

Chemistry and Physics. 69 



pletely oxidized when the quantity of active oxygen in the liquid 

 is considerably less than that in the hydrogen peroxide that suf- 

 fices to oxidize the indigo under ordinary conditions. The author 

 regards these results as showing (1) that Hoppe Seyler's view 

 that the nascent hydrogen splits up the ordinary oxygen into one 

 atom with which it combines and another which is set free and 

 is capable of producing energetic oxidations, is not tenable; and 

 (2) that the intermediate product is probably not hydrogen 

 dioxide but hydrogen tetroxide. In the blood the readily oxidiz- 

 able substances first form peroxides and these oxidize the less 

 readily oxidizable substances, in the same way that the peroxide 

 formed by the terebenthene oxidizes the indigo. The so-called 

 oxidizing ferments in the blood are simply readily oxidizable sub- 

 stances having a special aptitude for forming peroxides. — G. JR., 

 cxxiv, 951-954 ; J. Chem. aSoc, lxxii, 401, Sept., 1897. G. f. b. 



5. On the Constitution of Phosphorous acid. — It has been dif- 

 ficult to decide between the two formulas for phosphorous acid 

 P(OH) 3 and PHO(OH),, since all the various reactions can be 

 interpreted by either of them. Michaelis and Becker have now 

 obtained evidence of the existence of the latter form. On treat- 

 ing lead phosphite PbHP0 3 with ethyl iodide at 175° it yields 

 diethyl phosphite PHO(OEt) 2 ; the same substance which Thorpe 

 and North obtained by acting on alcohol with phosphoric oxide. 

 This compound when treated in ethereal solution with sodium 

 and then with ethyl iodide, yields diethyl ethylphosphinite 

 PEtO(OEt) 2 , which is isomeric with ethyl phosphite P (OEt)„ 

 though it differs from it in all its properties. Thus it boils at 

 198°, has a specific gravity of l - 025 at 21° and does not reduce 

 mercuric chloride or precipitate magnesium mixture ; while ethyl 

 phosphite boils at 191°, has a specific gravity of 1*075 and 

 reduces mercuric chloride. Diethyl ethylphosphinite is also 

 formed when ethyloxychlorophosphine PEtOCl 3 is treated with 

 sodium ethoxide. Ethylphosphinous acid stands to phosphorous 

 acid, therefore, in the same relation as ethylsulphonic acid to sul- 

 phurous acid. — Ber. Berl. Chem. Ges., xxx, 1003-1009, May, 

 1897. G. F. B. 



6. On the Manufacture of Ammonium Cyanide. — It has been 

 shown by Lance that when ammonia is passed slowly over wood 

 charcoal heated to 1000°-1100° ammonium cyanide is always 

 formed. The yield of cyanide is a maximum at this temperature 

 and twenty -five per cent of the nitrogen in the ammonia is con- 

 verted into cyanogen. This yield, however, is greatly increased 

 if the ammonia be mixed with nitrogen and hydrogen, especially 

 when the latter is in excess. Indeed the yield of cyanogen may 

 be nearly 90 per cent of the ammonia when 200 cc of ammonia is 

 mixed with 5000 cc of hydrogen and 500 cc of nitrogen. Under 

 these latter conditions at least 70 per cent of the nitrogen in the 

 ammonium cyanide is derived from the free nitrogen in the 

 gaseous mixture. — C. JR., cxxiv, 819-821, April, 1897. 



G. F. B. 



