634  Manufacture  of  a-Naphthylamine.     {Am  Dec.?i88h7arm' 
cool.  The  waste  acid  is  run  off  and  the  nitronaphthalene  boiled  out 
with  water  until  free  from  acid.  It  is  then  reduced  in  apparatus 
similar  in  construction  to  those  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  ani- 
line. For  this  purpose,  600  kilos,  of  air-dried  nitronaphthalene  are 
added  gradually  to  a  mixture  of  800  kilos^  of  iron  borings  and  40 
kilos,  of  hydrochloric  acid,  the  temperature  being  regulated  by  the  in- 
troduction of  the  nitro-product,  so  that  it  is  about  50°.  When  all 
the  nitronaphthalene  has  been  put  in,  the  operation  is  continued  for 
6-8  hours,  the  temperature  being  kept  at  50°.  At  the  end  of  the  re- 
duction, milk  of  lime  is  stirred  into  the  mass,  and  the  contents  are 
transferred  to  shallow  iron  trays,  and  distilled  in  retorts  constructed 
to  carry  several  tiers  of  trays.  The  distillation  is  assisted  by  the  in- 
troduction of  super-heated  steam.  A  black  oil  is  obtained  which  soli- 
difies on  cooling.  The  crude  product  is  purified  by  rectification  in 
wrought  iron  stills  which  are  heated  directly  by  the  fire.  Naphthyla- 
mine  comes  over  as  an  almost  colorless  oil,  which  is  poured  into 
moulds  to  solidify,  when  it  forms  crystalline  cakes  which  are  light- 
gray,  or  nearly  white. 
The  author  is  of  opinion  that  the  reduction  of  nitronaphthalene  is 
effected  essentially  by  ferrous  chloride,  which  during  the  reaction  is 
converted  into  a  basic  chloride,  possibly  Fe2Cl40,  according  to  the 
following  equation  :— 24FeCl2+4C10H/NO2+4H2O  =  l2Fe2Cl40  + 
4C10H7'NH2.  The  basic  compound  is  then  attacked  by  the  excess  of 
iron,  and  reduced  to  ferrous  chloride  with  formation  of  ferrosoferric 
oxide,  thus:  12Fe2Cl40  +  9Fe  =  3Fe304  +  24FeCl2.  The  ferrous 
chloride  then  acts  on  a  further  portion  of  nitronaphthalene. 
As  commercial  naphthylamine  is  frequently  supposed  to  contain 
small  quantities  of  beta-compound,  the  author  has  made  a  series  of 
experiments,  the  results  of  which  showed  that  no  trace  of  ^-naphthyla- 
mine is  formed.  The  author  has,  however,  detected  the  presence  of  a 
base  in  crude  naphthylamine,  which,  judging  from  its  properties,  seems 
to  be  paranaphthylenediamine. 
Iodoform  in  Heart  Disease. — About  a  grain  in  four  pills,  one  to  be 
taken  every  two  hours,  has  rapidly  dissipated  the  functional  derangements 
dependent  on  valvular  disease.  The  experimental  results  obtained  in  dogs 
completely  demonstrate  that  iodoform  retards  cardiac  contraction. — Amer. 
Tract,  and  News. 
