1 68 Schunck and Brebner —On the Action of Aniline 
undergoes when certain conditions prevail. Before proceeding 
any further, however, it may be well to give a few additional 
details regarding the chemical and physical properties of 
anilophyll, the substance to which the action of aniline on 
the leaves gives rise. We need not here describe the improve- 
ments effected by us in the preparation in a state of purity of 
the substance, since they are such as would easily suggest 
themselves to anyone repeating the process. 
In the paper referred to, anilophyll is said to melt at 190 0 - 
192 0 C. On carefully purifying, however, the melting-point 
rises to about 200°, a lower melting-point indicating a certain 
amount of impurity. Anilophyll has the properties of a weak 
base, as its behaviour to sulphuric and hydrochloric acids 
proves. On being heated with concentrated hydrochloric 
acid in a sealed tube to 130°, it is completely decomposed, 
yielding carbonaceous products together with a little aniline. 
On treatment with potassium chlorate and hydrochloric acid 
it yields chloranil. On carefully dropping bromine into a 
weak solution of anilophyll in choloroform, there is an imme- 
diate deposit of dark bronze-coloured scales. The compound 
thus formed is extremely unstable ; it may be filtered off and 
dried at the ordinary temperature without decomposition, but 
when heated to 50° it disengages hydrobromic acid, and it is 
also decomposed when an attempt is made to recrystallise it 
from any solvent. By the action of an excess of bromine on 
anilophyll a colourless crystalline substance is formed having 
all the properties of tribromaniline. 
The composition of anilophyll corresponds to the formula 
C u H 19 N 3 O, which requires in 100 parts C 78-90, H 5*20, 
N 1 1*50, O 4*4°. The mean of two analyses was as follows : — 
C78'63, H 5-59, N 1170, O 4-08. 
The properties and reactions just described, as well as the 
percentage composition, being considered, it became extremely 
probable that the substance was in fact a derivative of aniline 
formed by some process in which oxygen played a part, and 
that it might be possible to obtain it without having recourse 
to vegetable organisms. 
