M. Wurtz on Oxide of Ethylene, 291 



£ 2 H 4 -. 

 G 2 H 4 



4(G 2 H 4 0) + € 4 H 6 3 = G 2 H 4 ^O 5 . 



Oxide of Anhydrous € 2 H 4 

 ethylene. acetic acid. (C 2 H 8 0) 2 ^ 



Tetrethylenic acetate. 

 The last two bodies, when saponified by baryta, give respectively 

 triethylenic alcohol, > tt 2 fO 4 , and 



tetrethylenic alcohol, vT JH V0 5 . 



Thus one, two, three, or four atoms of oxide of ethylene can 

 unite with one atom of anhydrous acetic acid (which is equiva- 

 lent to two atoms of hydrated acetic acid) to form in the first 

 case a neutral acetate (diacetate of glycol) ; in the other cases 

 acetates, more and more basic, which give rise to more and more 

 complicated polyethylenic alcohols. The same acetates are 

 formed by the action of ordinary acetic acid on oxide of ethylene, 

 but in this case water is eliminated. 



Oxide of ethylene unites directly with diacetate of glycol 

 (ethylenic acetate) to form polyethylenic acetates — a reaction per- 

 fectly comparable to the transformation of acetate of lead into 

 basic acetate when the neutral salt is digested with oxide of 

 lead. Thus : 



€ 2 H 4 + £5* lo 2 = € 2 H 4 lo». 

 Oxide of \\j* ^ J (€ 2 H 3 Q) 2 J 



ethylene. ^~ Diethylenic acetate. 



The basic properties of oxide of ethylene are well seen in its 

 action on salts. 



Oxide of ethylene mixes with a concentrated solution of chlo- 

 ride of magnesium j but after some time the mixture solidifies, 

 magnesia is precipitated, and hydrochlorate of oxide of ethylene 

 is formed. This latter body is decomposed by potash, with the 

 formation of chloride of potassium and disengagement of oxide 

 of ethylene. Consequently oxide of ethylene displaces magnesia 

 from its compounds, but is in turn displaced by potash. 



Oxide of ethylene precipitates hydrated sesquioxide of iron 

 from a solution of perchloride. It precipitates alumina from a 

 solution of alum, and subsulphate of copper from a solution of 

 the sulphate. 



Its basic properties are thus seen to be very distinct. Capable 

 of neutralizing acids, of forming combinations with excess of 

 base, and of displacing certain oxides, oxide of ethylene consti- 

 tutes a true organic base, an alkaloid without nitrogen. 



