﻿ITS 
  PRODUCTS 
  OF 
  DECOMPOSITION. 
  83 
  

  

  These 
  results 
  approach 
  most 
  closely 
  to 
  the 
  formula 
  C 
  G 
  H 
  9 
  N 
  H 
  CI 
  Pt 
  Cl 
  2 
  ; 
  and 
  

   though 
  the 
  carbon 
  is 
  very 
  deficient, 
  and 
  the 
  platinum 
  considerably 
  in 
  excess, 
  

   there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  imperfect 
  separation 
  of 
  the 
  methy- 
  

   lamine, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  its 
  true 
  formula 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  base 
  itself 
  C 
  6 
  H 
  9 
  N. 
  

   The 
  base, 
  then, 
  obviously 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  series 
  as 
  methylamine, 
  and 
  forms 
  

   the 
  term 
  of 
  the 
  series 
  corresponding 
  to 
  metacetonic 
  acid, 
  and, 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  

   the 
  system 
  of 
  nomenclature 
  adopted 
  by 
  Wurtz, 
  it 
  receives 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  metaceta- 
  

   mine. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  attempted 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  salts 
  of 
  this 
  base, 
  as 
  I 
  did 
  

   not 
  obtain 
  it 
  in 
  sufficient 
  quantity 
  for 
  that 
  purpose 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  take 
  the 
  opportunity 
  

   of 
  stating, 
  that 
  before 
  I 
  had 
  obtained 
  it 
  from 
  codeine 
  I 
  had 
  ascertained 
  its 
  exist- 
  

   ence 
  among 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  destructive 
  distillation 
  of 
  animal 
  substances, 
  and 
  that 
  

   I 
  shall, 
  at 
  a 
  future 
  period, 
  detail 
  the 
  properties 
  of 
  its 
  compounds.* 
  

  

  The 
  residue 
  in 
  the 
  retort 
  after 
  these 
  bases 
  have 
  been 
  evolved, 
  is 
  dark 
  cinna- 
  

   mon-brown, 
  and 
  slightly 
  coherent 
  ; 
  it 
  dissolves 
  in 
  water, 
  with 
  a 
  dark-brown, 
  almost 
  

   black 
  colour, 
  and 
  gives 
  with 
  acids 
  a 
  flocculent 
  brown 
  precipitate 
  of 
  a 
  humus-like 
  

   substance, 
  and 
  perfectly 
  amorphous, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  thought 
  it 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   examine. 
  It 
  still 
  contains 
  nitrogen 
  ; 
  and 
  by 
  exposure 
  to 
  a 
  heat 
  gradually 
  raised 
  

   to 
  low 
  redness, 
  it 
  gives 
  an 
  additional 
  quantity 
  of 
  volatile 
  bases, 
  among 
  which 
  

   ammonia 
  becomes 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  abundant 
  as 
  the 
  temperature 
  rises. 
  A 
  non- 
  

   basic 
  oil 
  also 
  makes 
  its 
  appearance, 
  but 
  only 
  in 
  very 
  small 
  quantity. 
  

  

  Since 
  these 
  experiments 
  were 
  made, 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  the 
  February 
  number 
  of 
  

   the 
  Annalen 
  der 
  Chimie 
  und 
  Pharmacie, 
  which 
  contains 
  a 
  preliminary 
  notice 
  of 
  

   an 
  investigation 
  by 
  Wertheim 
  of 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  soda-lime 
  on 
  certain 
  organic 
  bases. 
  

   He 
  has 
  obtained 
  metacetamine 
  from 
  narcotine, 
  and 
  methylamine 
  from 
  morphia 
  ; 
  

   and 
  considering 
  these 
  substances 
  to 
  be 
  directly 
  eliminated 
  from 
  the 
  bases, 
  he 
  ex- 
  

   pects 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  residual 
  atoms 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  definite 
  compound. 
  I 
  enter- 
  

   tained 
  a 
  similar 
  idea 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  codeine, 
  until 
  I 
  detected 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  

   two 
  different 
  bases, 
  which 
  seemed 
  to 
  me 
  rather 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  these 
  substances 
  

   appear 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  true 
  destructive 
  distillation 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  possibly 
  by 
  vary- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  circumstances 
  of 
  the 
  experiment, 
  other 
  bases 
  may 
  be 
  obtained. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  also 
  observed 
  another 
  remarkable 
  decomposition 
  of 
  codeine, 
  by 
  which 
  

   volatile 
  bases 
  are 
  obtained. 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  mentioned 
  the 
  formation, 
  by 
  the 
  

   action 
  of 
  nitric 
  acid, 
  of 
  a 
  resinous 
  acid, 
  with 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  still 
  

   engaged. 
  This 
  acid, 
  which 
  is 
  insoluble 
  in 
  water, 
  dissolves 
  readily 
  in 
  dilute 
  

   potash, 
  with 
  a 
  red 
  colour 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  solution 
  on 
  boiling 
  evolves 
  a 
  volatile 
  base 
  in 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  may 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  mention, 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  convinced 
  myself 
  that 
  the 
  petinine 
  described 
  by 
  me 
  

   two 
  years 
  since 
  as 
  existing 
  in 
  bone-oil, 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  formula 
  C 
  g 
  H 
  n 
  N, 
  and 
  not 
  by 
  C 
  g 
  H 
  10 
  N, 
  

   which 
  I 
  then 
  gave 
  for 
  it. 
  Indeed, 
  my 
  analysis 
  of 
  the 
  platinum 
  salt, 
  which 
  is 
  most 
  to 
  be 
  depended 
  upon, 
  

   tallies 
  equally 
  well 
  with 
  either 
  formula. 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  ascertained 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  ethylamine 
  and 
  me- 
  

   thylamine 
  in 
  bone-oil. 
  The 
  details 
  of 
  these 
  experiments 
  will 
  be 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  part 
  of 
  my 
  

   paper 
  on 
  the 
  Products 
  of 
  the 
  Destructive 
  Distillation 
  of 
  Animal 
  Matters. 
  

  

  