905 



amides, i. e. as ammonia in v/hicii one equivalent of hydrogen is 

 eliminated and replaced by an equivalent of a compound radical. 



The researches of the author prove that the theory of Berzelius is 

 inadmissible, at all events for the volatile organic bases, inasmuch as 

 in these substances ammonia ceases to exist as such. They show, 

 moreover, that Liebig's view, although correctly expressing the con- 

 stitution of by far the greater number of the volatile bases known, 

 and presenting, when considered at the time it was first propounded, 

 a wonderful anticipation of subsequent discovery, represents never- 

 theless only a special case of a much more general relation. The 

 result at which the author has arrived is, that ammonia is capable of 

 losing either 1 {Liebigs case) or 2 or 3 equivs. of hydrogen which 

 are respectively replaced by \, 2 or 2> equivs. of the same, or various 

 compound radicals, a variety of substances apparently endless being 

 produced, in which its fundamental property (the basic character) is 

 retained, although modified by the member of radicals introduced and 

 their position in the scale of organic compounds. 



In support of this statement, he adduces the artificial construction 

 of thirteen new organic alkaloids, formed by a method which affords 

 the means of increasing the number of these substances to an inde- 

 finite extent. This method consists in exposing ammonia to the 

 action of the chlorides, bromides or iodides of the alcohol radicals, 

 which remove 1 equivalent of hydrogen of the latter, as hydrochloric, 

 hydrobromic, &c. acid, while the remaining constituents, assuming 

 the alcohol-radical, give rise to the formation of an organic base 

 which unites with the hydrogen acid. 



By subjecting the new base itself to a similar treatment, another 

 equivalent of the two remaining equivalents of hydrogen may be 

 removed, a second organic base being formed, which in its turn gives 

 rise to a third. 



The changes which the ammonia undergoes in these various pro- 

 cesses may be represented graphically by the following simple for- 

 mulee, X, Y and Z, denoting generally compound radicals. 



H-l 



N+XBr=H >N.HBr. 

 Xj 



H-l H-l 



H >N+YBr=X VN.HBr. 



xJ yJ 



H-] XT 



X >N+ZBr= Y VN.HBr. 



yJ ZJ 



For the illustration of these general formulas, one of the numerous 

 sets of experiments which the author has communicated in his paper 

 may be quoted in which X=Y=:Z. Ammonia, when exposed to the 

 action of bromide of ethyl (hydrobromic ether), is converted into 

 hydrobromate of ethylamine, i.e. ammonia in which 1 equivalent of 

 hydrogen is replaced by ethyl, a compound which was first observed 

 by M. Wurtz under perfectly different circumstances. Ethylamine, 

 treated again with bromide of ethyl, yields a new alkaloid diethyla- 



