Composition and Constitution of Ethylenebiguanide

Abstract

IN a previous note on “A New Type of Complex Silver Compounds with Tervalent Silver”¹, the composition of ethylenebiguanide was represented as that given by Dittler² as, well as by Dübsky and co-workers³. This is, however, not correct. It has now been found that the so-called ethylenebiguanide, as prepared by us following the method described by Dittler and also by Dübsky and co-workers, is really an ethylene dibiguanide, En(BigH)₂, of the composition C₆N₁₀H₁₆. It behaves as a quadridentato molecule with four points of attachment to the central silver atom instead of being bidentate like the so-called ethylenebiguanide. This difference was not detected before, as we had no reason to suspect the composition of the compound and satisfied ourselves only with the estimation of nitrogen and sulphate in a sample of the substance, which, however, agreed with those given by Dübsky and co-workers. A subsequent estimation of carbon and water both in the substance under discussion and in its complex silver salt revealed this difference; 2 C₄N₅H₉.H₂SO₄ gives almost the same values for nitrogen and sulphate as C₆N₁₀H₁₆2H₂SO₄.1.5H₂O.