Sulph-hydrate  of  Chloral. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t     Aug.  1, 1872. 
great  distance.  It  is  soluble  in  all  proportions  in  anhydrous  alcohol, 
ether,  and  chloroform.  In  the  presence  of  water  it  is  slowly  decom- 
posed, with  a  deposit  of  sulphur,  the  formation  of  sulphuretted  hy- 
drogen, which  is  given  off,  hydrochloric  acid  and  chloral  hydrate, 
which  are  found  in  the  water,  and  a  small  quantity  of  a  liquid  which 
is  deposited  and  has  the  appearance  of  tetrachloride  of  carbon.  It 
is  certain  that  in  the  presence  of  water  the  reaction  is  very  complex, 
because  the  sulphuretted  hydrogen  exercises  its  reducing  action  upon 
the  compound  C4HC1302,*  as  is  shown  by  the  deposit  of  sulphur  and 
the  formation  of  hydrochloric  acid  and  chloride  of  carbon. 
Under  the  influence  of  the  hydrated  alkalies  or  solution  of  ammo- 
nia, the  reaction  in  the  cold  is  rapid ;  the  liquid  is  colored  yellowish- 
brown,  and  chloroform  is  deposited.  The  solution  contains  sulph-hy- 
drate of  sulphide  of  the  alkaline  metal  and  formiate,  and  chloride  of 
the  same  base.  This  reaction,  analogous  to  that  presented  by  chloral 
hydrate,  and  in  which  the  formation  of  the  chloride  is  secondary,  may 
be  represented  by  the  following  equation  : 
C4HC1302,2HS  H-  2  (KO,HO  =  C2HC13  + 
C2HK04  +  KS,HS  +  2HO.* 
Submitted  to  the  action  of  concentrated  nitric  acid,  sulph-hydrate 
of  chloral  oxidizes  rapidly,  the  disengagement  of  nitrous  vapors  is 
intense,  and  the  reaction  should  be  practiced  upon  small  quantities  at 
a  time.  Sulphuric  acid  is  found  in  the  liquid,  and  trichloracetic  acidr 
the  presence  of  which  may  be  easily  shown  in  the  production  of  chlo- 
roform by  the  addition  of  potash,  and  which  the  author  has  isolated 
by  distillation.  This  reaction  may  be  expressed  by  the  following 
equation : 
C4HC1302,2HS  +  4(N05HO)  = 
C4HC1304  +  2(S04H)  +  3N02  +  N04  +  4HO 
Concentrated  sulphuric  acid  has  no  marked  action  in  the  cold  ;  with 
heat  there  is  production  of  anhydrous  chloral,  disengagement  of  sul- 
phuretted hydrogen  and  sulphurous  acid,  and  deposit  of  sulphur. 
By  oxidizing  this  substance  carefully  writh  nitric  acid,  adding  chlo- 
rate of  potash  at  the  end  of  the  reaction,  and  then  estimating  the  sul- 
phuric acid  produced  as  sulphate  of  baryta,  it  was  found  as  the  mean 
of  three  analyses  that  0*50  grams  gave  0*635  grams  of  sulphate  of 
*C=6;  0=8;  S=16. 
