M. Boutlerow on the occurrence of Acrylic Acid. 381 



acid yielded acetic and butyric acids. Rigault* has recently sub- 

 mitted mucate of lime to fermentation, and has found that the 

 products were exactly the same as with citric acid. 



By the action of sodium-alcohol upon iodoform, iodide of me- 

 thylene is formed. Boutlerow, who examinedf this question, 

 has repeated J his experiments on a larger scale, and has found 

 that two organic acids are also formed. When the crude product 

 of the action was mixed with water, iodide of methylene was pre- 

 cipitated ; and when the supernatant liquor was distilled with 

 excess of tartaric acid, an acid distillate was obtained, which was 

 neutralized with soda and evaporated to dryness. On treating 

 this mass with hydrochloric acid, an oily liquid separated which 

 was submitted to fractional distillation. The first portion boiled 

 at a little over 100°. It was found to consist of acrylic acid. Its 

 silver salt had the characteristic serrated form of acrylate of silver, 

 and was reduced on boiling. The analytical results confirmed 

 this conclusion. 



The other portion of the distillate boiled between 195° and 

 198° ; but was decomposed by further rectification. It is a 

 colourless, thickish fluid, with a taste suggestive of both acetic 

 acid and Pelargonium zonale. It decomposes carbonates, and 

 forms with the alkalies and alkaline earths soluble crystalline 

 salts. It has the formula G 6 H 10 O 3 . Boutlerow considers it to 

 be analogous to Heintz's new acid§, and calls it valerolactic 

 acid. The small quantity formed has, however, prevented the 

 determination of this point. 



Gerhardt expressed the opinion that furfurol was the aldehyde 

 of pyromucic acid. Schwanert and Schulz have recently found || 

 that this hypothesis is correct. According to Schulz, furfurol 

 by treatment with oxide of silver is converted into pyromucate 

 of silver, with the separation of metallic silver. Schwanert has 

 found, on the other hand, that freshly prepared furfurol forms a 

 crystalline compound with alkaline bisulphites when it is mixed 

 with a concentrated solution and left to spontaneous evaporation 

 over sulphuric acid. 



By the destructive distillation of mucate of ammonium, Mala- 

 guti obtained a body of the formula Q b H 6 N 2 O, which he called 

 pyromucamide. Schwanert has investigated this body, and con- 

 siders it to be the amide of a new acid, carbopyrrolic acid. 



* Comptes Rendus, April 1860. 

 t Phil. Mag. vol. xviii. p. 28/. 

 % Liebig's Annalen, May 1860. 

 § Phil. Mag. vol. xix. p. 385. 

 || Liebig's Jnnalen, April 1860. 



