ORGANIC BODIES CONTAINING METALS. 
429 
The receiver B is then removed from the water and dried ; heat is applied to the 
side adjacent to the bulbs d, e, so as to expel a portion of the enclosed gas from their 
open ends at f; on subsequent cooling, a certain quantity of the liquid rises into 
these bulbs, which are alternately heated and cooled, until every trace of the liquid 
has not only entered them but passed entirely into their expanded portion, so as to 
leave the capillary limbs filled with hydrogen. It is of importance that the whole of 
the liquid should be forced to enter these bulbs, otherwise, on subsequently opening 
the mouth of the receiver, it inflames, causing the expulsion of the liquid from the 
bulbs, and thus rendering the experiment abortive. The cork ,c is then removed, 
and the bulbs d, e extracted as quickly as possible, the open capillary extremities being 
immediately sealed before the blowpipe. The bulbs, having been previously weighed, 
the increase denotes the weight of the included liquid. The residue in A was found 
scarcely to effervesce with water, and consisted of iodide of zinc mixed with the 
excess of metallic zinc employed. 
I have fixed the composition of the liquid obtained as above described, and proved 
it to be a compound of one atom of zinc and one atom of methyl, by the following- 
experiments : — 
I. One of the bulbs above mentioned was opened beneath an inverted receiver 
filled with recently boiled distilled water; its contents were rapidly resolved into 
hydrated oxide of zinc and a permanent gas, which last was submitted to eudiome- 
trical examination ; the following results were obtained : — 
The action of fuming sulphuric acid did not produce any diminution of volume. 
The gas was nearly insoluble in absolute alcohol. 
A eudiometrical combustion yielded the following results : — 
Volume of gas used (moist) 
Volume after admission of 
O (moist) .... 
Volume after explosion 
(moist) 
Volume after absorption! 
of CO2 (dry) 
1 
Volume after admission of| 
H (dry) J 
Volume after explosion 
(moist) 
Observed 
volume. 
Temp. 
Difference of 
mercury level. 
Barom. 
Corrected vol. at 0° C. 
and 1 metre press. 
0 
mm 
mm 
122-5 
I 8 - 7 C. 
602-2 
747-8 
14-86 
28/-9 
18-7 
418-4 
747-6 
84-39 
232-1 
18-6 
479-7 
747-4 
54-71 
188-2 
18-6 
519'4 
747-5 
40-19 
549-4 
18-4 
162-7 
747-6 
301-04 
425-7 
18-4 
279-0 
747-6 
180-62 
Volume of comb. gas. 
14-86 
1 
Oxygen consumed. 
29-39 
1-98 
CO 2 generated. 
14-52 
-98 
In order to ascertain whether the gas was a single compound or a gaseous mix- 
