- be 
SD 
(t 607e0) 
Action of Alcohol on Hydrobromate of Dimethyl-Thetine. 
By Dr E. A. Letts. 
(Sent for Publication August 19, 1878.) 
In order to purify the hydrobromate of dimethyl-thetine in some of the 
earlier experiments with the thetine compounds, crystallisation from alcohol 
was resorted to. 
About 300 grms. of the crude product obtained by the action of equimole- 
cular quantities of bromacetic acid and sulphide of methyl were boiled with 
methylated spirit. During the boiling an exceedingly pungent substance, which 
irritated the eyes and nostrils most powerfully, volatilised with the alcohol. On 
allowing the solution to cool, abundance of the thetine hydrobromate crystallised 
out. In order to obtain more of the crystals, the mother liquors were boiled, 
but the continuance of the pungent odour indicated that volatile products were 
escaping. 
As it seemed probable that these consisted of some substance or sub- 
stances produced by the action of the hydrobromate on the alcohol, which 
it might be worth while to examine, the digestion was stopped and the 
solution mixed with water. A dense oily liquid of very pungent odour 
separated, which was washed with more water and reserved for examina- 
tion. It was soon found that this oily liquid yielded a crystalline compound 
when treated with ammonia. On mixing some of it with alcoholic ammonia, 
and allowing the whole to evaporate spontaneously for some weeks, beautiful 
needles of considerable size separated. ‘These were quite white, and yielded 
on analysis— 
I. II. 
Carbon, A , sch 12:99 
Hydrogen, . : 2°04 1:87 
Nitrogen, . : : 5°88 
Sulphur, . : ‘ mally 
Bromine, 
The liquid was also acted upon with great ease by aqueous ammonia. A 
quantity shaken with liquor ammoniz gradually dissolved, and the solution 
solidified to a mass of crystals. These were recrystallised from boiling 
water, in which they were readily soluble, whereas they were sparingly 
soluble in cold water. They consisted of blunt needles of considerable 
length, some of them at least half an inch. They evolved ammonia when 
VOL. XXVIII. PART II. 7s 
