296 
ON  SULPHATE  OF  ANILIN. 
moderate  the  reaction.  The  resulting  liquid  should  he  washed 
first  with  water,  then  with  a  weak  solution  of  carbonate  of  soda, 
and  finally  with  water.  I  have  found  no  difficulty  in  making  it 
oil  a  small  scale  by  simply  pouring  slowly  the  two  ingredients 
through  a  small  glass  funnel,  passing  through  a  cork  into  a  pre- 
cipitating glass  without  any  refrigeration,  except  that  caused  by 
contact  with  the  vessel.  The  benzole  used  was  obtained  from  At- 
wood  &  Co.,  Waltham,  Mass.,  but  benzole  sufficiently  pure 
for  this  use  is  now  made  in  Philadelphia.  As,  however,  nitro- 
benzole  is  an  article  of  commerce  under  the  name  of  essence  de 
mirbane,  or  artificial  oil  of  bitter  almonds,  it  will  probably  be 
more  easy  to  commence  with  this  substance,  which  is  transformed 
into  anilin  by  several  processes. 
Preparation  of  Anilin. — Anilin  is  prepared  from  nitroben- 
zole,  1st,  by  the  action  of  sulphide  of  ammonium,  on  its  alcoholic 
solution ;  2d,  by  the  action  of  nascent  hydrogen  when  it  is  put 
in  a  vessel  containing  diluted  sulphuric  or  muriatic  acid  and  zinc, 
whereby  that  gas  is  slowly  generated,  gradually  producing 
anilin,  which  combines  with  the  excess  of  acid,  and  a  resinous 
matter.  The  liquid  thus  obtained  is  saturated  with  caustic 
soda  and  distilled,  when  anilin  and  water  are  condensed.  On 
trying  this  process  it  proved  slow  and  troublesome  and  waste- 
ful. 3d.  Wobler's  process  by  the  action  of  a  hot  alkaline  solution 
of  arsenious  acid,  the  nitrobenzole  being  dropped  in  slowly,  at 
once  yields  anilin,  which  distills,  over ;  when  by  precipitating  it 
with  oxalic  acid  and  washing  with  alcohol,  a  pure  oxalate  results. 
4th.  The  process  of  Bechamp  (Annal.  de  Chim.  et  de  Phys.  serie 
3d,  xlii.  p.  186,)  by  distilling  together  nitrobenzole,  iron  filings, 
and  acetic  acid,  is  suggested  as  the  most  eligible  one  for  the 
pharmaceutist,  with  the  proper  precaution  of  using  good  ma- 
terials and  having  thorough  refrigeration  to  insure  the  rapid 
condensation  of  the  vapors. 
Take  of  Nitrobenzole,  ....        1000  grains. 
Iron  filings,    ....        1200  " 
Concentrated  Acetic  acid,  .        1000  " 
Put  the  iron  filings  and  nitro-benzole  into  a  quart  tubulated 
retort,  adapt  it  to  a  receiver,  and  connect  the  receiver  by  a  bent 
tube  with  a  deep  small-necked  flask,  into  which  it  reaches  nearly 
to  the  bottom.  Having  well  refrigerated  the  neck  of  the  retort, 
