210 M. Berthelot on New Alcohols. 
Meconine, C*° H!° 08, also forms an ether when heated with 
stearic acid. It is a neutral, solid, colourless substance, and is 
readily fusible. It has the formula C% H7*O!; and its forma- 
tion may be thus expressed : 
C*? H' 08+ 2 CH O4—4 HO=C%? HO}, 
Meconine. Stearic acid. New body. 
Meconine appears to be a biatomic alcohol; and Berthelot 
considers that it stands in the same relation to its oxidation pro- 
ducts, opianic acid and hemipinic acid, as ethylene does to alde- 
hyde and acetic acid. 
(20 F110 Os C4 H4 
Meconine. Ethylene. 
C2 F{19 Qi0 C4 H4 02 
Opianie acid. Aldehyde. 
(20 FJ10 G12 C4 H4 04 
Hemipinic acid. Acetic acid. 
Borneo camphor, C*° H!® O?, according to Berthelot, stands in 
the same relation to ordinary camphor, C*® H!® O?, as benzylic 
alcohol, C!4 H® 04, does to hydride of benzoyle, C!* H® O*. Ordi- 
nary camphor is an aldehyde; it does not combine with acids ; 
when it is heated with potash in a sealed tube for a long time 
at the temperature 180°, it is resolved, though with difficulty, 
into borneole (Borneo camphor) and a new acid, camphie acid, 
which probably has the formula C*® H!*O4. The decomposition 
would be thus expressed : 
2 C* H16 0? + 2 HO=C” H!® 0? + C* HH? 04. 
Camphor. Borneo camphor. Camphic acid. 
The artificial Borneo camphor, or camphole, has all the pro- 
perties of the natural substance, excepting that it deviates the 
plane of polarization more strongly. Camphole combines with 
hydrochloric acid at 100° and with organic acids at about 200°. 
The stearate is a neutral, viscous, colourless, inodorous oil which 
sometimes crystallizes. The hydrochlorate, C?° H!? Cl, has all the 
physical properties of the substance isomeric with it, produced 
by the combination of hydrochloric acid with oil of turpentine, 
and known as “ artificial camphor.” Unlike this compound, 
however, the hydrochlorate of camphole is readily attacked by 
alcoholic alkalies. Camphic acid is very difficult to purify. Its 
formula is probably C*° H!®O*; it is obtained as an almost 
solid colourless mass, heavier than water, in which it is insoluble. 
In the free state it is decomposed by heat. It is acted upon by 
nitrie acid with formation of a nitro-compound. Camphate of 
soda produces precipitates in most of the metallic solutions. 
