on Alcohol at common Temperatures. 369 



glyoxylic acid. In all cases small quantities of oxalio acid were 

 also produced :— 



C^H^O^ + = CMI^O^ -f- H^O 



Glyoxylic acid, i:) Oxalic acid. Water. 



The great facility with which glyoxylic acid, under the in- 

 fluence of the strong bases_, resolves itself into gly colic and oxalic 

 acids and water, would lead to the view that it was composed of 

 these three substances, and* that its salts were merely double 

 salts of oxalic and glycolic acids. The formula of the lime-salt 

 would be accordinglyi-ii^''^ J ^^-^^ 'jjsf^ii^oiis o^ y.h- 



■ ] C2 H Ca 6<f'"i i^s'lis itja 0^' 4. h^ q 



r.'aJ fiOL* Bfitioxalate of liine. Glycolate of Ume. Water. 



K o\?ov *^ ■ » ' 



'osiIJjRJ^Xia 0^ -U^m ,cplyo3tylateofHme, 



8«.8fTI yUo fTB f'tTP fv.t'^f^i • or 



lfH« '^((t mIc^ Ca Ca 0* + C^ H^ H 0^ + H^ O 

 . fntrrggfiVir Oxalate of Hme. Glycolic acid. Water. 



Gly oxy late of lime. 



In order to decide this question, I tried to form glyoxylic acid 

 from water, glycolic and oxalic acids. These substances were 

 mixed together, allowed to stand for some time, then exposed to 

 a high temperature, and finally saturated with carbonate of lime. 



In some other experiments, oxalic acid in different quantities, 

 one time in excess, ^another time sparingly, was mixed with gly- 

 colate of lime. In one experiment the mixture was allowed to 

 stand for some days at the ordinary temperature, in another it 

 was evaporated nearly to dryness. But all these experiments 

 did not lead to the formation of glyoxylic acid. I obtained only 

 unaltered oxalic and glycolic acids and water. Oxalic acid takes 

 away all the lime from glyoxylate of lime. If the latter con- 

 tained already oxalate of lime, such a result would be highly 

 improbable. A strong solution of glyoxylate of ammonia gene- 

 rates carbonic acid on boiling, and becomes brown. Glycolate 

 of ammonia, mixed with an equivalent quantity of oxalic acid or 

 binoxalate of ammonia, may be boiled and heated till all the 

 water is expelled, without undergoing the least change. 



All these facts do not agree with the view that glyoxylic acid 

 contains oxalic acid already formed. 



The volatility of glyoxylic acid by the heat of the water-bath, 

 and its apparent incapability of forming salts containing for 

 one atom of metal more than two atoms of carbon, induce me to 

 adopt for it the formula C^ H^ 0^, and not C^ H^ 0^ . 



