146 PROCEEDINGS OP THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



The substance is insoluble in water and ether, easily soluble in 

 hot alcohol. It dissolves in dilute sodic hydrate, and comes down 

 unchanged on acidifying. It is probable that the above mentioned 

 substance, melting at 62°, is a hydrate, 



CH 3 C 6 H 4 -N=C OH 



CH 3 -C 



OH 

 OH 



which loses water under the influence of the dehydrating agent, 

 calcic chloride, and at the same moment polymerization takes 

 place. 



It has already been shown in an entirely analogous manner that, 

 on treating pyruvicanilide, 



,OH 



and oxanilethane, 



C 6 H 5 N=C V 

 I 

 CH 3 CO 



C 6 H 5 N=C OH 



C 2 H 5 OCO 

 with alkalies, polymerization takes place (pp. 125 and 130). 



CH 3 C 6 H 4 X=C OH 



Benzoylformic-o-toluide, I 



C 6 H 5 -CO 



As was to be expected, benzoylchloride adds itself much more 

 slowly than acetylchloride to the isonitriles. On this account, 

 experiments undertaken with the object of adding benzoylchloride 

 to phenylisocyanide have not been successful. The addition takes 

 place very slowly at 100°, and at the same time so much polymeri- 

 zation (resin formation) results that the presence of benzoylformic- 

 anilide (not as yet known) could not be proved. 



The case is quite different if o-tolylisocyanide be taken, instead 

 of the lower homologue, as this substance does not polymerize so 

 readily. Five grams o-tolylisocyanide and one molecule of benzoyl- 



