118 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



uct was purified by twice recrystallizin^ from hot water,, 

 when the crystals, heretofore slightly brownish in color 

 were quite colorless. The test given by the former makers 

 was a brown coloration with the ferric chloride solution- 

 While the crude product of first crystallization gave a 

 strong brown coloration with ferric chloride and red with 

 sodium hydroxide (a very delicate test) the pure crystals, 

 gave no coloration at all. Further, the melting point was- 

 given as 104\ This was the melting point of the crude 

 crystals, but the purified product showed a melting point 

 of 106 . The crystals gathered on the surface of the liquid 

 and on the bottom in long needles grouped about a nucleus:, 

 on either side of the dish, at the bottom. 



It then remained to determine the solubility ,taste,etc. of 

 the compound, no record of which was given in the 

 account. 



Since the crystals go to an oil when heated in water to 

 78^, the solubility was determined at two points below this- 

 temperature. At 22 the solubility was found to be 0.035- 

 per cent. At 70' it was found to be 2.76 per cent. 



The crystals gave no immediate taste even when; 

 powdered and placed on the tongue, but after about 

 twenty seconds gave a strong, peppery taste. 



Derivatives of p. oxy m. methylacetophenone. (New.) 



Methyl ester.- -The quantities taken were in the propor- 

 tion of one gram molecule of the ketone, one of sodium* 

 hydroxide, one of methyl iodide and enough alcohol to dis- 

 solve the whole. The mixture was heated to boiling in a 

 flask till the alkaline reaction disappeared. Most of the- 

 alcohol was then evaporated off and the residue poured 

 into water. The product appeared as an oil which was- 

 extracted with ether, washed with very dilute sodium 

 hydroxide, separated, dried over calcium carbonate and the- 

 ether filtered off in vacuo. The remaining oil was distilled 

 under reduced pressure, in a stream of carbon dioxide. It 

 boils at 230 , gives a colorless oil without much odor. It 

 solidifies in a freezing mixture and remains a white, crystal 

 line solid at room temperature, but melts at the tempera- 



