ON AQUA REGIA. 
263 
toxide of benzin with nitric acid, appears from the fact, that 
when the solution of this salt in the nitrous acid is allowed to 
boil, the protoxide of benzin is converted into the oxide of 
benzin, and the salt (C 12 H 10 O*+2N) is formed. 
29. Toluin, by being treated with boiling nitrous acid, like- 
wise forms nitrite of oxide of toluin ; whereas the nitrite of 
protoxide of toluin is formed, if the above treatment takes 
place at the common temperature (Deville.) 
30. If naphthalin is allowed to boil with nitric acid until 
the oil formed on the surface of the liquid ceases to exhibit the 
properties of naphthalin, according to Laurent, the combination 
(C 20 H 14 +Nj is obtaiued. To this Berzelius objects, that if 
the said combination would be thus constituted, the nitrite of 
oxide of ethyl ought to be considered as consisting of 
(C 4 H 10 +'K!) 
To this I add, that under similar circumstances the paranaph- 
thalin yields a combination free from nitrogen, and that if the 
action of the nitric acid be somewhat longer continued, the 
nitronaphthalese would be converted into nitrite of oxide of 
naphthyl 2(C 10 H 7 + N) = C 20 H 14 CM + 2N.)* In the same man- 
ner as nitrite of the protoxide of benzin or toluin, under simi- 
lar circumstances are respectively converted into the oxides of 
benzin jand toluin. The nitronaphthalese (C 20 H"O + N) and 
the nitronaphthalese (C 20 H !1 OM-2N) are, therefore,~saline 
combinations, which may be respectively called the nitrites of 
protoxide and of oxide of naphthyl, designating, by the term 
naphthyl the radical, C 20 H 14 of naphthalin. 
31. It appears from the above instances, that by the com- 
bined influence of the application of heat, and the action of 
either the nitric or the hyponitric acids, an oxide of a radical 
may be raised to a higher stage of oxidation. This radical, 
* From the analysis of this combination resulted 2-90 of hydrogen. 
According to calculation it ought to have been only 2*41, supposing in 
the combination to be present six atoms of hydrogen for ten atoms of 
carbon. But 2-41 : 2 90 : : 6 : 772, it follows that the empirical formu- 
la is not C™H«N 2 Oi, but 2C^H 7 N2O4=C20HiWO 8 . 
