M. Cahours on Benzamic Acid. 275 
of leucine in the fact, that anthranilie acid forms, like leucine, 
compounds with acids; of these he has investigated the com- 
pounds with nitric, sulphuric, hydrochloric, and oxalic acids. 
They are well-marked, definitely crystallizable bodies. 
Cahours*, in a communication on benzamic acid and its deriva- 
tives, points out the analogies which exist between the series to 
which benzamic acid belongs, and the members of the glycocoll 
series. While Schwanert shows that leucine has a similar con- 
stitution to carbanilic acid, Cahours views leucine as an alkaloid, 
and shows that benzamic acid has the properties of a true alka- 
loid. Benzamic acid, and its homologues, toluamic, cuminamic, 
anisamic acids, form compounds with phosphoric, oxalic, hydro- 
bromic, and hydrochloric acids, which crystallize most readily, 
and of which the hydrochlorate forms with bichloride of pla- 
tinum definitely crystalline compounds, — 
CH? NO* HCI, hydrochlorate of benzamic acid. 
CH? NO*, HCl, PtCl?, platinum compound of hydrochlorate 
of benzamic acid. 
Glycocoll also forms with hydrochloric acid and bichloride of 
platinum, a compound crystallizing in brilliant orange prisms. 
Just as glycocoll has isomers, so benzamie acid has isomers in 
anthranilic acid and salicylamide. Benzamic acid has the same 
relation to salicylamide as glycocoll to glycocolamide, or alanine 
to lactamide. But salicylic acid, in becoming salicylamide, gains 
NH and loses O?; while benzoic acid, in being converted into 
benzamie acid, simply gains NH. The position of the atoms is 
therefore different ; as glycocolamide is produced, like salicyl- 
amide, by the reduction of its corresponding acid by ammonia, 
and benzamic acid by reduction of nitrobenzoic acid, might we 
not hope to obtain glycocoll by the reduction of nitroacetic acid ? 
C'* H° (NO*) 044+ 6SH=6S + 4HO + C4 H7 NO4 
Nitrobenzoie acid. Benzamic acid. 
C4 H3 (NO*) 04 + 6SH=6S +4HO + C4 H> NO}. 
Nitroacetic acid, Glycocoll. 
By the action of chloride of benzoyle on glycocoll, hippuric acid 
is formed: Cahours has found, that by the action of chlorides of 
cumyle and anisyle on silver-glycocoll, new acids, cuminuric and 
anisuric acids, are obtained. The equation would be— 
CH)! 0?, Cl+ C4 H* Ag NO*= AgCl + C*# H® NOS, 
Chloride of cumyle.  Silver-glycocol. Cuminuric acid. 
He has also found, that, by acting on benzamate of silver witb 
chloride of benzoyle, a new acid is formed. 
* Comptes Rendus, March 16. 
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