1881.1 



On the Action of Sodium upon Chinoline. 



539 



recovered ; 11 grms. were obtained, being 44 per cent, on the chinoline 

 taken ; deducting the recovered chinoline from that originally em- 

 ployed, the produce of the scarlet crystals become 12*5 per cent, on 

 the base originally taken. 



Action of Sodium Amalgam on the Recovered Chinoline. 



The recovered chinoline was dried by sticks of potash for a short 

 time, and then rectified to see if its boiling-point had undergone any 

 alteration by the treatment with sodium amalgam ; however, it came 

 over at almost exactly the same point as it did before. It is very 

 remarkable that in spite of the fact last mentioned, the product of 

 the action of the amalgam upon the recovered base was of a totally 

 different character to that of the same reagent upon the original 

 chinoline. 



The 11 grms. of recovered chinoline were treated with 20 grms. of 

 amalgam, effervescence took place, and much heat was developed ; this 

 was possibly caused by traces of moisture remaining in the base. 

 When the effervescence was over, 5 grms. more amalgam were added, 

 being in all 30 grms. for 11 of base, whereas in the first experiment 

 equal parts of base and amalgam were used; this fact has to be 

 remembered in considering the causes of the different result. The 

 red coloration took place as before ; it is, however, a very ephemeral 

 reaction, the colour on a glass rod soon disappears, and does so imme- 

 diately on spreading the substance in a thin layer on the side of the 

 beaker in which the operation is conducted. ' The experiment was 

 made precisely as with the original chinoline, and the reaction appeared 

 to proceed exactly in the same manner as before ; but, on boiling out 

 with dilute hydrochloric acid, the product of hydrochlorate of dichino- 

 line was much smaller, and the crystals were too small to be distin- 

 guished as such by the naked eye. 



The mother-liquors were treated with potash, as before, to enable 

 the chinoline to be recovered, when to my surprise a solid yellow base 

 was obtained, which on boiling some time with water to expel any 

 adhering chinoline, became, on cooling, a hard resinous mass : on 

 drying in the air.it weighed 7 grms., or 63 per cent, on the 11 grms. 

 of recovered chinoline used. 



In order to gain some insight into the nature of the new solid 

 base, it was converted into a hydrochlorate and fractionally precipi- 

 tated with platinic chloride. 1 grm. was dissolved in 50 cub. 

 centims. of hot diluted hydrochloric acid, on cooling a part separated 

 out ; this could have been prevented by a great excess of hydrochloric 

 acid, but, on this occasion, the separation was permitted as a mode of 

 purification. The precipitate was filtered off, and some hydrochloric 

 acid was added to prevent the water in the solution of platinic 

 chloride from causing a further precipitation. On adding the pla« 



