552 Royal Society, 



body homologous to hydrate of phenyle may be obtained from the 

 crude creosote, in fact the next term of the series above hydrate of 

 phenyle itself. Some qualities of commercial creosote contain a 

 greater quantity of this hydrate of cresyle (as it may be termed) than 

 others ; and it is most advantageously prepared from those portions 

 which in the first distillation come over between 200° Cent, and 220°. 

 After a great number of fractional distillations, a colourless, highly 

 dispersive liquid is obtained, boiling at 203° Cent., and possessing 

 the composition represented by the formula C'''H80^. 



This hydrate of cresyle resembles the corresponding phenyle com- 

 pound in most of its properties ; but it may be easily distinguished 

 from that compound by its almost complete insolubility in aqueous 

 ammonia. 



When gradually mixed with sulphuric acid, it becomes of a beau- 

 tiful rose-colour, and gives rise to sulpho-cresylic acid. 



The action of nitric acid upon hydrate of cresyle is very violent, 

 and almost explosive if the acid is used in a concentrated state and 

 at so high a temperature as the common atmospheric ; even very 

 dilute nitric acid transforms the compound into a brown tarry mass 

 from which no definite substance can be extracted. By cooling 

 some nitric acid in a frigorific mixture and allowing some similarly 

 cooled hydrate to fall into it drop by drop and with constant agita- 

 tion, a red-coloured solution was obtained, which by dilution with 

 water and subsequent neutralization by potash yielded a crop of 

 short needle-shaped crystals of an orange-red colour, and possessing 

 a greater solubility in water than the salt of carbazotic acid. This 

 salt was found by analysis to possess the composition of a homologue 

 of carbazotate of potash ; so that it is the potash salt of a hydrate 

 of cresyle in which three atoms of hydrogen are replaced by hypo- 

 nitric acid, TT4 



C«* ^ O, KO. 

 (N0*)3 



The same acid was obtained by the action of nitric acid upon an 

 alcoholic solution of the hydrate containing urea ; but in attempting 

 to repeat this experiment on a larger scale the mixture became hot, 

 and the whole of the substance was destroyed with almost explosive 

 violence. 



When treated with pentachloride of phosphorus this hydrate of 

 cresyle is decomposed in like manner with the hydrate of phenyle, as 

 described by Mr. Scrugham, yielding a chloride of cresyle and a 

 phosphate of the same radical. 



By the action of this phosphate in an alcoholic solution of acetate 

 of potash, a peculiar oleaginous body is obtained possessing an odour 

 entirely diflPerent from that of the hydrate, and decomposable by 

 potash with production of acetate and cresylate. 



A similar reaction ensues when the phosphate is distilled with 

 aethylate of potash, and a cresylate of sethyle is thus obtained. 



In the numerous distillations which were performed for the puri- 

 fication of the hydrate of cresyle, some circumstances were obser\'ed 

 which led to a suspicion that the body undergoes a change of 



