326 



dilution and distillation the sulphuric acid yielded, however, 0.32 

 gr. of alcohol, whicii was, IliereFore, present as ethylsulphuric acid. 

 Tliis corresponds with a conversion of 5 "/o- 



111 these experiments most of the ethylene passed unchanged 

 through the sulphuric acid; only a slight carbonisation took place. 

 Though ill principle it, therefore, appears possible to convert ethylene 

 in this way into ethylalcohol, the yield was so small that- no 

 practical significance can be assigned to these experiments. 



These researches are being continued with other acids and with 

 salts, as aluminiumsulphate and others. 



§ 3. Propylene and Sulphuric Acid. 



It is well known from Berthei.ot's investigations that propylene 

 is very rapidly absorbed at the ordinary temperature by sulphuric 

 acid of 98 — 99 7o- We have first of all made some preliminary 

 experiments on the action of sulphuric acid of different concen- 

 trations on propylene. 



In a Hempkl's gas-pipette 100 cc propylene was placed together 

 with the sulphuric acid to be examined. 



Sulphuric acid of 96 '/o at once absorbs the propylene, also sul- 

 phuric acid of 90°/, acts very rapidly on it; with acid of 85 "/o 

 the propylene is absorbed after 20 minutes' shaking, about an hour 

 being required for this with acid of 80 '/o- Also snlfihuric acid of 

 75 7o still absorbs propylene, but very slowly. 



We have further investigated the action of propylene on sulphuric 

 acid of 96 "/o ^^ 0°, in which we carefully guarded against rise of 

 temperature both during the absorption of the gas, and during the 

 pouring out of the reaction product on ice. We have only succeeded 

 in obtaining a small quantity of isopropylalcohol from the reaction 

 product. 



Through the action of the sulphuric acid the bulk of the pro- 

 pylene was changed into an oily liquid, which was unsaturated, 

 and boiled within wide limits. It is, therefore, probable that 

 higher unsaturated hydro-carbons are formed by (he condensing 

 action of the sulphuric acid. Bekthulot too states that such 

 condensation products are formed, when rise of temperature takes 

 place during the experiment. In our experiments with sulphuric 

 acid of 96 '/o ^^ 0° the bulk of the propylene was always 

 transformed into condensed and resinous products in spite of all 

 our precautions. With sulphuric acid of 85 % the absorption of 

 propylene takes ]ilace very slowly at 10°. On further treatment 



I 



