+ 4H+ + 3e− → NO(↑) + 2H2O NO3− + 2H+ + 2e− → NO2− + H2O Hg22+ + 2NO2− → Hg2(NO2)2 (↓)(yellow crystals) This result was first published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. That was forthwith noticed by Nature magazine on 28 May 1896.Thermodynamically unstable mercurous nitrite survives because of its kinetic stability under the experimental condition of its preparation. Ammonium and alkylammonium nitrites Ammonium nitrite synthesis in pure form through double displacement ammonium between chloride and silver nitrite is one of the notable contributions of P. C. Ray. He proved that the pure ammonium nitrite is indeed stable by bring to pass a lot of experiments and explained then it can be sublimed even at 60 °C without decomposition. NH4Cl + AgNO2 → NH4NO2 + AgCl On a conference of the Chemical Society in London, he submitted the result. Nobel laureate William Ramsay congratulated him for his achievement. On 15 August 1912 Nature magazine published the news of 'ammonium nitrite in tangible form' and the determination of the vapour density of 'this very fugitive salt'. The Journal of Chemical Society, London published the experimental details in the same year. He prepared a lot of such compounds by double displacement. After that he worked on mercury alkyl- and mercury alkyl aryl-ammonium nitrites. RNH3Cl + AgNO2 → RNH3NO2 + AgCl He started a new Indian School of Chemistry in 1924. Ray was president of the 1920 session of the Indian Science Congress. He was a synthetic Inorganic chemist with active research in organic molecules and reactions more specifically to thio-organic compounds. The initial work that made him famous was based on the chemistry of inorganic and organic nitrites, he was regarded as “Master of Nitrites”. British Chemist, Henry H. Armstrong stated: ‘The way in which you have gradually made yourself “master of nitrites” is very interesting and the fact that you have established that as a class they are far from being the unstable bodies, chemists had supposed, is an important addition to our knowledge.’ Prafulla Chandra retired from the Presidency College in 1916, and joined the Calcutta University College of Science (also known as Rajabazar Science College) as its first "Palit Professor of Chemistry", a chair named after Taraknath Palit. Here also he got a dedicated team and he started working on compounds of gold, platinum, iridium etc. with mercaptyl radicals and organic sulphides. A