OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 339 



or that they are the ketone acids, 



yo yo 



Vh yn 



CO CO 



I I 



COOH COOH, 



formed from them by the ordinarily observed molecular rearrangement. 



While a satisfactory explanation of the persistent dibasic character 

 of the two acids can hardly be found in these formulae, the formation 

 of dibasic salts from either cannot be pronounced impossible, and no 

 definite argument in favor of either formula can be based upon this 

 behavior. 



The ready and complete saponification of the ether of the two acids 

 with the formation of the original dibasic metallic salts seems on the 

 other hand an insurmountable objection to the ketone formula. The 

 diethyl ethers of the ketone acids, 



|0 TO 



^ Br ^ CI 



I \C2Hs I \C2H5 



CO CO 



I I 



COOC2H5 CO.OC2H5, 



must of necessity yield upon saponification homologous monobasic acids, 



pH ^H 



yo yo 



J. Br ' CI 



CO CO 



I I 



COOH COOH, 



unless indeed a complete destruction of the molecule ensues. 



We are therefore unable to resist the conclusion, that mucoxy- 

 bromic and mucoxychloric acids contain hydroxyl, — that they are 

 in fact phenol acids of the paraffine series, in which the hydroxyl 

 has strongly marked acid properties on account of its peculiar envi- 

 ronment. 



