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hol coutiiiiiing nmnatic acirl forms tlic ctlieroal -alt according to 

 the equation 



CII— CO CH— CO. NHCfitls 



II >NCcH5 + CH3OH = li 



CH— CO CH— CO. OCH3 



On a closer study of this reaction we have found that the co- 

 operation of the muriatic acid may be promotive in some cases to 

 the formation of the methylic salt, but is not required for it. 



Several imides investigated by us are transformed partly in the 

 ethereal salts of amido-acids, when heated with absolute methylic 

 alcohol without the addition of meth5'lic alcohol containing hydro- 

 chloric acid. It is best to work in sealed glass tubes at temperatures 

 between 150° — 200° C. and sometimes higher still; but methylic salt 

 formation also takes place when the imides are for a long time 

 boiled with methylic alcoliol. 



We could show besides in some cases that these ethereal salts, 

 when heated with methylic alcohol, are partly transformed again in 

 imides and methylic alcohol. Perhaps these reactions are reversible: 



imide + methylic alcohol ^ methylic salt of the amido-acid. 



Tins point will be investigated. 



Bekthelot and PÉA.N de St. Gilles in their classic papers on 

 the formation of ethers from acids and alcohols say, that the maximal 

 quantity of ethereal salt that can be formed is but slightly depen- 

 dent on the temperature. This seems equally to be the case, at least 

 sometimes, in the case of the formation of the ethereal salts of amido- 

 acids from imides. 



We have prepared the ethereal salts of the corresponding amido- 

 acids from the following imides by heating with methylic alcohol : 

 succinimide, succinphenylimide, succinparanitrobcnzylimide, malein- 

 phenylimide, phtalphenylimide. 

 CHo— CO 



Succinimide | > NH, when heat(!d for three hours in 



CH2— CO 

 sealed tubes with the octuple weight of absolute methylic alcohol 

 at a temperature of 170° C, gives the methylic salt of the succiuo- 



CHo— CO— NH3 

 amido-acid | in large quantity. 



CIL— COOCH3 



We prepared this ethereal salt, which we did not find mentioned 



