( 42 ) 



rodentia and primates (man), must probably be regarded as a more 

 advanced differentiation, and will have more to do with special 

 biological functions than in general with the position of the animals 

 in question upon the phyletical scale. 



6. Regarding the functions of the mesenc. quintus nucleus, nothing 

 is to be deduced with certainty from comparative anatomical inves- 

 tigations, although the dorsal entrance of the radix mesencephalica 

 in regard to the motor root might suggest a sensory function. But 

 as in teleostei the motor V root also does not leave the oblongata 

 ventrally to the sensory one, and in all animals e. g. the nerv. trochlearis 

 passes quite dorsally outside the brain-stem, no positive conclusions 

 are to be deduced from the above analomical fact. 



The same may be said of the dorsal position of the nucleus, in 

 view e.g. of the dorsal position of the trochlear nucleus in cyclostomes 

 (ammocoetes and petromyzon). 



The problem of the significance of the mesenc. part of the nervus 

 trigeminus in thus still unsolved. 



Chemistry. — ''On the action of Oxalyl chloride on amines and 

 amides." By Dr. J. Th. Bornwater. (Communicated by Prof. 

 A. P. N. Franchimont). 



(Communicated in the meeting of April 28, 1911). 



It is well known that acid- chlorides act not only on ammonia, 

 but also on primary and secondary amines with formation of primary 

 mono- and dialkylamides, and on primary simple amides and alkyl- 

 amides with formation of secondary simple and alky lam ides. 



But with the chloride of oxalic acid (oxalylchloride), however, 

 very few experiments have, as yet, been made, although this is 

 now a reliable commercial article. Staudinger casually remarks that 

 oxalylchloride forms with amines oxamides and cites as an instance 

 aniline, which he uses for the quantitative determination of oxalyl 

 chloride. Tasker and Jokes only mention that oxalylchloride has a 

 powerful action on primary and secondary amines. 



At the request of Prof. Franchimont 1 have convinced myself, in 

 the case of a number of amines and amides, that the action takes 

 place sometimes readily, sometimes with ditriculty ; in some cases 

 it does not take place at all or takes another direction so that instead 

 of oxalylderivatives carbonylderivatives are formed. 



With piperidine in ethereal solution I obtained at the ordinary 



