Number of Isomeric Bodies. 325 



XXV. — On 1ln Number of Isomeric Bodies. 

 By . L o e w . 



Read May 81, 1869. 



The rational formulae of organic combinations differ so much 

 among themselves at the present time, and are occasionally so 

 incomprehensible, and on no reasonable ground, that it is of the 

 greatest importance to Organic Chemistry when a man of 

 Kolbe's learning undertakes to reconstruct the rational formulas 

 on as natural a basis as possible, and in correspondence with the 

 true characters of bodies. 



The chief feature in Kolbe's theory is Substitution, whereas 

 other chemists, under the lead of Kekule, follow that of Ag- 

 glomeration, and of the so-called binding and linking of the 



atoms. 



Taking an unprejudiced view of Kolbe's formula?, it will be 

 observed that they express all the decompositions which the body 

 under consideration undergoes by means of different reagents, 

 and that no other formulas can explain the nature and the num- 

 ber of the isomerics, which are at times very numerous. 



Considering by May of example the so-called ether radicals : 



H) (II 3 C) ) 



Methyl =HVC and Ethyl II - C have 



no monocarbolic isomerics ; but when we take the next highest 

 radical, "Propyl," we find two isomerics, which are represented 

 by the following rational formula} : 



1.) II -C I 2.) 



II ) ^C 



H 



nj 



No. 1 is the true homologne of Methyl ; No. 2 is the so called 

 isopropyl, a secondary radical, yielding no respective aldehyde. 

 Passing now to Butyl C',11,,, when we define it as a derivative 



