OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 291 



Action when Alcohol is the only Solvent used. 



This action has heen already described in our first paper, but 

 after we had found, as described in the preceding sections, that the 

 action when benzol was present took place in the two parallel 

 reactions, 



C 6 Br,(N0 2 ), + 3XaOC 2 H 5 = C fi (OC 2 H 5 ) 3 (N0 2 ) 3 + 3NaBr, 

 C 6 Br 8 (N0 2 ) 3 + 2 XaOC 2 H 5 = C 6 Br 3 N0 2 (OC 2 H 5 ) 2 + 2 NaN0 2 , 



it became of interest to determine whether the first of these reactions 

 took place if alcohol was the only solvent, or whether the action 

 consisted of the second alone, as we had supposed when we published 

 our first paper. A very little work was sufficient to prove the 

 presence of the trinitrophloroglucine triethylether, or the phenols 

 formed by its saponification, among the products of the reaction 

 when alcohol was the only solvent, tbus showing that the action in 

 the two cases is parallel, although the first reaction takes place to 

 a much more limited extent when alcohol is the only solvent, than 

 when a mixture of alcohol and benzol is used. Our attempts to de- 

 termine the relative amounts of the products of each of these two 

 reactions are described in a later section. 



Preparation of Tribromnitroresorcine Diethylether and 

 Trinitrophloroglucine Tr iethylether. 



It follows from what has been said in the preceding sections, 

 that the best way to prepare tribromnitroresorcine dietlrylether is 

 to allow tribromtrinitrobenzol (10 parts) to stand in the cold for 

 twelve hours with an alcoholic solution of sodic ethylate (from 1.5 

 parts of sodium), then, after the solvent has evaporated spontane- 

 ously, to wash the residue with water, and after one crystallization 

 of the insoluble part from alcohol treat it in the cold with an alco- 

 holic solution of sodic hydrate for about twelve hours to saponify 

 the trinitrophloroglucine triethylether also present. The sodium 

 salt thus formed is washed out, and the residue crystallized from 

 alcohol until it shows the melting point of 101°. 



If, on the other hand, trinitrophloroglucine triethylether is to be 

 prepared, the tribromtrinitrobenzol should be dissolved in anhydrous 

 benzol (dried with sodium) and the alcoholic solution of sodic ethyl- 

 ate added to this solution. Every precaution should be taken to 

 exclude even traces of moisture, and after the twelve hours stand- 

 ing the solution should be acidified with dilute sulphuric acid 



