216 



Professor How on the Ethers and 



Meconamidic acid, 



6 HO, C 84 H 24 N 7 63 + 9HO. 



Yellow ammonia salt, 6 NH 4 0, C 84 H 24 N 7 63 + 3 NH q + 6 HO. 

 White 



6NH 4 0,C 84 H 84 N 7 O e8 . 



In the present state of our experimental evidence on these 

 points, therefore, I must conclude this part of the subject with 

 expressing my conviction that the meconamidic acid, having 

 at least the empirical constitution assigned to it by myself, is 

 a stable substance, and capable of entering into two distinct 

 combinations with ammonia, of widely different appearance 

 and characters. If this be true, the cause of the want of 

 analogy will certainly be discovered at some time, and, if not, 

 my errors may enable some one else to light upon the normal 

 amido-meconic acid I sought to obtain. 



Action of Ammonia on Biethylated Meconic Acid, 



Biamido-Meconic Acid. — When the second normal ether 

 of meconic acid is boiled for some time with an excess of am- 

 monia, it is converted into an amidogen acid, which is thrown 

 down from the cooled liquid as an amorphous powder ; when 

 redissolved in boiling water, the new substance again sepa- 

 rates, in the cold, in an amorphous state : 



' 5-440 grains, dried at 212°, gave 



8*440 ,, carbonic acid, and 



1-590 ,, water. 



6-130 „ dried at 212°, gave, with soda-lime. 

 13350 „ platinum salt of ammonia. 



Expt. 



100-00 



Calc. 



Carbon, 



42-31 



42-42 



C u 



84 



Hydrogen, . 



3-24 



3-03 



H 6 



6 



Oxygen, 





40-41 



°* 



80 



Nitrogen, 



13-67 



14-41 



N 2 



28 



100-00 



198 



The rational formula of this body, considered as a monobasic 

 acid, as its origin would indicate, is 



HO,C 14 H 5 N 2 0„ 



