DE.  H.  DEBUS  ON  THE  ACTION  OF  AMMONIA  ON  OLYOXAL. 
209 
fish.  The  base  dissolves  very  easily  in  water,  turns  turmeric  paper  brown,  reddens  litmus 
blue,  and  has  a strong  alkaline  taste.  It  neutralizes  the  strong  acids  perfectly,  and  pro- 
duce sprecipitates  with  sesquichloride  of  iron,  nitrate  of  silver,  chloride  of  copper,  but  not 
with  chloride  of  calcium. 
CJiloroplatinate. — To  a strong  solution  of  hydrochlorate  of  glyoxaline  is  added  bichlo- 
ride of  platinum.  Immediately  an  orange-coloured  crystalline  precipitate  falls  down. 
A little  water  is  added,  and  the  mixture  heated  till  the  platinum  salt  has  dissolved. 
The  clear  liquid  is  now  left  to  cool,  when  the  chloroplatinate  of  glyoxaline  crystallizes  in 
magnificent  orange-coloiued  prisms. 
0‘287  grm.,  dried  over  sulphmic  acid,  left,  after  heating,  OTOIgrm.  platinum. 
0*627  grm.,  bm-nt  with  chromate  of  lead,  gave  0*309  grm.  carbonic  acid  and  0*111  grm. 
water.  Consequently  100  parts, — 
Carbon 13*44 
Hydrogen  . . . . 1*96 
Platinum  ....  36*23 
The  formula  C3  N^,  HCl  Pt  Cl, 
requires- 
Carbon  . 
. 3 
36 
13*12 
Hydrogen  . 
. 5 
5 
1*82 
Nitrogen 
. 2 
28 
10*21 
Chlorine 
. 3 
106*5 
38*84 
Platinum  . 
. 1 
98*7 
274*2 
36*01 
100*00 
The  crude  mother-liquor  of  the  binoxalate  of  glyoxaline,  on  evaporation,  gave  off 
fumes  like  formic  acid.  Except  oxalic,  traces  of  glycolic  and  formic  acids,  no  other 
substance  could  be  detected  in  the  evaporated  liquid.  Two  modes  of  decomposition 
take  place  when  glyoxal  and  ammonia  act  on  each  other : — 
I.  3C2H,02-f4NH3=Njc2H,+6H,0. 
Glyoxal.  ^Ca  Hj 
II.  2C3  H3  03+2NH3=C3  H,  N3+C  H3  O3+2H3  O. 
Glyoxal.  Glyoxaline.  Formic 
acid. 
The  second  mode  of  decomposition  is  the  principal  one,  for  much  more  glyoxaline  than 
glycosine  is  produced. 
2 F 
MDCCCLVIII. 
