1921] on Electrosynthesis in Organic Chemistry 353 



In this way it was possible to build up, starting from malonic 

 acid, acids containing chains of 2, 4, 8 and 16 CH 2 groups. Starting 

 from acids containing 3, 5 aud 7 CH 2 groups, acids were prepared 

 containing 6, 10 and 14 CH 2 groups, and with 6 CH 2 groups the 

 acid with 12 CH 2 groups was prepared. Many acids with branched 

 hydrocarbon chains have also been obtained by the method. In its 

 simple form the electrosynthesis necessarily yields hydrocarbon chains 

 with an even number of carbon atoms, a process of doubling taking- 

 place at each stage. However, acids containing an odd number of 

 carbon atoms can be produced by the electrolysis of mixtures. Thus 

 the acid containing 7 CH 2 groups has been prepared by the electro- 

 lysis of a mixture of the sodium ethyl salts of acids containing 

 respectively 1 and 6 0H 2 groups, by the interaction of the two 

 different discharged anions. 



It is somewhat surprising that the method of electrosynthesis, 

 an outline of which has been indicated, is not more extensively used 

 in practice. Doubtless this is in part due to the care which must be 

 exercised in adjusting the physical conditions in order to secure a 

 successful result. Concentration of solution, temperature, material 

 of electrode, electromotive force and current density at the anode all 

 play an important part in determining the result of the electrolysis. 

 Thus, for example, if w T e substitute a gold anode for a platinum 

 anode in the electrolysis of a solution of potassium acetate, although 

 the gold electrode is not attacked, and all other conditions remain 

 the same, we obtain at the anode oxygen instead of a mixture of 

 ethane and carbon dioxide. Here synthesis has not b^en effected : 

 instead of the reaction of equation (4) it is now the action analogous 

 to equation (3) wdiich preponderates. 



It is perhaps noteworthy that unlike many of the ordinary syn- 

 thetic methods of organic chemistry which only succeed in unusual 

 solvents or at comparatively high temperatures, the method of electro- 

 synthesis yields the most successful results in aqueous solution and 

 at the ordinary temperatures, resembling therein the synthetic pro- 

 cesses which occur in plants and animals. 



[J. W.] 



