OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 189 



corrected). We therefore continued the distillation, taking two- 

 degree fractions, and were ahle to collect a large portion which 

 boiled with satisfactory constancy at 184-186°. As the material 

 thus obtained showed the character of an aldehyde, a portion of it 

 was shaken with a concentrated solution of acid sodic sulphite. 

 The oil was almost wholly dissolved with the evolution of heat, 

 and as the solution cooled it solidified with the separation of flat 

 radiating prisms. These were drained thoroughly upon the pump, 

 washed with cold alcohol, pressed, and dried. The dry crystals 

 were then decomposed by the requisite amount of sodic carbonate 

 in aqueous solution, and the liberated aldehyde distilled over with 

 steam. The oil which passed over was then dried with fused 

 calcic chloride and distilled. It showed the constant boiling 

 point 187°, with the mercury column completely in vapor and 

 under a pressure of 766 mm. The boiling point of a second prep- 

 aration was found to be 186.5-187° under a pressure of 760 mm. 

 An analysis of the oil showed that its formula was C 6 H 6 2 . 



0.1995 grm. substance gave 0.4788 grin. C0 2 and 0.0998 grm. 

 H 2 0. 



Calculated for C,;H G 2 . Found. 



C 65.45 65.43 



H 5.45 5.56 



The formula of the substance, together with its strongly marked 

 resemblance to furfurol, identified it as a methylfurfurol, and by 

 oxidation with moist silver oxide it could readily be converted 

 into the corresponding methylp} r romucic acid.* 



Freshly distilled methylfurfurol is a nearly colorless oil, with an 

 odor closely resembling that of furfurol. On standing it grows 

 dark-colored apparently more rapidly than furfurol, and acquires an 

 acid reaction. The compound which it forms with acid sodic sul- 

 phite crystallizes in flat concentrically grouped prisms, which are 

 usually rectangularly truncated. The salt dissolves in from two 

 to three parts of water at ordinary temperatures. In the pre- 

 liminary paper already referred to,f the statement was made that 

 methylfurfurol gave the characteristic color reaction with a solu- 

 tion of rosaniline decolorized by sulphurous acid. We have found, 

 however, that carefully purified meth}*lfurfurol gives to this solu- 

 tion but a slight brown-red, or, if added in larger quantity, but a 

 pale wine-red coloration, and are forced to conclude that the color 



* See page 193. t Berichte der deutsch. chem. Gesellsch., XXII. 607. 



