ACETO ACETIC ESTER 35 



substitution product but gets the five successive substitution products 

 and describes each one. The monobroni product treated with ammonia 

 gives Ce Hs O3, the ethyl ester of an acid which the author names oxy- 

 tetroHc. This ester is also produced if sodium act in place of ammonia, 

 and the acid can be obtained by treating the ester with sodium hj'droxid. 

 Oxytetrolic acid has just half the molecular formula of Herrmann's suc- 

 cinosuccinic ester (Ann. Chem. 211, 306). Passing ammonia through 

 acetoacetic ester gives a substance which melts at 20° to 21° which the 

 author calls paramidoacetoacetic ester. Passing hydrochloric acid gas 

 through acetoacetic ester gives a substance Cg Hjo O3, which boils at 

 290° to 295° and the author calls it carbacetoacetic ester. 



GOTTSTEIN, L., 1882. 



Ann. Chem. 216, 29-38 ; J. Chem. See. 44, 454 ; Ber. 16, 403 ; Jsb. 



Chem. 1882, 869. 



Two New Caprolactones. 



"When acetoacetic ester is treated with a brom propionic ester; /3 

 acetoisobutyric acid can be obtained, and when sodium amalgam acts 



OTT 



upon this, a methyl valero-lactone, CH3CH<pQ^>CHCH3 is formed. 



,5 Methyl valero-lactone, CH2<^q ^>CH CH3, can be formed in an 

 impure state by the action of sodium amalgam on ;3 acetobutyric acid, 

 CH3CH(C2H30)CH2C02H, which is formed from acetosuccinic ester. 



JAKSCH, R. v., 1882. 



Ber. 15, 1496; J. Chem. Soc. 42, 1120; Jsb. Chem. 1882, 1219. 



Occurrence of Acetoacetic Acid in Urine. 



The substance occurring in diseased urine, which gives a red color 

 with ferric chlorid, is proven to be acetoacetic acid. 



