59 
a very violent reaction, and an explosive decomposition, if 
distillation be attempted ; but by diluting with water a heavy 
fluid is produced, which gives, on analysis, unsatisfactory re- 
sults, owing, in the first place, to its decomposing with an ex- 
plosion when heated, and, secondly, to its being always mixed 
with some of the substance last described: the results ob- 
tained indicate, however, as very probable the formula c,H,NO,, 
To connect the above results, Professor Kane proposes 
to assume as radical the body c,#,, to which he gives the 
name of pteleyl. Then 
C,H, =¢,H, +H. Hydruret of pteleyl or mesitylene. 
c,H,cl =c,H, +cl. Chloride of pteleyl. 
ee: AP Mel ME: AE oe Iodide of pteleyl. 
c,H,o, =¢c,H,0-+Ho. Hydrated oxide of pteleyl, the al- 
dehyd of the mesitic series. 
C, H, NO, =C,H,0-++No,. Hyponitrate of pteleyl. 
The compound heavy liquid produced by the action of 
chlorine on mesitic alcohol, was found to differ but little 
from the description given by Liebig. Its formula, as given 
by Dr. Kane’s analysis, is c,H,0, cl, ; and by the action of 
bases it yields a metallic chloride, and a salt of a new acid 
named by Professor Kane Pteleic Acid. This has not yet 
been analyzed, but theory indicates for its composition the 
"formula c, 1, 0, 
By the action of permanganate of potash on mesitic al- 
cohol, there is generated a neutral salt of potash containing 
an acid, to which is given the nameof the Perpteleic, whose 
salts generally decompose themselves with facility into car- 
bonates, and a salt of another acid to which the name of the 
Acetonie Acid has been'applied. The constitution of these 
last three acids remains yet to be fixed by other experiments, 
the author confining himself in the present paper to the 
suggestion of that view of their composition, which, in the 
absence of positive analyses, seems to him most likely to be 
true. 
