496 Messrs. Hofmann and Olshausen on Compounds [June 16, 



by an interchange of the primary alcohol fragment with the primary am- 

 monia fragment, is directly converted into the amide, whilst, on the other 

 hand, the ether of a bibasic acid yields, in the first instance, the ether of 

 an amidic acid, the production of the true amide of a tribasic acid must 

 necessarily be preceded by the formation of the ethers of a first and of a 

 second amidic acid. According to this view, the action of ammonia on the 

 methvlic cyanurate 



1 CH,0 

 C.N.lCH.O 

 J CH 3 0 



may be expected to give rise to the formation of the following bodies : — ■ 



1 CH3O ) CH3O 1 H 2 N 



C3N3ICH3O C 8 N 3 L H 0 N C,N^H 0 N 



J H 2 N J H^N 



Dimethylic Methylic 

 amido-cyanurate. diamido-eyanurate. 



not to speak of the possibility of alcohol fragments being simultaneously 

 exchanged for water fragments. 



Hitherto we have met only with one of the above-mentioned bodies, 

 viz. : — 



Dimethylic Amido-cyanurate. — This compound is formed by the action 

 of ammonia on the new methylic cyanurate ; but it is not easy to obtain 

 it pure by this means, as the reaction generally goes further, and a mix- 

 ture of substances is produced, the separation of which we have not 

 hitherto been able to effect. The compound in question, however, is 

 always formed in larger or smaller quantity as a by-product in the pre- 

 paration of the trimethylic cyanurate ; it is, in fact, the substance insoluble 

 in ether mentioned above, and as no other product is formed but these two 

 bodies, it is easy to obtain the dimethylated amidic acid in a pure state. 



The new compound crystallizes from hot water in fine rhombic tables, 

 odourless and tasteless, and melting at 212°. It is much more difficultly 

 soluble in cold water than the cyanuric ether, soluble with difficulty in 

 cold alcohol, more easily in hot, almost insoluble in cold ether. The 

 composition 



1 CH3O 



C 5 H 3 N 1 0 2 = C 3 N 3 lCH 3 0 

 J H 2 N 



was established by a determination of the carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, 

 and also by the analysis of a silver-salt, 



C s H 5 X 4 0 2> AgN0 3 , 



which, crystallizing in fine needles, is obtained by adding silver nitrate 

 to the nitric solution of the amido-ether and recrystallization of the 

 precipitate. 



By treatment with aqueous ammonia in sealed tubes, the same products 

 are obtained as are furnished by the original ether when submitted to the 



