'*'vr'r-iW;J^S^y Drs. Blyth and Hofmann on Styrole, 



3?4c*££j>§tjpi;he vessel in a thin almost transparent layer, that can be 

 separated from the glass, and presents a most deceptive like- 

 ness to the thin membrane lining the shell of an egg. The 

 portion which has not been dissolved in the aether swells to 

 six or seven times its original volume. This mass contains, 



o 



when dried at the ordinary temperature, a large quantity of 

 uether, which is driven off only by heat. Turpentine oil also 

 dissolves traces of metastyrole ; sulphuric acid is in the cold 

 without action, but on the application of heat carbonizes the 

 metastyrole, with evolution of sulphurous acid. The action of 

 nitric acid will be presently mentioned. 



To obtain metastyrole completely pure, and in a condition 

 fit for analysis, advantage was taken of its relations to aether. 

 The vitreous mass was boiled in aether till it was completely 

 converted into the swollen gelatinous matter from which the 

 excess of aether was decanted ; this contains the unchanged 

 styrole that had remained in the resinous mass ; and after 

 heating the residue in a water-bath, to expel the aether, a 

 completely inodorous and tasteless white spongy mass was 

 left behind, which could be easily reduced to powder. This 

 powder was again boiled in alcohol, dried, and burned withj^ 

 chromate of lead. 



0-2955 grm. gave 0*9970 grm. of carbonic acid and 0*2130 

 grm, of water. Corresponding in 100 parts to — 



Carbon 92*05 



Hydrogen 8*00 



Styrole contains — 



Carbon 92*30 



Hydrogen 7*70 



This combustion is sufficiently decisive, but to remove all 

 doubt the following experiment was made. 



A portion of styrole was confined in a strong glass tube, her- 

 metically sealed by the blowpipe lamp, and placed in an oil- 

 bath, whose temperature was not allowed to rise above 200° C, 

 At the end of half an hour the styrole had completely changed 

 into metastyrole. The same result was obtained by sealing a 

 portion of it in small glass bulbs, in which scarcely a trace of 

 air was left, and submitting them to the temperature of boil- 

 ing water. On the second day the styrole had become thick, 

 and on the third solid. 



A bulb of the same size was exposed to the heat of the sun 

 in the hot summer months. The same transformation like- 

 wise took place ; but at this temperature it required three 

 weeks to produce the same effect as takes place almost imme- 



