468 
DE. A. W. HOFMAXN" OX THE PHOSPHOErS-BASES, 
which requu’es the following values : — 
Theory. 
Experiment. 
___A 
Cs 
96 
Hi 8 
18 
P 
31 
Pt 
98-7 
CI 3 
106-5 
350-2 
27- 41 
5-14 
8-85 
28- 19 
30-41 
I. 
27-15 
5-30 
II. 
27-61 
5-24 
III. 
IV 
VI. 
VII. 
28-20 28-33 28-13 28-09 28-47 
vm. 
27-89 
30-39 
100-00 
It is thus seen that the action of silver-salts — at aU events of acetate of silver — upon 
the bromethylated bromide differs from that of oxide of silver. "\'\Tiile the latter gives 
rise to the formation of an oxethylated phosphonium, the former produces a phos- 
phoretted metal in which three atoms of ethyl are associated with one atom of the 
radical C 2 H 3 , which may be termed vinyl. The product, then, which is foimed by the 
action of acetate of silver upon the bromethylated bromide is the acetate of 'sinyl-triethyl- 
phosphonium : 
[(C2H,Br)(C2H5)3P]Br + 2( 
C3H3O 
Ag 
0) = 2Ag 
}o + 
C.,H3 0 
[(C.2H3)(C,H3)3P] 
I have been satisfied to establish the formation and composition of the ^inyl-compound 
by a careful and frequently repeated analysis of the platinum-salt, which had been 
obtained from the products of four different operations. The salts of nnyl-triethylphos- 
phonium resemble the oxethylated compounds. I have prepai-ed the iodide, which 
crystallizes, but is extremely soluble even in absolute alcohol. 
I have observed the formation of vinyl-compounds in several other processes, which 
may here be briefly mentioned, although I must state at once that the experimental 
evidence on which these observations are based is less conclusive. 
The oxethylated compound differing from the vinyl-triethylphosphonium-salt simply 
by the elements of one molecule of water, which the latter contains less, the question 
naturally suggested itself whether, under the influence of heat, the oxethylated com- 
pound might not be converted into the vinyl-body. The results of two experiments 
appear to answer this question in the affirmative. In one case the bromide of bromethyl- 
triethylphosphonium had been boiled for a considerable time with oxide of silver. The 
product of the reaction, converted into a platinum-salt, gave the following numbers : — 
I. 0-6956 grm. of platinum-salt, ignited with carbonate of sodium, gave 0-1985 gnu. 
of platinum and 0-8528 grm. of chloride of silver. 
In another experiment, performed chiefly with the view of studying the action of heat 
upon the oxethylated base, a concentrated solution of the latter was evaporated in a 
capsule over an open flame until a very appreciable quantity was entirely decomposed. 
The residue was saturated with hydrochloric acid and precipitated uith dichloride of 
platinum. A difficultly soluble amorphous platinum-salt was throAMi do^vn, at which I 
