OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 157 



tated tlie alcoholic distillate by the further addition of water. The 

 oil which was thus thrown down was dried with calcic chloride and 

 distilled under diminished pressure. The wide range in boiling-point 

 (60-130'^ at 17 mm.) which we then observed showed its nature to 

 be tolerably complex. After repeated distillations, we were able to 

 isolate one fz'action (A) boiling between 59° and 69° under 17 mm. 

 pressure, and a somewhat larger fraction boiling at 94-99''under a press- 

 ure of 17 mm. This second fraction partially solidilied on standing, 

 and the crystals (B) were separated from the oily mother-liquor (C) 

 by filtration. With a second larger quantity of the alcoholic filtrate 

 subsequently obtained we adopted a somewhat different method. We 

 precipitated the excess of sodic hydrate by carbonic dioxide, distilled 

 the alcoholic filtrate, and precipitated the distillate with water. After 

 several distillations in vacuo, we obtained one fraction (D) boiling at 

 57-62° under a pressure of 20 mm,, a second (E) boiling at 61-68° 

 under a pressure of 19 mm., and a third boiling at 98-102° under a 

 pressure of 19 mm., which as before partially solidified on standing, 

 and the crystals (F) were separated by filtration from the mother- 

 liquor (G). The fractions boiling between 68° and 98° were insig- 

 nificant in quantity. 



The lower boiling fractions proved, on analysis, to contain a percent- 

 age of bromine, agreeing closely with that required by the formula 

 C.H^Br.O. 



The great variation in boiling-point with this, slight variation in per- 

 centage composition renders it probable that the oil contained two 

 isomeric dibromfurfurans. The fraction boiling at 61-68°, after stand- 

 ing for a few days, was unfortunately largely converted into an amor- 

 phous black solid ; the lower fraction remained unaltered. When the 

 lower fraction was treated with bromine, hydrobromic acid was evolved 

 even at ordinary temperatures, so that no corresponding addition pro- 

 duct could be prepared, and we have hitherto been unable to obtain 



