantially equal to that of the hydrogen set free, and the 

 resulting alkaline solid is the same as with ethane. Acetylene 

 yields first a liquid and then a solid which when heated is decom- 

 posed with explosion and oxidizes rapidly in the air. With 

 nitrogen the solid product C ]6 H 16 N 9 is obtained. Propylene 

 alone yields a solid C 15 H 2fi and with nitrogen a whitish resin 

 C 15 H 28 N 4 . Carbon monoxide is converted into carbon dioxide 

 and the sub-oxide C 4 3 ; and into a brown solid forming an acid 

 solution when dissolved in water. With hydrogen in excess, the 

 gases condense in equal volumes, giving (CH 2 0) n , a mixture of 

 polymers of formaldehyde. With hydrogen and nitrogen, a con- 

 densed formamide (CH 3 NO) (l results. Carbon dioxide alone gives 

 percarbonic oxide and the above sub-oxide. Mixed with two vol- 

 umes of hydrogen, a carbohydrate is formed similar to that 

 given by the monoxide. With one volume of nitrogen and three 

 of hydrogen a residual gas is obtained consisting of equal vol- 

 umes of nitrogen and hydrogen ; and also a solid product which 

 when heated with water gives an effervescing solution containing 

 ammonium nitrite, and which may be considered as a compound 

 of this substance with the amido compound given by the monox- 



