( 685 ) 
fruits to mature. The nanellas obtained from seed have therefore all 
had diseased parents, and the possibility is not excluded, that they 
may have received from their parents, if not the Micrococcus itself, 
yet the susceptibility to the attacks of this organism. 
As long as we have not succeeded in growing perfectly healthy 
nanellas, we cannot determine by infection experiments whether 
the Micrococcus is indeed the cause of the pathological phenomenon. 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE. 
Fig. 1. Oenothera nanella, dimorphous plant (>< 2/5). 
Fig. 2. Transverse section through the stem, near the cambium (x 555). 
Fig. 3. Transverse section through the stem ; a few wood fibres near the primary 
wood (<< 1730). 
Chemistry. — “The synthesis of as. heptachloropropane from tetra- 
chloro-ethylene and chloroform with the co-operation of alumi- 
nium chloride.’ By Prof. J. BörsrKeN and Dr. H. J. Prins. 
(Communicated by Prof. S. Hoocmwerrr). 
In a previous research by one of us (Recueil XXIX p. 109 (1910)) 
it was found that dichloroacetyl chloride is decomposed by aluminium 
chloride in two directions. Firstly it decomposed into chloroform and 
carbon monoxide; secondly, besides carbon monoxide and hydro- 
chlorie acid a beautifully crystallised product was obtained melting 
at 32° to which, provisionally, the composition C,Cl,, was assigned. 
In the meanwhile we have succeeded in conducting the decomposi- 
tion in such a manner that a large quantity of this substance was 
obtained, thus enabling us to study some of its decomposition products. 
From this research it follows that the substance is identical with 
the as. heptachloropropane obtained by Fritscu (Ann. 297 [1897] 
pg. 312) from pentachloroacetone and phosphorus pentachloride as 
shown by the subjoined table. 
While we were engaged in studying the question as to how 
heptachloropropane was formed from dichloroacetylchloride, one of 
us (Pr.) sueceeded in obtaining a very good yield of this chloride 
by direct addition of chloroform to tetrachloroaethylene nnder the 
influence of aluminium chloride. If these chlorides are boiled together 
for some time in a reflux apparatus, the ethylene perchloride is al- 
most entirely converted into heptachloropropane. 
It should be observed, that neither chloroform, nor ethylene tetra- 
chloride, nor the end product C,Cl,H combine with the aluminium 
