430 
DE. A. W. HOFMAXN' OX THE PHOSPHOEES-BASES. 
white needles, which are, however, still intennixed with red prisms, showing that the 
transformation is not yet complete. Scarcely any gas escapes when the tubes are opened, 
but when gently heated, the liquid yields abundance of disulphide of carbon. On the 
other hand, when the tubes are heated until the transformation of the red compound is 
accomplished, — which generally takes place after three or four days’ digestion, — a large 
volume of gas escapes on opening, and the tubes are occasionally shattered. The gas 
which is thus evolved consists of sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid, which are 
obviously secondary products of the reaction, arising from the protracted action of the 
water upon the disulphide of carbon which is separated in the first stage of the process. 
The liquid, from which the crystals of the sulphide have been deposited, has a distinctly 
alkaline reaction, belonging neither to the sulphide nor to the red ciystals fi’om 
which the sulphide arises, both these compounds being without action on vegetable 
colours. To seize the basic substance, the liquid was evaporated on the water-bath, till 
the sulphide had been as far as possible expelled, and then precipitated with iodide of 
zinc, which does not combine Avith the sulphide, traces of this body, AA'hich might ha^e 
remained, being in this manner eliminated. The iodide-of-zinc-precipitate was semi- 
solid, and slowly became crystalline on treatment with alcohol ; it did not, howeA'er, 
exhibit a sufficiently definite appearance to warrant its analysis. The bases were there- 
fore at once liberated again by digesting the precipitate Avith oxide of silver ; the poAver- 
fully alkaline liquid thus obtained gave, on addition of hydrochloric acid and dichloride 
of platinum, a difficultly soluble platinum-salt, crystallizing, after the necessary pim- 
fication, from boiling Avater in splendid octohedra, AAdiich on analysis proA ed to be the 
methyl- triethylphosphonium-compound. 
0‘3799 grm..pla,tinum-salt, treated Avith sulphui’etted hydrogen, &c., gaA'e OTllOgrm. 
= 29 ‘21 per cent, of platinum. 
The formula 
[(CHJ(C2Hj3P]Cl,PtCl, 
requires 29T8 per cent, of platinum. 
The solution filtered off from the octohedi-al salt gave, on eA'aporation, the extremeh’ 
soluble six-sided tables of the platinum-salt of oxide of triethylphosphine, AA'liich I have 
mentioned in the commencement of this paper. 
The products of the action of Avater upon the red crystals, then, are sulphide of triethyl- 
phosphine — the principal product, — oxide of triethylphosphine, hydrate of methyl-tri- 
ethylphosphonium, and disulphide of carbon, Avhich may be partly or entirely converted 
into sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid. Four molecules of the disulphide-of- 
carbon-compound and tAvo molecules of Avater contain the elements of tAvo molecules of 
the sulphide, one molecule of the oxide, one molecule of the hych'ated phosphonium, and 
three molecules of disulphide of carbon. 
4[(C2H,)3P,CS,] + 2 
i_ 
H 
H 
O 
= 2[(C2H3)3 P S]+(a P 
Whilst engaged AAith the experiments involved in the elucidation of this subject, I 
