§ 660. Iso-amylamine, (CH3)2CH.CH2.CH2.NH2, is a colourless alkaline liquid, possessing a peculiar odour. It boils at 97°-98°. It forms a deliquescent hydrochloride. The platinochloride crystallises in golden yellow plates.
Iso-amylamine occurs in the putrefaction of yeast, and is a normal constituent of cod-liver oil. It is intensely poisonous, producing convulsions.
Diamines.
§ 661. Rate of Formation of Diamines.—Diamines are formed in putrefactive processes, generally where there is abundance of nitrogen. Garcia[660] has attempted to trace the rates at which they are formed by allowing meat extracts to decompose, precipitating by benzoyl chloride (see [p. 487]) the dibenzoyl compound, and weighing; the following were the results obtained:—
[660] Zeit. f. physiol. Chemie, xvii. 6. 571.
| Time. | Weight of benzoyl compound. | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours, | 0·56 | grm. |
| 2 days, | 0·75 | „ |
| 3 days, | 0·82 | „ |
| 4 days, | 0·73 | „ |
| 5 days, | 0·57 | „ |
| 6 days, | 0·58 | „ |
§ 662. Ethylidenediamine.—Brieger found in putrid haddock, in the filtrate from the mercury chloride precipitate:—gadinine, neuridine, a base isomeric with ethylenediamine C2H8N2 (but which Brieger subsequently more or less satisfactorily identified with ethylidenediamine), muscarine, and triethylamine; these bases were separated as follows:—