278 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



on it in the cold, but dissolves it when warm ; there is, however, no 

 marked change of color in which respect this substance shows a strik- 

 ing difference from the bromtrinitrophenylmalonic ester, but resembles 

 the broindinitrophenylmalonic ester. 



The bromdinitrophenylacetacetic ester shows marked acid proper- 

 ties, as was to be expected from the position of one of its hydrogen 

 atoms upon a carbon adjacent to an acetyl, a enrboxylester. and a 

 phenyl group, the hater rendered still more efficient by the presence 

 of two oitro groups, and also from the acid properties of the corre- 

 sponding malonic compound. Aqueous sodic, or amnionic hydrate dis- 

 solves i: forming a red solution of the corresponding salt ; an aqueous 

 solution of potassie carbonate acts upou it in the same way giving, 

 however, a somewhat fainter color, but, if alcohol is added to the 

 solution, it turns at once dark red; acid sodic carbonate in aqueous 

 solution gives a very faint red color which is much intensified by 

 addition of alcohol to the solution. The red solution of the ester in 

 amnionic hydrate is decomposed by heating, or even by exposure to 

 the air at ordinary temperatures, anil we were uot able to obtain a 

 solution, which did not smell of ammonia, even when a large excess 

 of the ester was used, it is evident therefore that its ammonium salt 

 i- very unstable. We have, however, tried the action of a solution 

 prepared from an excess of the ester and amnionic hydrate with vari- 

 ous reagents, and found the following characteristic reactions. 



Magnesium or Calcium suit, heavy flocculent precipitate of the 

 color of chrome yellow. 



Strontium salt, a less heavy precipitate of a redder color. 



Barium salt, a still smaller precipitate, also reddish. 



Zinc salt, a pale yellow precipitate. 



Cupric salt, a pale yellow precipitate. 



Lead salt, a dark yellow precipitate. 



Silver salt, a yellowish white precipitate. 



The most striking thing about these salts is that the calcium salt is 

 i ^ soluble than that oi strontium, and this less soluble than the 

 barium salt. Bischoff* has observed a similar peculiarity in the salts 

 of orthonitrobenzoylmalonic ester, and we have found it in the salts 

 oi' bromtrinitrophenylmalonic ester. 



With aniline the bromdinitrophenylacetacetic ester gave only a 

 waxy yellow mass, from which there seemed little chance of obtaining 

 a substance in a state tit for analysis. We have, therefore, abandoned 



* Ann. Chem., ecli. 



