192 Mr. Harold B. Dixon on 



" It is obvious, on inspecting the above columns, that the 

 members on the left hand are in some cases isomeric with others 

 standing below them in the right hand column . . . , It is, 

 therefore, only requisite to establish the identity or isomerism of 

 ' methyl ' and ' ethylic hydride ' in order to test the correctness of 

 the two views which have been proposed." 



The other view referred to by Frankland had been put 

 forward by Hofmann, and by Laurent and Gerhardt, viz., 

 that " methyl " was really a " methide of methyl" (CH3CH3), 

 and identical with "hydride of ethyl." Frankland then 

 proceeded to examine the action of chlorine on ' methyl ' 

 obtained by the electrolysis of acetic acid, and to com- 

 pare the result with the action of chlorine on "hydride 

 of ethyl." With equal volumes of hydrocarbon and 

 chlorine the result appeared the same in each case, but 

 when two volumes of chlorine reacted with one of the 

 hydrocarbons the results appeared different. Frankland 

 drew the conclusion that the hydrocarbons were isomeric, 

 and his results were largely accepted by chemists. In 1865 

 Schorlemmer wrote, " it is now generally believed that two 

 series of hydrocarbons of the formula C„H2n+2 exist, the 

 hydrides and the radicals." 



Schorlemmer began his work on the hydrocarbons in 

 1 86 1 by an examination of the light oils obtained in the 

 distillation of cannel coal. He isolated pentane, hexane, 

 heptane, and octane, and showed that these hydrocarbons 

 formed mono-chlorides by substitution. He concludes his 

 first paper with the words : " There appears, therefore, to be 

 little doubt that the whole series of homologous hydrides 



