(5) 
of about 1%; by this means an answer to the following questions 
is obtainable: 
1. To what extent does the proportion in which the acids are 
formed in the nitration of benzoic acid depend on the temperature 
at which this takes place? 
2. How do the methylic and ethylic salts of benzoic acid behave 
in this respect? 
These two questions being answered we find at once, (3). How 
this proportion is modified by the replacement of the hydrogen of 
the carboxylgroup by methyl or ethyl. 
This appears from the following table: 
Nitration at | — 30° ge -+ 30° 
0) 14.4 18.5 99.3 
Benzoie acid { m 85.0 80.2 76.5 
p | 06 | 1.3 1.2 
0 | 93.6 95.7 
Methyl 
ekg m | 744 69.8 
benzoate. 
Pp 2.0 4.5 
—4()° 
0 95.5 28.3 271 8 
Etlvli 
ne me) nadeel 684 | 664 
benzoate. 
Pp 1.3 3.3 5.9 
From this it is obvious that the characteristic of the process of 
nitration, the preponderant formation of the meta-acid, is retained 
throughout the interval of temperature of 60° and is unaffected by 
the substitution in the carboxyl group, but that the quantity of 
secondary products is considerably increased both by raising the 
temperature and by the substitution. 
The details of this investigation will shortly be published in the 
“Recueil”, 
Groningen, May, 1899. 
