Am.  Jour.  Phara. 
Jan.,  i£8o. 
Commercial  Trimethylamin, 
33 
COMMERCIAL  TRIMETHYLAMIN. 
By   E.  DUVILLIER  AND   A.  BUISINE. 
Commercial  trimeihylamin  prepared  by  the  dry  distillation  of  beet 
molasses,  contains  other  .  substances  besides  trimethyLimin.  It  is  free 
from  ammonia,  and  when  treated  with  oxalic  ether  yields  a  dense  white 
precipitate.  The  filtrate  concentrated  by  distillation  yields  a  further  pre- 
cipitate. These  two  precipitates  are  mixed,  and  separated  by  boiling 
water  into  three  portions,  one  which  is  insoluble  in  hot  water,  but 
which  melts  and  floats  on  the  surface  of  the  liquid,  and  solidifies  like 
wax  on  cooling  ;  another  more  soluble  in  hot  water  than  the  first  ;  and 
a  third  still  more  soluble,  especially  in  hot  water. 
The  first  body,  which  is  di-isobutyloxamide,  after  recrystallization 
from  alcohol,  is  obtained  in  pearly  needles,  which  melt  in  boiling  water. 
The  free  base  has  a  slightly  aromatic  odor,  and  yields  a  platinochloride 
crystallizing  in  orange-colored  plates,  and  slightly  soluble  in  water. 
The  second  product  crystallizes  from  alcohol  in  pearly  needles  (m. 
p.  110°),  and  consists  of  dipropyloxamide.  The  free  base  gives  an 
orange  colored  precipitate  with  platinum  chloride. 
By  recrystallizing  the  third  product  from  waterand  alcohol,  a  granu 
lar  substance  is  obtained,  intermediate  between  dipropyloxamide  and 
dimethyl'jxamide.  The  presence  of  the  former  body  is  probably  the 
cause  of  the  latter  not  crystallizing  in  the  ordinary  manner.  This 
body  when  decomposed  with  potash  yields  a  base  which  forms  a  golden- 
yellow  precipitate  with  platinum  chloride,  possessing  all  the  properties  of 
the  methylamin  compound  described  by  Wurtz  ("Ann.  Chem.  Phys." 
[3],  30,  457),  and  wi.th  which  the  results  of  the  analyses  correspond. 
The  bodies  not  precipitated  by  oxalic  ether  consist  of  di-  and  tri- 
methylamin,  and  are  contained  in  the  mother-liquors  (residue  and  dis- 
tillate). The  bases  are  distilled  and  collected  in  absolute  alcohol,  and 
the  solution  treated  with  oxalic  ether.  When  the  reaction  has  ceased, 
the  liquid  is  distilled,  and  the  unatracked  base  which  distils  over  con- 
sists of  trimethylamin  . 
The  residue  is  dissolved  in  water,  and  caustic  baryta  is  added  ;  barium 
oxalate  is  precipitated,  which  is  separated,  and  the  excess  of  baryta 
precipitated  with  carbonic  anhydride.  The  filtrate  is  evaporated,  and 
the  residue  dissolved  in  alcohol  at  80°.  On  cooling,  an  amorphous 
mass  is  left,  perfectly  insoluble  in  absolute  alcohol,  but  very  soluble  in 
3 
