On the Action of Chloride ofAcelyle on Aldehyde. 195 



Theory. 



II. III. IV. 



38-70 



14-36 13-63 

 29-53 



This body is very sparingly soluble in cold water; boiling 

 water decomposes it with the formation of a purple-coloured 

 compound. It is freely soluble in alcohol, from which it cry- 

 stallizes in long needles. It dissolves also in dilute nitric and 

 hydi-ochloric acids. The solution in the latter acid gives, on the 

 addition of potash, a white precipitate, which gradually becomes 

 yellow. 



XXX. On the Action of Chloride of Acetyle on Aldehyde. 

 By Dr. Maxwell Simpson*, 



BERTAGNINI having succeeded in forming cinnamic acid 

 by exposing oil of bitter almonds to the action of chloride 

 of acetyle, it occurred to me that possibly the action of the same 

 body on ordinary aldehyde might give birth to the acid C^ H^O'* fj 

 intermediate, in the acrylic series, between acrylic and angelic 

 acids. The following equation will explain how it might be 

 formed : — 



C4 H4 02 + C4 W 02 CI = C« H6 04 + HCl. 



In order to determine this point, I exposed a mixture of equi- 

 valent quantities of chloride of acetyle and aldehyde in sealed 

 tubes to the temperature of a water-bath for about three hours. 

 At the expiration of this time I removed them from the bath, 

 and opened them as soon as they had become cold. No evolu- 

 tion of gas could be observed. The liquid, submitted to distil- 

 lation, did not commence to boil till it had reached the tempe- 

 rature of 90° C. ; and between that temperature and 140° almost 

 the entire quantity passed over. On fractioning it, a consider- 

 able quantity was obtained, distilling between 120° and 124°, 

 which was reserved for analysis. The following are the results : — 



I. 0-2228 grm. of liquid gave 0-3158 grm. carbonic acid and 

 0*1 139 water. 



* Communicated by the Author. 



t Crotonic acid is supposed to have this composition. 



