[ 163  ] 
VIII.  On  the  Isolation  of  the  Radical^  Mercuric  Methyl. 
By  Geoege  Bowdler  Buckton,  Esq.,  F.R.S. 
Received  December  4,  1857, — Read  January  7,  1858. 
Dr.  Fra]!^kland,  in  his  memoii-  communicated  to  the  Royal  Society,  has  described  the 
iodide  of  an  organic  base  containing  mercury,  to  the  hypothetical  radical  of  which  he 
gave  the  name  of  hydrargyromethylium.  At  the  same  time  he  pointed  out,  that  in 
common  with  zincethyl  and  analogous  bodies,  it  might  be  regarded  as  formed  upon  the 
type  of  the  metallic  oxides,  the  oxygen  of  which,  he  considered,  was  represented  by 
methyl,  ethyl,  &c. 
Hydrargyromethylium, 
according  to  this  view,  corresponds  to  mercurous  oxide. 
Notwithstanding  the  various  ingenious  theories  advanced  with  reference  to  the  con- 
stitution of  these  organic  metals,  the  opinion  of  chemists  upon  the  subject  has  remained 
divided ; any  addition  therefore  to  our  knowledge  of  their  decompositions  and  trans- 
formations will  be  regarded  with  interest. 
DtiNHAUPT,  and  more  recently  Steeceer,  examined  and  analysed  the  salts  of  hydrar- 
gyromethylium and  hydrargethylium,  but  hitherto  no  successful  attempt  appears  to 
have  been  made  to  convert  these  bases  from  the  mercurous  to  the  mercuric  type. 
In  an  experiment  connected  with  an  examination  of  the  nitriles  made  by  Dr.  Hofmann 
and  myself,  iodide  of  hydrargyromethylium  was  acted  upon  by  an  aqueous  solution  of 
cyanide  of  potassium,  under  the  impression  that  cyanide  of  hydrargyromethylium  would 
be  produced.  After  a digestion  for  twelve  hours  in  a sealed  tube,  the  chief  product 
consisted  of  a double  salt  of  iodide  and  cyanide  of  the  two  bases,  a compound  which 
readily  crystallized  in  large  plates  on  cooling.  The  tube  also  contained  an  inflammable 
gas,  ammonia,  a little  reduced  mercury,  and  a few  di'ops  of  a heavy  liquid,  which  at  the 
time  was  regarded  as  regenerated  iodide  of  methyl. 
The  investigation  in  this  direction  was  then  abandoned,  but  I have  since  returned  to 
the  subject,  with  the  special  view  of  effecting  a partial  reduction  of  the  metallic  element 
in  the  base. 
The  iodide  of  hydrargyromethylium  was  formed  in  the  usual  manner  by  sunlight,  in 
long  horizontal  tubes,  which  gave  a large  surface  of  mercury  for  contact  with  the  iodide 
of  methyl.  After  sufficient  exposure,  the  contents  of  the  tubes  were  heated  to  100°  C. 
z 2 
