OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 45 



siderably increased. There is little doubt that the addition would 

 take place, provided the bromine monochloride could be obtained in a 

 state of purity under conditions necessary to form addition-products. 



Wlieu brompropiolic acid is dissolved in chloroform saturated at 0'^ 

 with chlorine, and allowed to stand for some time, the chlorine is ab- 

 sorbed with the formation of bromdichloracrylic acid. 



2. ON THE DECOMPOSITION OF CHLORTRIBROMPROPIONIC 

 ACID BY ALKALINE HYDRATES. 



By C. F. Mabery. 



In a previous paper by H. C. Weber and myself,* some experiments 

 were mentioned in which we had attempted to determine the decompo- 

 sition-products of chlortribrompropionic acid. Although our results 

 were not entirely satisfactory, we were unable to verify them on 

 account of the limited time at our disposal. Since the necessary 

 material could be obtained without difficulty, it seemed worth while to 

 define this reaction with greater precision. This work was undertaken 

 by Mr. R. D. "Wilson, who found that on prolonged heating with 

 baric hydrate in aqueous solution chlortribrompropionic acid was 

 completely decomposed, according to the equation, — 



Ba(C3HClBr„02)2 = 2 aHClBr, -j- BaBr, + 2 CO^. 



For ideutification the volatile product of the distillation was converted 

 into chlortetrabromethan. It was caught in bromine water, the excess 

 of bromine allowed to evaporate, and the oil which separated cooled 

 to 0°. The solid thus obtained was purified by crystallization from 

 alcohol, and its composition determined by analysis. 



0.1556 grm. of the substance gave 0.3657 grm. AgBr -f- AgCl. 



Calculated for CinClBrj. Found. 



CI + 4 Br 93.42 93.30 



Since this substance melted at 33°, it was probably identical with the 

 chlortetrabromethan, melting point 32°-33", obtained by Wallach and 

 Bischof,t from the decomposition of yS-dichloracrylic acid, 



CCI2 = CH — COOH. 



* These Proceedings, Vol. XVII. p. 209. 

 t Ann. der Cliem., cciii. 89. 



