256 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



platinic acid to the chloride, and purified by washing with alcohol, 

 gave the following result on analysis : — 



0.3560 grm. of the salt gave 0.0795 grm. Pt. 



Calculated for (C7HeINH3)jPtCl,. Found. 



Platinum 22.47 22.34 



Metabrombenzyl Compounds. 



In the study of these substances which I undertook with Mr. J. 

 Fleming White, so many difficulties were encountered that the work 

 was far from done at the end of the last college year. As, however, 

 Mr. White has left Cambridge, and I see no immediate prospect of 

 returning to this subject, I have decided to publish our results on the 

 alcohol, and the melting-point of the alphatoluylic acid, reserving an 

 account of the amines until our, at present contradictory, results have 

 been submitted to a thorough revision. 



Metabromhenzylalcohol, CgH^BrCHjOH, was made directly from 

 metabrombenzylbromide by heating it with water in a sealed tube to 

 130° for 24 hours, or from the acetate, obtained by heating the bro- 

 mide with an alcoholic solution of sodic acetate, by decomposing it 

 with aqueous ammonia in a sealed tube at 150°, or with an aqueous 

 solution of sodic hydrate in a flask with a return-cooler. The oil thus 

 obtained was purified by distillation with steam, dried in vacuo and 

 analyzed. 



0.2890 grm. of substance gave according to Carius 0.2913 grm. AgBr. 

 0.4660 grm. gave 0.4690 grm, AgBr. 



Calculated for CjHgBrOH. Found. 



Bromine 42.79 42.88 42.84 



The substance is a colorless oil heavier than water, which did not 

 solidify in a freezing mixture even when vigorously stirred with a 

 sharp rod. ' 



The cyanide, as obtained by the action of an alcoholic solution of 

 potassic cyanide on metabrombenzylbromide, is a dark-colored oil, and 

 is converted by heating with strong hydrochloric acid in a sealed tube 

 to 115° into the metahromalphatoluylic acid, melting-point 97°, which 

 resembles the isomeric acids already described very closely. The 

 complete study of this acid must be postponed for the present. 



