PROFESSOR W0€1I,ER 0N IV.-On some New Compounds of Tellurethyl. (FROM A LETTER OF PROFESSOR W~~HLER TO DR. HOFMANN.) You are already acquainted with the fact that some experiments performed at my instigation by Dr. Mallet on telluride of ethyl,* have proved this body to comport itself like an organic radical like a metal in fact and to form both a basic oxide C H Te 0 and a cor-responding chloride C H Te C1. From the results you obtained by studying the action of iodide of ethyl upon ammonia the idea sug- gested itself that this new radical like ethyl methyl &c. might form a tellurethylamine corresponding to ethylamine. This idea has not up to the present time been confirmed by the experiments I have made 011this subject ; these experiments have led however to the discovery of various compounds which may be con- sidered as additional proofs of the radical character of telluride of ethyl and of which I now propose giving you a short account.may at the same time remark that there appears now a prospect of a more detailed investigation of these remarkable relations inas- much as Mr. A. Lowe of Vienna whom I also have to thank for * Ann. Ch.Pharm. LXXIX 223. SOME NEW COMPOUNDS OF TELLURETHYL. the material employed in these researches has invented an advan-tageous process by which tellurium till now so rare is obtained as a by-product in the working of the Transylvanian gold ores and can thus be introduced in commerce in larger quantity. 1. Oxychloride of Tellurethyl C H Te 0 +C H Te C1.-This body is produced when chloride of tellurethyl is dissolved in caustic ammonia or potash and the solution evaporated to crystallization.It is best to use ammonia as an excess does not decompose the product. The salt crystallizes easily as the excess of ammonia evaporates. Chloride of ammonium or of potassium remains in the mother-liquor. Oxychloride of tellurethyl forms very lustrous colourless six-sided prisms which on heating are decomposed tellurethyl being separated and metallic tellurium remaining behind. From hot alcohol parti- cularly it may be obtained in beautiful crystals. Hydrochloric acid precipitates from solutions of this substance colourless oily chloride of tellurethyl a small quantity of which with the excess of acid remain in solution.Sulphuric acid also precipitates chloride of tel- lurethyl while sulphate of oxide of tellurethyl remains in solution from which hydrochloric acid separates another portion of chloride of tellurethyl. Sulphurous acid precipitates from solutions of this oil a heavy dark yellow transparent oil a mixture of chloride of tellurethyl and of tellurethyl. From this behaviour and from the mode of its formation the composition of this body might have been anticipated; it was how-ever confirmed by analysis. This gave the following numbers Experiment. Theory. C H, Te C10. Carbon . . 19.94 20.89 Hydrogen . . 4-96 4.35 Tellurium . . 56-22 55.87 15.419 15-43 Chlorine . Oxygen . . 3.39 3.43 This body is therefore formed by the alkali replacing in two equivalents of chloride of tellurethyl half the chlorine by oxygen.2. Bromide of Tellurethyl,C H Te Br is formed when a solution of the above chlorine-compound or of nitrate of tellurethyl is mixed with hydrobromic acid. It separates as a pale yellow very heavy colourless oil. 3. Oxybromide of Tellwethyl C H Te 0+C H Te Br is ob- PROFESSOR W~~HLER 42 ON tained by dissolving the bromide in ammonia. It crystallizes in shining colourless prisms of the same form as the corresponding chlorine-compound with which it is perfectly analogous. 4. Iodide of Tellurethyl C H Te I may be formed by mixing a solution of nitrate or of oxychloride or oxybromide of tellurethyl with hydriodic acid. It is also formed when free chloride of tellur-ethyl is supersaturated with this acid a reaction which explains why in the decomposition of the oxychloride iodide of tellurethyl alone is produced instead of a compound of this body with the chloride.The salt separates in the form of a very fine yellow precipitate which on washing and drying becomes an orange-yellow powder. When heated in water it melts at 50' C. to a heavy yellowish-red liquid which on cooling solidifies to a yellowish-red opaque scaly frangible mass soluble in hot alcohol from which it crystallizes in long thin orange- yellow prisms. It is only sparingly soluble in water. When heated above its fusing-point it decomposes yielding a yellowish-red oil a black sublimate and metallic tellurium. If in its preparation a partially decomposed solution of h ydriodic acid is employed an almost blood-red precipitate is obtained containing most probably a higher iodide.5. Omjiodide of Tellurethyl C H Te 0+C H Te 1.