Amides of Meconic and Comenic Acids. 217 



in the air-dry state it has an additional equivalent of water, 

 with which it readily parts, as is shown by this experiment. 



[ 14-710 grains, air dry, lost, at 212° 

 \ 0-535 „ water, 



equal to 4*31 per cent., and 4*45 is required by the loss of 

 one atom of water in the formula 



HO,C 14 H 5 N 2 9 + aq. 



The amide is clearly derived from the ether acid by the 

 change of two equivalents of alcohol for two of ammonia — 



HO, 2 C 4 H 5 0, C 14 HO n + 2 NH 3 = 



Biethylomeconic acid. 



2 (C 4 H 6 2 ) + HO, 2NH 2 , C u H0 9 



^*" — „ 



Biamido-meconic acid. 



and its relation to bibasic meconate of ammonia is — 

 HO,2NH 4 0,C u HO u -4HO = HO,C 14 H 5 N 2 9 . 



Biamido-meconic acid has not been observed in the crystalline 

 state ; to the naked eye it presents the appearance, in the pre- 

 sent form in which I have obtained it, of a grayish-white 

 amorphous powder ; it is difficultly soluble in cold water and in 

 dilute acids, and is readily decomposed when heated with the 

 fixed caustic alkalies, It reacts strongly acid, and decomposes 

 with effervescence the carbonated earths when its solution is 

 heated with them, and forms, like the other acids of this group, 

 basic combinations when an excess of the earthy constituent 

 is employed. Although from its derivation there can be 

 little doubt that it is really a monobasic acid, I have not been 

 able, with the amount of material in my possession, to confirm 

 this assumption, my substance being exhausted in fruitless ef- 

 forts to obtain neutral salts. By solution of the acid in an ex- 

 cess of ammonia and subsequent evaporation to dryness at 

 212°, a salt of difficult solubility, even in hot water, is obtain- 

 ed, whose solution gave with chlorides of calcium and barium 

 amorphous precipitates in which the amount of base was greatly 



