Dr. Hofmann on neiv Volatile Oryanic Acids. 381 



action of peutachloride of phosphorus upon the acid, or of the 

 trichloride of phosphorus upon the potassium compound. The 

 hmited amount of acid at my disposal did not permit me to procure 

 this substance in a state of purity, and to establish analytically the 

 formula C,,H,0,,C1 



assit'ned to it by theory ; but this formula is indirectly proved by 

 the "deportment' of the crude product, still contammg chloride ot 

 phosphorus— with water, when sorbic acid is at once reproduced ;— 

 with alcohol, when sorbic ether is obtained ;— with ammonia and 

 pheuylamine, when respectively, sorbamide and phenyl-sorbamide 

 are generated. The chloride is not volatile without considerable 

 decomposition. • /. i 



Sorbamide.— Ihi?, substance is formed by the action of dry car- 

 bonate of ammonium upon the crude chloride of sorbyle. White, 

 readily fusible needles, soluble in water and alcohol. Composition of 



C„H,0, 

 Sorbamide H,,H,NO= H 

 " H 



Phenyl-sorbamide is obtained by replacing the ammonia in the 

 previous process bv phenylamine. ' After treatment with water an 

 oily liquid remains," which gradually solidifies into a crystalline mass. 

 I have not analysed it, its composition being sufficiently characterized 



by theory. „ , , . . , 



When" distilled with an excess of hydrate of baryta, sorbic acid 

 exhibits the deportment of the acids with four equivalents of oxygen ; 

 carbonate of barium is produced, whilst an aromatic hydrocarbon 

 distils over. The limited amount of material has precluded for the 

 iiresent the possibility of a more minute examination of this body. 



Sorbic acid is obviously the first term of a new series of well-cha- 

 racterized organic acids, closely allied to the ordinary fatty and 

 aromatic acids, occupying, in fact, a sort of intermediate position be- 

 tween the two. On comparing sorbic acid with the terms of the 

 fatty and aromatic acid-series containing equal quantities of carbon, 

 thehydrogen of sorbic acid stands in the middle, 



C,ii„0, C„H,0, C,,H,0, 



Caproic Sorbic Lower homologue 



acid. 



acid. of benzoic acid. 



The same remark applies to the carbon of sorbic acid when con- 

 trasted with the fatty and aromatic acids containing an equal quan- 

 tity of hydrogen, 



c,ii,o, c,ji,o, c,„ii,o, 



liulvric acid. Sorbic acid. ToU.ic acid. 



