w 
138 ON BINOXALATE OF AMMONIA. 
should be assimilated, it may resume the equivalent of water, 
and reproduce the binoxalate of ammonia, from which it was 
formed. This return to its primitive state is effected by the 
action of water aided by the temperature of 100° C. 
Oxamic acid presents a remarkable analogy with oxaluric 
acid, which contains the elements of two equivalents of oxalic 
acid and one of urea, less one equivalent of water, and is con 
verted into oxalic acid and oxalate of urea by the action of 
boiling water. Beside, oxamic acid may be obtained from ox- 
alate of ammonia itself; this salt in fact changing into the bin- 
oxalate by the action of heat, ammonia being disengaged, and 
if the heat be well managed, leaves a residue containing oxa- 
mate of ammonia. 
M. Balard concludes his paper with important considera- 
tions on the nature of oxamethane and analogous compounds, 
which furnish oxalic ethers and divers alcohols. These com- 
pounds, which contain in their equivalent, the elements of an 
equivalent of oxamic acid, and an equivalent of ether, may be 
regarded, says he, as ordinary compound ethers, formed by 
oxamic acid; and experiment justifies this supposition. 
In fact, if, as MM. Dumas and Polydore Boullay did, we 
boil oxamethane with water, this compound is changed into 
alcohol and binoxalate of ammonia, but this salt is but a se- 
condary product of the reaction, of which the formation of 
oxamic acid is the direct result ; this is proven by submitting 
to ebullition an aqueous solution of oxamethane, to which 
weak ammonia is carefully added, drop by drop, so as to neu- 
tralize the acid developed by ebullition} then the liquor 
contains only oxamate of ammonia when the oxamethane has 
been decomposed. Precipitated by nitrate of silver, there is 
produced a gelatinous magma, which by its appearance, its 
solubility in hot water, and its analysis, may be recognised as 
oxamate of silver. F. Boudet. 
Journ. de Pharm. 
