DE. E. FEANKLAJS'D’S EESEAECHES ON OEGANO-METALLIC BODIES. 
77 
These numbers lead to the formula 
C, H 3 O 4 Zn+HO, 
which requu’es the follo-wing values : — 
Calculated. 
A 
Pound. 
A 
Q . 
. 12 
10-30 
' I. 
11-28 
II. 
III.' 
H, . 
. 4 
3-43 
3-50 
N 3 . 
. 28 
24-03 
ZnO . 
. 40-52 
34-77 
33-81 
33-91 
0 , . 
. 32 
27-47 
116-52 
100-00 
Dinitromethylate of Soda. 
N3C2H3 04 Na+ 2 H 0 . 
This salt is formed by treating a solution of dinitromethylate of zinc with carbonate 
of soda, evaporating to dryness, and treating the residue with strong alcohol. Dinitro- 
methylate of soda dissolves, and the filtered solution, on evaporation, deposits crystals, 
which, after drying at 100° C., yielded 25'83 per cent, of soda ; the above formula 
requires 26 '72 per cent. Dinitromethylate of soda is very soluble both in water and 
alcohol ; it deflagrates \dolently when heated, and in other respects closely resembles the 
corresponding salt of dinitroethyhc acid. 
These determinations, although very imperfect and incomplete, establish the existence 
of a class of salts containing dinitromethyhc acid, homologous with the dinitroethylates ; 
and there can be little doubt that the zinc compounds of the other alcohol radicals mil 
yield corresponding acids, when treated with binoxide of nitrogen. 
It is difficult to form any satisfactory hypothesis relative to the rational constitution of 
this series of acids : they may be regarded as belonging to the type of nitrous acid con- 
taining a double atom of nitrogen, and in which one atom of oxygen has been replaced 
by an alcohol radical, thus — 
O 
o 
LO 
or they may be \iewed as constructed upon the hyponitrous acid type, one equivalent of 
oxygen being replaced by an alcohol radical, and a second atom by binoxide of nitrogen, 
thu.s — 
NO3 
.0 
Without attaching much value to either hypothesis, I prefer the latter. 
MDCCCLVII. M 
