270 M. C. Wicke on Chlorobenzole and 
C. Wicke* has made an investigation of chlorobenzole, in the 
courseof which he has established the existence of a new dia- 
tomic alcohol, which occupies the same place in the aromatic acid 
series that glycol does in the fatty acid series. 
Chlorobenzole, C'4 H® Cl?, obtained by the action of pente- 
chloride of phosphorus on hydruret of benzoyle (oil of bitter 
almonds), 
C4 860? 4» PCE, =), PCB.O? +..Ci HSC, 
Hydruret of Pentachloride Oxychloride Chlorobenzole. 
benzoyle. of phosphorus. of phosphorus. 
has hitherto been generally regarded as hydruret of benzoyle in 
which oxygen was replaced by chlorine: 
C4 HS) ., C4 HP) cae 
x 0 Hn foP. 
Laurent denied that oxygen could replace chlorine, and the in- 
vestigation was made with the view of ascertaining if this were 
the case. But Wicke shows that chlorobenzole has none of the 
characteristics of an aldehyde; and these are generally so pro- 
nounced as not to be easily mistaken. It is not acted upon by 
oxygen; it does not reduce metallic silver from its salts ; it does 
not form a crystalline compound with ammonia, or with bisul- 
phite of ammonia,—all properties of the aldehydes. Nor is 
it likely that it is a substitution product, for its chlorine is most 
readily separated as chloride of silver when it is treated with 
silver solution, while the chlorine in substitution products can- 
not generally be detected until after the decomposition of the 
organic substance. 
Chlorobenzole belongs to another group of substances; it is 
the chloride of a biatomic alcohol, just as chloride of zethylenc is 
the chloride of a biatomic alcohol, glycol. The formula of chlo- 
; C4 He i 
robenzole is hence cr} ; that of the alcohol corresponding to 
it, which Wicke names benzolie aleohol, is ©" HH! LOs; the for- 
are and of glycol, the 
4 
alcohol corresponding to it, £ re oe 
mula of chloride of ethylene is 
Wicke has not yet been able to obtain benzolic alcohol in a 
pure form; for it has the greatest possible tendency to pass into 
hydruret of benzoyle, from which it only differs by 2HO. The 
radical C'4 H®, or C8 H'?, he has also not been able to obtain : 
chlorobenzole may be heated with sodium or potassium to a tem- 
perature of 206° without the metal losing its lustre in the slight- 
* Liebig’s Annalen, March and June 1857. 
