236 



Messrs. Dakin, Cohen, Daufresne, and Kenyon. 



This change is very similar to the reaction between amino-aeids and sodium 

 hypochlorite investigated by Langheld.* 



Peptones and proteins react with j?-toluene sodium sulphochloramide 

 rather more slowly than the amino-acids, judged by the rate of separation of 

 the sparingly soluble toluene sulphonamide. Ammonium salts react rapidly 

 with the sulphochloramide, urea more slowly, while hippuric acid, and 

 probably other acyl-amino-acids, do not react appreciably. These changes 

 in each case resemble the action of hypochlorite. It should be noted, too, 

 <that Langheld found that the simplest chloramine, NH 2 C1, reacts with 

 amino-acids like hypochlorite. Judging by these reactions of chloramines, 

 such as toluene sodium sulphochloramide, upon amino-acids, peptones, 

 proteins, ammonium salts, urea, and related substances, it is clear that 

 chloramines can act as chlorinating agents upon important constituents of 

 living cells. 



It appears that the aromatic sulphochloramides act as chlorinating agents 

 only when there is opportunity for the chlorine to leave the chloramine and 

 attach itself to nitrogen in a second compound in which the nitrogen atom is 

 united to less acid groups than those in the original substance. 



We have found that the aromatic sodium sulphochloramides are readily 

 formed by the addition of sodium hypochlorite to aromatic sulphonamides : 



E.S0 2 NH 2 + NaCIO = RSOsNa : NCI + H 2 0. 



Since the reactions of the resulting products so closely resemble those of 

 hypochlorites, it might be thought that the above reaction was a reversible 

 one. That this is not the case follows from the following observations : — 

 («) Aqueous solutions of many of the sulphonamides are remarkably stable. 

 Toluene sodium siilphochloramide solutions retain their strength unchanged 

 for months, while if neutral hypochlorite were present, decomposition would 

 be rapid, (b) Chloramine solutions do not give the reaction with aniline, 

 indigo, etc., characteristic of hypochlorites. 



From the foregoing observations the following tentative conclusions may 

 be drawn : — The fact that many of the constituents of living organisms, 

 including proteins, peptones, amino-acids, urea, and ammonium salts, contain 

 nitrogen in a form capable of attracting the chlorine from chloramines of 

 different kinds, is probably connected with the germicidal action of the latter 

 group of substances. On the other hand, while the chlorinating action of 

 chloramines resembles that of hypochlorites, the germicidal action of the 

 chloramines is often greater than that of an equivalent amount of hypo- 

 chlorite. This superior germicidal action can be ascribed either to some 



* ' Ber.,' vol. 42, p. 2360 (1909). 



