CHEMICAL SCIENCE. L' . 



Carbonic Acid Acetone. Aldehyde. Oil of Bitter Almouds. 



3. The like replacement of three atoms of oxygen in carbonic acid pro- 

 duces an ether, thus : 



Carbonic Acid Vinic Ether. 



C 2 



4. The like replacement of all the atoms of oxygen in carbonic acid pro- 

 duces a radical, a hydride of a radical, or a double radical, thus : 



Hydride of Methyl. 

 Carbonic Acid. Ethyl. (Fire damp.) Methyl-thyl. 



C2 < C 2 < C 2 



The authors of this hypothesis now attempted to verify it by direct exper- 

 iment. They endeavored to avail themselves of the powerful affinities of 

 zincethyl, in order to effect the substitution of oxygen in carbonic acid, and 

 sulphur in bisulphide of carbon, by ethyl; these attempts were, however, at 

 best only partially successful; the reagent, the zincethyl, was not suffi- 

 ciently powerful to rival the action of plants in the decomposition of car- 

 bonic acid ; and its effects upon bisulphide of carbon resulted in the produc- 

 tion of a number of organic bodies containing sulphur ; and although one of 

 these appeared to have the formula of sulphropropionic acid (Cells 83-}- 

 H S), yet its complete separation and purification presented such difficulties 

 that it Avould have been hazardous to rely upon it as a proof of the correct- 

 ness of their hypothesis. In short, the verification of these views was not 

 permitted to their authors, but was reserved for Mr. Wanklyn, who, in his 

 newly -discovered sodium and potassium compounds of the organic radicals, 

 came into possession of reagents, which enabled him at once to effect 

 the desired substitutions. His memoir on the production of propionic acid 

 by the ,action of sodium-ethyl upon carbonic acid,* which has just been 

 communicated to the Chemical Society, proves the first proposition of a hy- 

 pothesis, which considerably simplifies our views of the molecular struc- 

 ture of organic bodies, and which, if proved to be throughout correct, can- 

 not fail to enable us greatly to increase the number of organic compounds 

 capable of being procured from their elements without the intervention of 

 vitality. The speaker then referred to the following list of important 

 organic bodies, selected from the large number above spoken of, as being 

 capable of artificial formation from their elements : 



Name. Formula. 



Oxalic Acid (C2Os,HO)2 



Hydrocyanic Acid C'2 N, H 



* This conversion of carbonic acid into propionic acid was experimentally dem- 

 onstrated, and the remarkable properties of sodium-ethyl and potassium-ethyl 

 were also exhibited. 