-This body is prepared by dissolving the iodide in ammonia and allowing it to evaporate spontaneously. It crystallizes readily as the excess of ammonia volatilizes being readily soluble in this but only sparingly so in water; it forms pale yellow transparent prisms isomorphous with the corresponding chlorine and bromine-compounds ; the sur- face becomes orange-yellow on exposure to air. Hydrochloric acid separates from an aqueous solution of this body a yellowish-red heavy mixture of chloride and iodide of tellurethyl. Sulphuric acid precipitates orange-yellow iodide of tellurethyl ; from the filtrate hydrochloric acid afterwards separates colourless chloride of tellur- ethyl.Sulphurous acid precipitates from the solution of the com-pound an easily fusible semi-solid mixture of iodide of tellurethyl and tellurethyl. It was considered superfluous to analyse these compounds as their composition is clearly established by their behaviour and from their mode of formation. No compound could be obtained with cyanogen. 6. Hydrofluoric acid added to solutions of the oxychloride throws down chloride of tellurethyl a soluble fluorine-compound remaining in solution which may be crystallized by evaporation; the same com- pound is obtained from free oxide of tellurethyl and liydrofluoric SOME NEW COMPOUNDS OF TELLURETHYL.acid; a deportment in which fluorine again deviates much from the other salt-radicals. 7. Subhate of Oxide of TeZZurethyl,C,H,TeO.HO+ C,H,TeO. SO,. -This compound was obtained by adding a neutral’hot saturated solution of sulpbate of silver to a solution of recrystallized oxychloride of tellurethyl as long as chloride of silver was formed. The new salt crystallizes in groups of small short colourless prisms easily soluble in water. Sulphurous acid precipitates from its solution a yellow oily body of a most disagreeable odour. Chloride of barium preci- pitates sulphate of baryta and reproduces the oxychloride. The per- centage of sulphuric acid found was 15.10 the above formula requiring 15.91 per cent. 8. Oxalate of Oxide of Tellurethyl C H Te 0.HO +C H5Te 0.C 0, was obtained by digesting a hot saturated solution of the oxychloride with excess of oxalate of silver. The salt crystallizes in small groups of short colourless prisms difficultly soluble in water. On heating it fuses boils gives off much tellurethyl and a crystalline sublimate and leaves metallic tellurium. The percentage of oxalic acid found was 14.86 that of tellurium 51.31 ;the above formula requires respectively 14.56 and 51.87 per cent. These two salts which exhibit an acid reaction may therefore be considered as double salts consisting of the neutral sulphate or oxalate combined with hydrated oxide of tellurethyl. I leave it for the present undecided whether the base contained in them is identical with the one obtained by Mallet by direct oxidation of tellurethyl with nitric acid or by decomposition of the chlo- ride with oxide of silver or whether its atomic weight is doubled and the sulphate should be expressed thus C H, Te 0 +HO .SO,.9. Ozide of TeZ2urethyZ.-It appears impossible to solate the base without partial decomposition. It was tried in two ways-namely first by decomposing the oxychloride with freshly precipitated oxide of silver and secondly by precipitating the sulphate with hydrate of baryta. In both cases an alkaline solution of hydrated oxide of tellurethyl free from baryta and oxide of silver was obtained which however on evaporation on a water-bath always evolved an odour of tellurethyl and left at last a thick viscid mass of the consistence of turpentine which would not become solid and which at this stage of concentration suddenly decomposed with effervescence as if carbonate had been formed and was decomposed under these circumstances.When treated with acid the mass evolved carbonic acid at first but not after some time; it did not altogether dissolve again in water. With chloride of ammonium it evolved ammonia. Hydrochloric acid MR. W. M. WILLIAMS ON AN APPARATUS FOR precipitated from its solution oily chloride of tellurethyl. The oxide appears to be insoluble in a concentrated solution of potash; for if some of the crystalline oxychloride is heated with the latter colour- less oily drops separate which possess the odour of tellurethyl and redissolve on addition of water. In the next number of the ‘CAnnalen” you will find my researches on this subject in detail. As it is to be foreseen that these relations will recur with methyl and the other alcohol-radicals I have in consideration of the fecundity of this subject given a full account of the method of preparing telluride of potassium tellurethyl and chlo-ride of tellurethyl as a guide to those who may wish to pursue this investigation.