( 360 ) 



The solidiüed mass is dissolved in boiling ether, and the brown 

 liquid is boiled with animal charcoal for an hour in a reflux-appa- 

 ratus. To the filtrate is then added absolute alcohol, heated to 40°, 

 until the liquid gets turbid. On being set aside for a few hours the 

 ester deposits in small, almost white glittering leaflets. These are 

 collected at the pump, washed with a little ether-alcohol, and then 

 recrystallised several times from boiling ethyl acetate, to which each 

 time some alcohol may be added to precipitate the bulk of the ester. 

 The pure, quite colourless, beautifully crystallised compound shows 

 no heterogenous components under the microscope. 



§ 2. The following experiments were carried out in the usual manner; 

 the substance was contained in small, thin-w^alled testtubes, whilst 

 surrounded of a cylindrical air-bath, and w'hilst the thermometer 

 was placed in the liquid completely w4iich covered the mercury reser- 

 voir. The temperature of the oilbath w-as gradually raised with constant 

 stirring and now the following facts were noticed. 



At about 151° the solid mass begins to soften ^) while brilliant 

 colours appear here and there at the sides, principally green and 

 violet, with transmitted light the complimentary colours red and 

 yellow. At about 157° the mass is a thick fluid and strongly doubly 

 refracting; the ground tone of the phase is orange-red, whilst, on 

 stirring with the thermometer, the liquid crystals everywhere form 

 links of lustrous bright green and violet slides. Afterwards, by the 

 construction of the cooling curve, I determined sharply the tempe- 

 rature t [155°. 8 C] at which the substance sohdifies; the break in the 

 curve is distinct as the heat eflect is relatively large and the under- 

 cooling was prevented by inoculation with a solid particle of the 

 ester. 



The colour of the liquid phase is now but little changed on further 

 heating; on the other hand its consistency becomes gradually more 

 and more that of a thin liquid. At 199°. 5 it is nearly colourless and 

 one would expect it to become presently quite clear. 



But at that temperature the mass becomes all of a sudden enamel- 

 white, and rapidly thickens, while still remaining doubly -refracting. 

 We now obsei've plainly a separation into two liquid layers which 

 are here both anisotropous. The interference colours have now 

 totally disappeared. Then, on heating slowly, the liquid phase becomes 

 isotropous at 201.3° and quite clear. The isotropous liquid is colourless. 



1) BoNDZYNSKi and Humnicki (Zeitsehr. f. physiol. Chem. 22, 396, (1896), describe 

 a cinnamylale which as regards solubility etc. agrees with mine, but which melts 

 at 149°. This is evidently identical with my first temperature of transiliou. 



