870 PROCEEDINGS OP THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



orous, and the boiling point of the alcohol soon reached. When the 

 reaction is over, water is added to the filtered solution, and the acid 

 which is thus precipitated is purified by conversion iuto its sodium 

 salt, reprecipitation with hydrochloric acid, and recrystallization from 

 dilute alcohol or boiling water. The yield of the new acid thus ob- 

 tained was between 80 and 90 per cent of the theoretical amount, and 

 analysis showed that it had the desired composition. 



I. 0.2645 grm. substance gave 0.3768 grm. C0 2 and 0.0566 grm. H 2 0. 

 II. 0.2511 grm. substance gave 0.2161 grm. AgBr. 



III. 0.2223 grm. substance gave 0.1920 grm. AgBr. 



IV. 0.1490 grm. substance gave 0.1288 grm. AgBr. 



Found. 

 II. III. IV. 



36.63 36.76 36.80 



Bromfurfuracrylic acid crystallizes in long slender prisms, which are 

 sparingly soluble in cold water, more readily in hot water. The acid 

 dissolves readily in alcohol, ether, hot benzol, or hot chloroform, in cold 

 benzol or cold chloroform it is but sparingly soluble, and it is nearly 

 insoluble in ligroin. It melts sharply at 176-177°, but since it is 

 somewhat decomposed and blackened by long continued heating above 

 150°, the bath must first be heated to within a few degrees of the 

 melting point. Small quantities of the acid may readily be sublimed 

 between watch-glasses. The sublimed product also melts at 176—177°, 

 and darkens upon long heating. With bromine the acid unites readily, 

 and forms the original substituted propionic acid. We have made 

 many attempts to convert the acid into the corresponding substituted 

 pyromucic acid, or to obtain from it by oxidation a product which 

 should enable us to fix the position of the bromine atom, but hitherto 

 without success. We can, therefore, at present only conjecture that 

 the bromine in this case, as with the pyromucic acid, enters first the 

 8 position. For the further characterization of the acid we have 

 prepared a few of its salts. 



Baric Br omfurfaracrylate, Ba(C 7 .II 4 Br0 3 )2 . H 2 0. — The barium salt 

 is sparingly soluble in cold water, somewhat more readily in hot 

 water, and crystallizes in clustered needles. When air-dried it loses 

 nothing over sulphuric acid, gives up one molecule of water slowly 

 at 100°, and is decomposed at a somewhat higher temperature. 



I. 1.1830 grm. of the air-dried salt lost at 100° 0.0380 grm. II 2 0. 



