PRODUCTION OF SYNTHETIC ALCOHOL. 



By H. W. WILEY and HERMAN SCHREIBER. 



(Published by permission of the Acting Secretary of Agriculture.) 



{Read April 20, 190 /.) 



When Faraday and HennelP discovered that ethylene would 

 combine with sulfuric acid, forming ethyl sulphate, a new oppor- 

 tunity was given for the quest of new compounds derived therefrom. 

 The whole subsequent history of synthetic alcohol is a mass of 

 methods and contradictions of them. Fritzsche- claims that Hen- 

 nelP first demonstrated the identity of the alcohol, made by dilut- 

 ing ethyl sulfate with water and distilling off the alcohol, which is 

 plain from the above reference, while others claim that Berthelot 

 first made this observation. Berthelot* did produce alcohol from 

 ethyl sulfate and being engaged in investigating coal gas which was 

 known to contain ethylene he proposed that alcohol could be made 

 from the ethylene in coal gas, but his efiforts in this direction did 

 not make its utilization appear of commercial value. However, the 

 alcohol fever had gained a strong hold on the people, which finally 

 lead to the offering of stock in a concern whose object was the manu- 

 facture of ethyl alcohol from coal.^ Cotelle, the promoter of this 

 scheme, claimed to produce one hectoliter for 23 francs.^ Fritzsche^ 

 states that it is doubtful that any commercial attempt was made. 

 The chief difificulty in producing alcohol from the ethylene in coal 

 gas at this time seemed to be the cost of reconcentrating the sul- 

 furic acid resulting from the diluting and distilling of the ethyl 

 sulfate. But Fritzsche claims that the enormous dilution then prac- 

 ticed (5-6 parts water to i ethyl sulfate) is not necessary and that 



^ Gmelin Krauts, " Handbook," Vol. 4, p. 721. 



'^ Chem. Ind., 1897, Vol. 20, p. 266. 



^Philosophical Trans. 1828 p. 365. 



* Comptes rend., Vol. 40, p. 102. 



■* Wagner's " Jahresbericht," 1863, p. 469. 



' Cheni. Ind., 1897, 266. 



^ Chem. Ind., 1897, 266. 



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