454 M, Wurtz on Chloride of Ethylene. 



containing a mixture of equal volumes of chlorine and purified 

 marsh-gas, are exposed to the action of feeble solar light. 

 When the flasks are opened over mercury, and a little potash 

 added, they are reduced to one-half. The residue contains chlo- 

 ride of methyle mixed with marsh-gas and hydrogen. The 

 chk)ride of methyle is separated by agitation with glacial acetic 

 acid, in which it dissolves. The acid, when boiled and after- 

 wards supersaturated with caustic soda, gives off the gas which 

 it dissolved ; the gas is collected over mercury, and purified by 

 digestion with a little potash. Berthelot states that it is soluble 

 in one-fourth its volume of water. 



By acting upon this gas with a mixture of sulphuric acid and 

 sulphate of silver, sulphomethylic acid is readily formed. The 

 simultaneous action of both these agents is necessary, as neither 

 separately has any action at 100° C. From sulphomethylic acid, 

 the sulphomethylate of baryta, and from it benzoate of methyle, 

 oxalate of methyle, or wood-spirit, may be readily prepared. 



The biatomic alcohol glycol* bears the same relation to chlo- 

 ride of aethylene that ordinary alcohol does to chloride of 

 jetbyle : — 



C4H«02-fHCl=H2 02 + C4H5Cl. 



Alcohol. Chloride of 



aethyle. 



C4H6 0'* + 2HC1=2H2 0HC4H4C12. 



Glycol. Chloride of 



aethylene. 



By the action of pentachloride of phosphorus on glycol, 

 Wurtzf has obtained cliloride of aethylene. When the two sub- 

 stances are brouglit together, a brisk action takes place, hydro- 

 chloric acid is evolved, and there is obtained a liquid which is a 

 mixture of oxychloride of phosphorus and chloride of {ethylene. 

 By washing with water, drying over chloride of calcium, and 

 rectification, the latter body is obtained in a state of purity. 



The reaction is thus : — 



C4H6 04 -j- 2PCP = 2HCl + 2PO^CF-l- C^H^CP. 



Glycol. Pentachloride of Oxychloride of Chlorid* of 



phosphorus. phosphorus. ethylene. 



Chloride of sethylene is the hydrochloric aether of glycol. 



Berthelot found that olefiant gas, by the intervention of 

 sulphuric acid, combined with the elements of water to form 

 alcohol. This reaction could not, however, be applied to the 

 preparation of the higher homologues of alcohol, from the corre- 



* Phil. Mag. Supplement, January 1857. 

 t Comptes Rendus, vol. xlv. p. 228. 



