24 
Bisulphide  of  Carbon. 
Am .  .1  our.  Pharmx. 
Jan.,  1883. 
ON  BISULPHIDE  OF  CARBON.  * 
By  L.  H.  Friedburg,  Ph.  D. 
Several  years  ago  I  published  some  notes  on  bisulphide  of  carbon 
(^^Berichte  d.d.  ch.  Ges.,"  viii,  1616)  to  which  I  shall  add  to  day  a  few 
more  observations.  Then  and  there  I  showed  how  to  clean  the  bisul- 
phide by  means  of  fuming  nitric  acid,  and  that  the  vapors  of  nitrous 
acid,  of  nitrogen  dioxyde,  of  sulphurous  acid,  etc.,  etc.,  were  taken  up 
and  invariably  retained  by  the  bisulphide.  Dry  bisulphide  of  carbon 
serves  as  a  very  good  conveyance  for  the  reaction  of  such  gases  and 
vapors  in  a  dry  state  on  each  other  and  on  other  substances.  The  only 
disagreeable  feature  in  this  regard  is  that  carbon  bisulpliide  in  most 
cases  also  enters  the  reaction,  forming  very  undesirable  products,  and 
sometimes  only  such,  sulphur  containing,  products  are  formed,  in 
any  notable  quantity.  The  following  reactions  are  the  only  three 
I  wish  to  m(!ntioD,  as  they  may  prove  germs  for  further  investigations. 
1.  Bisulphide  of  carbon  charged  with  the  vapors  of  nitrogen  dioxyde 
and  then  mixed  with  pure  benzol,  forms  amongst  other  products  large^ 
broad  crystals  of  dinitro-benzol,  melting  at  -f  8^°^!.  These  crystals 
are  formed  after  standing  a  considerable  time,  and  after  the  partial 
evaporation  of  the  mixed  liquids  at  summer  heat. 
2.  I  think  that  great  interest  is  attached  to  the  reaction  of  the  afore- 
mentioned liquids  in  direct  sunlight.  The  brown  vapors  begin  to  disappear 
without  escaping  from  the  narrow  neck  of  the  very  large  flask,  in  which 
such  experiments  take  place,  and  in  proportion  as  they  disappear,  small 
white  crystals  begin  to  cover  the  sides  of  the  flask  within.  This  cover- 
ing principally  takes  place  above  the  edge  of  the  liquid  on  the  bare 
glass.  The  crystals  could  not  be  analyzed,  because  they  decomposed 
when  brought  in  contact  with  air,  yielding  then  NOg  and  benzol.  It 
is  not  entirely  out  of  the  way  to  suppose  that  in  this  case  addition 
products  formed,  analogous  to  benzol-hexachloride  =  CgHgClg,  so  that 
the  white  crystals  in  this  case  might  be  either  CgHg(N02)4  or  CgHg^ 
(]S[02)6,  which  of  course  needs  further  investigation. 
3.  A  very  pretty  reaction  takes  place  when  bisulphide  of  carbon 
charged  with  dry  sulphurous  acid  gas,  and  the  same  medium  charged 
with  nitrogen  dioxyde  (which  was  not  free  from  nitrous  acid)  are 
brought  together.  This  reaction  might  be  used  as  a  lecture  experi- 
ment. Keeping  the  vessels  cool  and  dry  (I  generally  use  a  spacious 
beaker)  white  crystals  very  readily  form  in  considerable  quantity^ 
