OP ARTS AND SCIEiNCES. 369 



with ether, and distilling the well dried extract under diminished 

 pressure, we obtained a colorless oil which boiled at 65-68° under a 

 pressure of 19 mm. This oil contained a percentage of bromine, which 

 left no doubt as to its identity, but showed at the same time that it 

 was still impure. We have as yet made no further attempt at its 

 complete purification. 



It seemed to us of interest to prepare by oxidation the diacetylen 

 derivative also, analogous to the diacetenylphenyl of Glaser,* which 

 was afterward more fully studied by v. Baeyer and Landsberg.| In 

 its preparation we followed closely the method of v. Baeyer. To the 

 copper compound was added one molecule of potassic ferricyanide in 

 aqueous solution. When the oxidation was complete, the precipitate 

 formed was collected on a filter, dried, and extracted with hot alcohol. 

 On cooling the alcohol deposited the new compound in small iridescent 

 plates which melted at 126°. It was readily soluble in hot alcohol, 

 sparingly in cold alcohol, and dissolved freely in ether, chloroform, 

 benzol, or ligroin. Analysis showed the substance to be dibromdifur- 

 furdiacetylen (diacetenylbromfurfuryl) : 



C 4 H 2 BrO -C=C-C=C- C 4 H 2 BrO. 



I. 0.2476 grm. substance gave 0.3888 grm C0 2 and 0.0383 grm. H 2 0. 

 II. 0.1538 grm. substance gave 0.1696 grm. AgBr. 

 III. 0.1548 grm. substance gave 0.1702 grm. AgBr. 



d. 



in. 



46.79 



Bromfurfuracrylic Acid. 



The behavior of the acid containing three atoms of bromine which 

 was obtained by the direct action of bromine upon furfuracrylic acid 

 left little doubt that it was a bromfurfurdibrompropionic acid. If 

 this view were correct, it seemed not improbable that the bromine 

 attached to the the side-chain might be removed without disturbing the 

 bromine in the furfuran ring, and that a bromfurfuracrylic acid would 

 thus be formed. After a kw preliminary experiments it was found 

 that zinc dust added to an alcoholic solution of the bronifnrftirdibrom- 

 propionic acid brought about the desired result. The reaction is vig- 



* Ann. Chem. u. Pharm., cliv. 159. 

 t Ber. d. deutsch. chem. Gesellsch., xv. 57. 

 vol. xxiv. (n. s. xvi.) 24 



