86 Mr. T. G. Tilley on CEnanthal, its Compounds, 



alone can results be obtained which agree with each other. 

 The following analyses were made with different specimens 

 of the substance. 



I. 0*3340 substance gave 0*9750 carbonic acid and 0*3935 

 water. 



II. 0*0265 substance gave 0*7720 carbonic acid and 0*3280 

 water. 



100-00 100*00 1325 100*00 



The formula for this new body is then C 14 H 14 O ; and the 

 nature of the change is explained by supposing three atoms 

 of cenanthal decomposed by potash into one atom of cenan- 

 thylic acid and two atoms of the new body ; as — 



3 atoms of cenanthal . . = C 42 H 42 O e 

 — 1 atom cenanthylic hydrate = C 14 H ]4 4 



2 atoms of the new substance = C 28 H 28 2 



On examining the alkaline liquid washed from the mixture 

 of potash with cenanthal, as described above, it will be found 

 to contain cenanthylate of that base ; and on the addition of 

 one of the strong acids, cenanthylic acid is evolved, and in such 

 proportion as would be expected from the above change in 

 cenanthal, the cenanthylic acid amounting to about one-third 

 of the cenanthal employed. 



This isa parallel change to that which takesplace when moist 

 chlorine gas is passed through the oil of bitter almonds, and 

 the compound BzOHO-f 2BzH, or the benzoate of the hy- 

 druret of benzoyle formed. In the present case, however, the 

 body formed is decomposed by the greater attraction of the 

 potash for the cenanthylic acid, and the compound above de- 

 scribed, which I shall now call hydruret of cenanthyle, C J4 H 13 

 O + H, is set free. Or cenanthal may be considered as a 

 compound of cenanthylic acid and hydruret of cenanthyle. 



When I had almost finished the examination of this sub- 

 stance, a memoir by Mr. Williamson [Ann, der Chemie, vol. lxi. 

 p. 3S) on the same subject fell into my hands. There is suf- 

 ficient similarity between the results found by that gentleman 

 and the numbers here published. The deficiency in carbon 

 and the irregularity of the substance produced, arise partly 

 from the difficulty of combustion of, and partly from the pre- 

 sence of potash in, the substance analysed by him. For it is 



