OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 57 



0.4517 gr. of substance gave 0.9754 gr. C0 2 and 0.2175 gr. H 2 0. 

 Calculated for C 7 H 6 C10H. Found. 



Carbon 58.94 58.89 



Hydrogen 4.91 5.34 



Properties. Beautiful pointed white ribbons usually one or two 

 inches long, with a brilliant pearly lustre and characteristic smell, but 

 no action on the mucous membrane or tenderer parts of the skin ; 

 melting-point, 70 £° ; sublimes very easily in white needles, and can be 

 purified in this way ; evaporates slowly on exposure to the air, and 

 distils in a current of steam ; slightly soluble in cold, much more so 

 in hot water, very easily in alcohol, ether, benzole, carbonic disulphide, 

 and glacial acetic acid. It is oxidized by a mixture of potassic dichro- 

 mate and dilute sulphuric acid, giving parachlorbenzoic acid ; melting- 

 point, 233° (234° O. Emmerling). 



The chlorbenzylalcohol obtained by Beilstein and Kuhlberg * differs 

 from the above only in melting at 66°. 



Parachlorbenzylcyanide. The product of the reaction of alcoholic 

 parachlorbenzylbromide and potassic cyanide, when precipitated by 

 water, was a yellow oil, which showed no signs of solidifying in a 

 mixture of ice and salt : after standing in an open watch-glass for 

 three or more weeks, however, it did deposit crystals when put in a 

 freezing-mixture, but in such small quantity that it was impossible to 

 purify them thoroughly ; and it did not seem worth while to spend 

 the large amount of time and material necessary to get enough of 

 them for complete study. The crystals, after sucking out the oil with 

 filter-paper, proved to be good-sized colorless prisms ; and, as one 

 specimen of a twinned form like a quatrefoil was observed, there can 

 be no doubt that the substance is analogous to the parabrombenzyl- 

 cyanide : f its melting point is 29° ; and it is easily soluble in alcohol 

 and ether, being left on evaporation of the solvent as an oil which 

 crystallizes when stirred. 



The yellow oil from which the crystals were obtained has also the 

 nitrile smell, and is converted, by heating to 100° in a sealed tube 

 with hydrochloric acid, into parachloralphatoluylic acid : it must there- 

 fore be either the same substance as the crystals, prevented from 

 solidifying by a small quantity of impurity, or the crystals may be a 

 polymeric form of the oil. The cyanide was mentioned by Neuhof % 



* Beilstein and Kuhlberg, Ann. Chem. Pharm. 147, p. 339. 

 t These Proceedings, XII. (n. s. IV.) p. 222. 

 t Neuhof, Ann. Chem. Pharm. 147, p. 347. 



