nR2 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1885. 



Totrii]>lionyl .silicate dissolves easily in absolute alcohol, ether, bcu 

 Keiic, toluene, xyl'f'Jie, <;hloroforiii, carbondisulphide, acetic, acid, and 

 formic acid without decomposition, but water precipitates a white jielat- 

 inous mass, aud phenol dissolves out in the supernatant watery liquid. 

 Since, however, the addition of an excess of alcohol or of ether causes 

 the whole to go into solution, it is obvious that the precipitate consists 

 of an acid phenyl silicate and not of silicic acid itself. With an excess 

 of boiling water tetraphenyl silicate is completely decomposed into phe 

 nol and silicic acid. 



When tetrapheuylsilicate is heated with absolute alcohol, phenol and 

 tetrethyl silicate are formed for the most part, but the latter ester yields 

 in the presence of traces of moisture diethylsilicate, and probably hex- 

 ethylsilicate. 



In a similar manner, the author piepared silicates of the three iso 

 meric kresols; the ortho compound distilled at 435°-4380; tijy meta at 

 4430 to 446°, and the para at 442° to 445°. The author likewise oh 

 taiued meta and orilio tetraxylenyle silicate, (C8H9)Si04, as well as tiie 

 silicates of six similar bodies of the aromatic series. {Ber d. d. cheiii. 

 Ges., xvni, 1679.) 



Some Derivatives of Lcevulinic Acid (by Ludwig Wolff). — In distillinji 

 laevulinic acid a portion is decomposed and an oily substance obtained. 

 This proves to contain two isomeric neutral bodies having tlie formula 

 CgHgO,, and behaving like lactones; one is a-angelicalactone, boiling at 

 167°, and the other, /5-augeIicalactone, boiling ;it 208O-209o C. The 

 former has the constitution — 



CH3— C=CH— CHs 



I I 



O CO 



and the latter is probably — 



CH2=C — CH2 — CHj 



I 

 CO 



{Liebig's Annalen, ccxxix, 249.) 



i- 



Action of Phosphorus Pentaohloride on Saliciilic Acid (by liichard 

 Anschiitz). — By the action of one equivalent of phosphorus [»eutachlo 

 ride on one equivalent of dry salicylic acid the author obtained a color 

 less highly retracting liquid, boiling at 108° under 11""" mercury, 

 which gave on analysis the couipositiou C7l-l4Cl:iPO:i. This orthochlo- 

 rocarbonylphenyl-orthophosphoricdichloriile has the constitution — 



P„ U1)C0C1 



^fi"*^ (2)oroc], 

 and proves to be identical with the "trichlorophosphate de salicyle," 

 previously described by Couper. The specilic gravity of this body is 

 1.554. Mixed with a small quantity of water this chloride dissolves 

 with a rise of temperature, and from this solution pure salicylic acid 

 crystallizes on cooling. Treated with a large quantity of water salicylic 



