DE.  H.  DEBUS  ON  THE  ACTION  OF  AMMONIA  ON  OLYOXAL. 
207 
The  formula  Cg  Hg  N4,  2(HC1,  Pt  CI2)  requires — 
Carbon  . . 
. . 6 
72 
13-16 
Hydrogen  . 
. . 8 
8 
1-46 
Nitrogen  . . 
. . 4 
56 
10-23 
Chlorine 
. . 6 
213 
38-93 
Platinum  . 
. . 2 
197-4 
36-10 
546-4 
99-88 
Boiling  water  dissolves  this  compound,  but  it  is  almost  insoluble  in  cold  water.  Long- 
continued  washing  with  the  latter  seems  to  abstract  bichloride  of  platinum,  and  convert 
it  perhaps  into 
Cg  Hg  N4,  HCl  PtCl^. 
Glycosine  is  formed  from  ammonia  and  glyoxal  according  to  the  equation 
3(C2  H2  02)+4(N  H3)=Cg  Hg  N4H-6(H2  O). 
Glyoxal.  Glycosine. 
I showed,  on  another  occasion,  that  glyoxal  has  the  properties  of  an  aldehyde.  Its 
behaviour  to  ammonia  confirms  my  former  conclusions.  The  formation  of  amarine  from 
oil  of  bitter  almonds,  of  acetonine  from  acetone  and  ammonia,  takes  place  in  a similar 
manner ; — 
3(C,  Hg  0)+2(NH3)=C2.  H,3  N2+ 3H2  O 
Oil  of  bitter  Amarine, 
almonds. 
3(C,  H,  0)+2(NH.)=C,  H,.  N,+3H,  O. 
Acetone.  Acetonine. 
In  all  other  known  cases  when,  from  an  aldehyde,  or  the  chloride  of  an  alcohol  radical 
and  ammonia,  a basic  substance  is  formed,  one  or  two  equivalents  of  ammonia  partici- 
pate in  the  reaction.  If  ammonia  and  glyoxal  decompose  each  other,  four  equivalents 
of  the  first  transfer  their  nitrogen  to  one  equivalent  of  the  base  produced.  The  direct 
derivation  from  ammonia  of  a base  which  contains  four  equivalents  of  nitrogen  seems  to 
me  to  be  very  interesting. 
The  rational  formula  of  glycosine  is  probably 
[-C2  H2 
N4  C3H2 
IC2H2, 
CI2  Hj  being  equivalent  to  H^, 
It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  in  chemical  decompositions  very  often  three  equivalents  of 
an  aldehyde  unite  and  act  like  one  molecule.  I will  only  mention  as  examples, — 
mesitylene,  acetonia,  thialdine,  hydrosalicylamide,  and  amarine. 
Binoxalate  of  Glyoxaline^  C3  H^  Ng,  Hj  O4. 
'Ihe  brown  mother-liquor  from  which  the  glycosine  was  at  first  separated,  is  evapo- 
