276 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
Such, in fact, is the case. A portion of dry methyl sulphate of 
ammonium was heated by itself in a sealed tube to about 300° C. 
for about two hours, nearly the whole of the salt being converted into 
acid sulphate of methylamine. 
When the tube, after cooling, was examined, it was found that a 
very small portion of the salt had undergone a complete decomposi- 
tion, some carbon being set free. On opening the tube a small 
quantity of gas was given off, which was inflammable, and smelt 
somewhat etherial, with a trace of sulphurous acid. The salt had 
been fused, and had solidified to a crystalline mass, and now pos : 
sessed a strongly acid reaction. 
This salt, distilled with caustic potash, and the evolved gas collected 
in hydrochloric acid, the solution, evaporated to dryness on the water- 
bath, gave a hydrochlorate which, on heating with lime, gave off an 
inflammable gas in abundance, was deliquescent, soluble in alcohol, 
and when warm possessed the smell of methylamine hydrochlorate. 
Several portions of methyl sulphate of ammonium were heated to 
different temperatures and for different lengths of time, in order to 
find out the most advantageous method of preparing the substance. 
As there appears to be some regularity in the relation between 
the temperature and time and the amount converted from one salt 
into the other, I intend making further research in that direction ; 
and for this reason I have for the present contented myself with 
only a platinum estimation, for the purpose of determining the 
amount of methylamine hydrochlorate present in the crude mixture 
of methylamine hydrochlorate and ammonium chloride. For the 
purpose of this estimation a portion of the crude hydrochlorate, as 
obtained by evaporating the hydrochloric acid solution to dryness, 
was dissolved in water and precipitated with chloride of platinum. 
The double chloride so obtained was washed, dried, and the platinum 
estimated by ignition. 
The following are the percentages of platina found in the double 
salts obtained from four experiments under varying circumstances : — 
(a) 25 grammes of methyl sulphate of ammonium were heated to 
300° C. for 2 hours. 
( b ) 25 grammes of the salt were heated to 300° C. for 1 hour. 
(c) 20 grammes „ „ 200° C. for 2 hours. 
( d ) 20 grammes „ „ 200° C. for 1 hour. 
