82 KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
Metruyt Hyrosromire. CH3—O-Br. 
A solution of 50 g. potassium bromide and 25 g. caustic soda in 25 c. c. methyl! 
alcohol and 250 c. c. water was placed in the condenser previously described, and 
chlorine passed in as before, but no oil separated, 
Methyl hypochlorite was then prepared and distilled into a dilute solution of 
potassium bromide, which was kept below -8° C. A drop of red oil would form 
at the end of the delivery tube and sink to the bottom, where it would soon begin 
to decompose, and then rise to the surface, where it would explode instantly. 
It was evident from these experiments that ethyl hypobromite is more stable 
than methyl hypobromite. One would naturally conclude that the higher mem- 
bers of the series would be still more stable. 
Amyt Hypocutorire. C;Hy-O-Cl. 
Amyl alcohol was shaken up with a solution of 3 g. caustic soda in 300 cc. 
water, and after allowing the undissolved alcohol to separate the solution was put 
in the condenser and treated with chlorine. A layer of amyl hypochlorite was 
obtained. It resembles methyl and ethyl hypochlorites in being a green oil which 
floats on water and in having a sharp odor more disagreeable than that of chlo- 
rine gas, but it is more stable. While I was never able to keep either methyl or 
ethyl hypochlorites more than four hours, even when kept cold by freezing mix- 
tures, I succeeded in keeping a sample of amy] hypochlorite in an open test-tube 
24 hours, at the ordinary laboratory temperature in June. An attempt was made 
to distill a portion, but when heated to 75° C. it rapidly decomposed, with great 
evolution of heat and a strong odor of valerianic acid. 
AmMyL Hyposromite. C; Hni-O - Br. 
Amy1 hypochlorite was shaken up with a cold dilute solution of potassium bro- 
mide, and a layer of red oil sank to the bottom. It was washed by running cold 
distilled water through the vessel containing it, and a portion was then removed 
by means of a pipette, and weighed, and immediately plunged into dilute am- 
monia, where it very slowly decomposed. The haloids were precipitated by silver 
nitrate. 0.1987 g. oil gave 0.1688 g. silver haloids, which lost on heating in chlo- 
rine 0.0160 g., indicating that the oil may have been a mixture of amyl hypo- 
chlorite, amyl hypobromite and amy] alcohol or decomposition products. A loss 
of bromine was noticed at the time of transfer for weighing, this having been 
done in the extremely unfavorable weather of July. I expect to continue these 
experiments in cold weather, and feel confident that I can prepare alkyl hypo- 
bromites entirely free from chlorine, and make perfectly reliable analyses of 
them. I expect then to study their action on the isocyanides and other unsatu- 
rated compounds. 
KANSAS MINERAL WATER. 
By H. E. Davies, Lawrence, Kan. 
Presented by E. H.S. Bailey, Lawrence, Kan., and read (by title) January 2, 1897. 
Pure water is an artificial product of the laboratory. Natural waters always 
contain foreign matter in solution and suspension, varying in amount from a 
mere trace to a very large proportion. The properties, effects and uses of water 
are considerably modified by these ingredients, and the object in the investiga- 
tion was to ascertain the chemical composition of some natural waters from dif- 
ferent sections of the state. 
