222 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



action in this case being allowed to continue for a week, but, as we bad 

 reason to expect from our observations in our first reduction, the .-ab- 

 stain •• remained essentially unaltered, not more than a trace of pyrocate- 

 chine being formed. Meanwhile we had discovered that the purplish 

 white product was converted by nitric acid into the original red substance, 

 and, therefore, we oxidized the unaltered body from the last reduction, 

 and on reducing this again with sodium amalgam, obtained a fresh amount 

 of pyrocatechine with the purplish white product again. 15y repeating 

 these alternate oxidations and reductions we have succeeded in convert- 

 ing a -ample of the red substance completely into pyrocatechine ; a result 

 which, it seems to us, prove- that tins red body is a pyrocatechine ether 

 and not a diphenyl derivative. 



The purplish white product of the reduction of hexabrornorthoquino- 

 pyrocatechine ether by sodium amalgam mentioned frequently in the 

 preceding paragraph proved to have the same solubilities as the mother 

 substance; that is, it was insoluble in all the common solvents except 

 uitrobenzol. It was accordingly recrystallized three times from boiling 

 nitrob z 1, when, as it does not have a definite melting point, it was 

 assumed to be pure. Alter extraction with alcohol to remove adher- 

 ing uitrobenzol it was dried at 100°, and analyzed with the following 

 result : — 



0.1215 gram of the substance gave by the method of Carius 0.1974 gram 

 of argentic bromide. 



Calculated f<>r p„„„ i 



C lt Br 6 (0B FounJ - 



Bromine 69.56 69.16 



Properties. — The Bubstance crystallizes from hot nitrobenzol in very 

 small chocolate brown crystals, which appear to be short, rather blunt 

 needles. As obtained from reduction it has a purplish white color and a 

 characteristic silky lustre. It does uol melt at 800°. It i- insoluble in 

 all the common solvents except nitrobenzol. An aqueous solution of 

 Bodic hydrate does not dissolve it: fuming nitric acid convert- it back 

 into the red Bubstance, from which it was mad'-, as is proved by the 

 following experiment : — 



Three grams of the chocolate colored crystals of the reduction product 

 were mixed with 20 <•.<•. of glacial acetic acid, and •"» c.c. of fuming nitric 

 acid were added. The -olid immediately tuned red, and. after the mix- 

 tore had been thoroughly Btirred, it was poured into water, and washed. 



