1858.] Organic Bodies without the agency of Vitality. 541 



3. The like replacement of three atoms of oxygen in carbonic 

 acid, produces an ether, thus : — 



4. The like replacement of all the atoms of oxygen in carbonic 

 acid, produces a radical, a hydride of a radical, or a double radical, 

 thus :— 



Hydride of Methyl. 



The authors of this hypothesis now attempted to verify it by 

 direct experiment. They endeavoured to avail themselves of the 

 powerful affinities of zinc-ethyl, in order to effect the substitution of 

 oxygen in carbonic acid, and sulphur in bisulphide of carbon, 

 by ethyl ; these attempts were, however, at best only partially suc- 

 cessful ; the re-agent, the zinc-ethyl, was not sufficiently powerful to 

 rival the action of plants in the decomposition of carbonic acid ; and 

 its eflfects upon bisulphide of carbon resulted in the production 

 of a number of organic bodies containing sulphur ; and although one 

 of these appeared to have the formula of sulphopropionic acid 

 (C« H5 Sa + II S), yet its complete separation and purification pre- 

 sented such difficulties, that it would have been hazardous to rely 

 upon it as a proof of the correctness of their hypothesis. In short, 

 the verification of these views was not permitted to their authors, 

 but was reserved for Mr. Wanklyn, who, in his newly-discovered 

 sodium and potassium compounds of the organic radicals, came 

 into possession of re-agents, which enabled him at once to effect the 

 desired substitutions. His memoir on the production of propionic 

 acid by the action of sodium-ethyl upon carbonic acid,* which has 

 just been communicated to the Chemical Society, proves the first 

 proposition of a hypothesis, which considerably simplifies our views 

 of the molecular structure of organic bodies, and which, if proved 

 to be throughout correct, cannot fail to enable us greatly to increase 

 the number of organic compounds capable of being procured from 

 their elements without the intervention of vitality. 



The speaker then referred to the following list of important 



♦ This conversion of carbonic acid ii\to propionic acid, was experimentally- 

 demonstrated, and the remarkable properties of sodium-ethyl and potassinm- 

 ethyl were also exhibited. 



Vol. II. 2 p 



