INDABA

indaba, a zulu-bantu word, formed from the inflexional prefix _in_ and _daba_, business, news, for an important conference held by the "indunas" or principal men of the kaffir (zulu-xosa) tribes of south africa. such "indabas" may include only the "indunas" of a particular tribe, or may be held with the representatives of other tribes or peoples. indazoles (benzopyrazoles), organic substances containing the ring system /\/ ch \ | | \ nh. \/\ n / the parent substance indazole, c7h6n2, was obtained by e. fischer (_ann._ 1883, 221, p. 280) by heating ortho-hydrazine cinnamic acid, /ch = ch·cooh c6h4 / = c2h4o2 + c7h6n2. \ nh·nh2 it has also been obtained by heating ortho-diazoaminotoluene with acetic acid and benzene (f. heusler, _ber._, 1891, 24, p. 4161). / ch3 c6h4 / = c7h7nh2 + c7h6n2. \ n:n nhc7h7 it crystallizes in needles (from hot water), which melt at 146.5° c. and boil at 269°-270° c. it is readily soluble in hot water, alcohol and dilute hydrochloric acid. nitrous acid converts it into nitrosoindazole; whilst on heating with the alkyl iodides it is converted into alkyl indazoles. a series of compounds isomeric with these alkyl derivatives is known, and can be considered as derived from the ring system /\/ nh \ | | \ n. \/\ ch // these isomers are called _isindazoles_, and may be prepared by the reduction of the nitroso-ortho-alkylamino-acetophenones with zinc dust and water or acetic acid. the indazoles are weak bases, which crystallize readily. phenyl indazole, on reduction with sodium and absolute alcohol, gives a dihydro derivative (k. l. paal, _ber._, 1891, 24, p. 963). for other derivatives, see e. fischer and j. tafel, _ann._ 1885, 227, p. 314. indemnity (through fr. _indemnite_, lat. _indemnis_, free from damage or loss; _in_-, negative, and _damnum_, loss), in law, an undertaking, either express or implied, to compensate another for loss or damage, or for trouble or expense incurred; also the sum so paid (see contract; and insurance: _marine_). an act of indemnity is a statute passed for the purpose either of relieving persons from disabilities and penalties to which they have rendered themselves liable or to make legal transactions which, when they took place, were illegal. an act or bill of indemnity used to be passed every session by the english parliament for the relief of those who had unwittingly neglected to qualify themselves in certain respects for the holding of offices, &c., as, for example, justices, without taking the necessary oaths. the promissory oaths act 1868 rendered this unnecessary.