HILL AND CORNELISON. — CROTONOLACTONES. 41 



The a-phenoxy-/3-bromcrotonolactone is readily soluble in ether, 

 chloroform, benzol, glacial acetic acid, or in hot alcohol, and but spar- 

 ingly soluble in cold alcohol, or in ligroin. It crystallizes in six-sided 

 plates which melt at 72°. It dissolves slightly in boiling water, and 

 volatilizes slowly with steam. In alcoholic solution it is not attacked 

 by aniline at ordinary temperatures. With aqueous alkalies it is 

 slowly carried into solution, on heating, with the formation of the 

 corresponding salts of the oxy-acid. 



a-Phenoxy-$-brom-y-oxycroto7iic Acid. If the a-phenoxy-/3-bromcro- 

 tonolactone is dissolved in a hot solution of potassic hydrate, and after 

 thorough cooling a slight excess of hydrochloric acid is added, the solu- 

 tion soon becomes filled with colorless pearly scales of the phenoxybrom- 

 oxycrotonic acid. For analysis the substance was merely washed well 

 with cold water, and dried over sulphuric acid. 



I. 0.2782 grm. substance gave 0.4484 grm. C0 2 and 0.0857 grm. 



H 2 0. 

 II. 0.1588 grm. substance gave 0.1092 grm. AgBr. 



The a-phenoxy-/3-brom-y-oxycrotonic acid is readily soluble in al- 

 cohol or ether, quite readily soluble in hot chloroform or benzol, and 

 almost insoluble in ligroin. From chloroform it crystallizes in bril- 

 liant flat rectangularly terminated prisms. It is very sparingly solu- 

 ble in cold water, and when warmed it dissolves somewhat more freely, 

 but the solution immediately grows turbid with the formation of the 

 still more sparingly soluble lactone. The identity of the phenoxy- 

 bromcrotonolactone formed in this way was established by analysis. 



0.2696 grm. substance gave 0.2007 grm. AgBr. 



Calculated for C 4 II 2 (OC 6 H E )Br0 2 . Found. 



Br 31.37 31.66 



The melting point of the acid cannot be determined with precision, 

 since it is converted into the .lactone by heat, but under ordinary con- 

 ditions it is found to be about 98°. The loss of weight which we 

 observed on melting the acid by short exposure to a temperature of 

 110°, and allowing the fused mass to stand over sulphuric acid, corre- 

 sponded to a little more than one molecule of water. 



