upon certain Sulp hornet kylates. 71 



phate of methyle obtained in the usual way gave this result : — 



•332 grm. salt, dried at 100° C, furnished by ignition •2155 

 grm. Ba SO*=64-9 per cent. Ba S0\ 



A brief account may now be given of the metamorphoses of 

 the sulphomethylate of sethyle. Just as the product obtained 

 by acting upon methylate of sodium with iodide of sethyle is not 

 to be distinguished from the sethylate of methyle procured by the 

 decomposition of sethylate of sodium by means of iodide of me- 

 th3'le, so sulphomethylate of sethyle is apparently identical with 

 sulphsethylate of methyle, and yields the same products of de- 

 composition when submitted to the action of water. To deter- 

 mine the nature of this reaction, I kept sulphomethylate of sethyle 

 together with water in a closed vessel in a warm place. When 

 the oil had entirely disappeared, and the liquid had lost its 

 original odour, the more volatile portion was distilled off from a 

 water-bath : a highly acid liquid remained in the retort, while 

 the distillate was inflammable. 



And now of this spirituous distillate. In the first experiment 

 with sulphomethylate of sethyle, I attempted to concentrate the 

 alcoholic product by means of recently burnt lime and anhydrous 

 sulphate of copper. I obtained in this way a liquid almost ab- 

 solutely anhydrous, and nine-tenths of which could be distilled 

 over between 78° and 80° C. I was thus led to believe that sulpho- 

 methylate of Eethyle is decomposed in presence of water, chiefly, 

 if not entirely, into sethylic alcohol and sulphomethylic acidj 

 and consequently expected to find that the analysis of a baryta 

 compound prepared by neutralizing the acid residue remaining 

 in the retort would give the numbers reqviired by theory for the 

 sulphsethylate of baryta. I accordingly made a determination of 

 the sulphate of baryta in the salt obtained from the i^esidue ; it 

 should be stated that the saturated aqueous solution of this salt 

 was not alterable by continued ebullition : — 



•411 grm. of salt gave -2566 grm. of Ba SO* = 62*43 per cent. 



This analysis indicates a mixture of the sulphomethylate with 

 the sulphsethylate of baryta nearly in the ratio 5 : 6. Other 

 subsequent experiments seemed to show that the two acids are 

 produced in equal equivalents. The apparent absence of me- 

 thylic alcohol was soon accounted for. In fact it had entered 

 into combinatio-n with the lime employed to deprive the alcohols 

 of water ; for by distillation, after the addition of water to this 

 com])Ound with lime, the methylic spirit was recovered, and after 

 repeated treatments with anhydrous sulphate of copper a small 

 quantity of the alcohol was obtained nearly pure, and boiling 

 between 05° and 07° C. 



