%SQ Dr. J. Sttenhouse on ike Action of Chlorine 



had ceased to yield oil to any considerable extent, it was trans- 

 ferred into a flask and boiled with a large additional quantity 

 of a solution of bleaching powder, so as to ensure the com- 

 plete decomposition of the cinnamic acid. The boiling was 

 continued till every trace of the oil had been removed. A 

 sediment slowly formed in the liquor consisting of carbon- 

 ate of lime and resinous matter united to lime : the liquid 

 was filtered in order to separate this precipitate : the clear 

 liquid contained a soluble salt of lime united to an organic 

 crystallizable acid. The lime-salt is exceedingly soluble, but 

 does not crystallize, and forms, when concentrated, a shining 

 transparent pellicle on the surface of the liquor. The salt was 

 decomposed by an excess of muriatic acid, and digested till 

 all the chlorine was driven off. As the liquor cooled, the acid 

 precipitated in white voluminous flocks ; these were collected 

 and washed with cold water to I'emove adhering muriatic 

 acid. The crystals usually contain a little adhering resinous 

 matter, from which they may be easily purified by repeated 

 crystallizations. When the acid is heated in a quantity of 

 water too small for its complete solution, it melts into an oily 

 liquid, and in this respect differs from benzoic acid and re- 

 sembles cinnamic acid : cold water dissolves very little of it, 

 but it is tolerably soluble in boiling water, especially when the 

 boiling is continued for some time. It is much less soluble 

 than benzoic acid, however, and a good deal of it remains dis- 

 solved in the mother liquors. The acid dissolves very rea- 

 dily, both in alcohol and in aether. Water precipitates it from 

 its alcoholic solution. When left to spontaneous evaporation, 

 it readily crystallizes in small needles, which cross each other 

 and form stars; they have a silky lustre. Its smell is dis- 

 agreeable when it is impure, a little resembling that of naph- 

 thaline, but it diminishes as the acid grows purer, and at last 

 wholly ceases : its taste is sharp and bitter, and affects the 

 throat like benzoic acid. When gently heated, it melts and 

 sublimes in crystals; when very highly heated, it catches fire 

 and burns with a greenish flame, emitting much smoke. This 

 led me to suspect that the acid contained chlorine, and on 

 neutralizing a little of it with potash, treating the salt destruc- 

 tively, neutralizing it with nitric acid and testing it with nitrate 

 of silver, I obtained a copious precipitate of chloride of silver. 

 The acid itself produces no precipitate in a solution of nitrate 

 of silver, but when it is neutralized by an alkali, a white floc- 

 culent precipitate appears. This precipitate is pretty soluble 

 in boiling water, though much less so than benzoate of silver, 

 but I was unable to obtaifi it in crystals. The acid gives no 

 precipitate with acetate of lead, but a pretty dense precipitate 



