474 
DE. A. ^Y. H0F:\IAXN’ OX THE PHOSPHOEUS-BASES. 
Copper-salts . . Light blue precipitate of the hydrate, iusoluble in excess : in presence 
of sugar, the precipitate dissolves in excess, forming an Eizure- 
blue solution, from which, if glucose has been employed, a red 
precipitate of suboxide of copper separates on ebullitioiL 
Cadmium-salts ] ^ r i ^ 
1 White precipitates or the hydrates. 
Bismuth-salts J 
Tin-salts : — 
Stannosum : — 
Chloride, 
containing free 
hydrochloric 
acid .... White acicular precipitate of a double compound. 
Stannicum : — 
Chloride . . White gelatinous precipitate, extremely soluble in excess. 
Antimony-salts ; — 
Trichloride . . White acicular precipitate of a double compound. 
Gold-salts : — 
Trichloride . Golden-yellow crystalline precipitate of a double compound. 
Platinum-salts : — 
Dichloride . . Pale-yellow, slightly crystalline precipitate of a double compound. 
These are, with few exceptions, the reactions of a solution of potassa. It is scarcely 
necessary to add that the hydrate of the diphosphonium expels, even at the common 
temperature, ammonia, phenylamine, triethylphosphine, and a considerable number of 
other amines and phosphines from their saline combinations. 
The free base exhibits the deportment of caustic potassa also towards iodine and 
sulphur. It dissolves crystals of iodine with facility ; the colourless solution is neutral, 
and yields on evaporation a syrup-like half-crystalline mass, easily recognized as a mix- 
ture of the di-iodide with the di-iodate. Treatment with alcohol separates the crystals 
of the more difficultly soluble iodide from the gummy iodate. On adding concentrated 
hydrochloric acid to the liquid obtained by dissolving iodine in the free base, a dark- 
coloured substance (iodine or a periodide) is separated ; after a few seconds, however, 
the liquid is decolorized and solidifies to a mass of beautiful lemon-yellow crystals. 
The diphosphonium-salts are thus seen to exhibit phenomena exactly similar to those 
which were observed by Weltzien in the case of the compounds of tetramethyl- and 
tetrethyl-ammonium. I hope to find an opportunity of returning to a more minute 
examination of the yellow compound, which, by recrystallization from boiling alcohol, 
may be obtained in splendid needles, and w'hich will probably be found to be a com- 
pound of the di-iodide with chloride of iodine. For the present I may remark that 
similar compounds are formed by all the bases of the tj pe ammonium and diammonium 
which I have examined, provided they belong to that class in which the substitution is 
