[ 183 ] 



XXX. Chemical Notices from Foreign Journals. 

 By E. Atkinson, Ph.D. 

 [Continued from p. 125.] 



BERTAGNINI* has succeeded in producing cinnamic acid 

 artificially. He was led by the consideration that cinnamic 

 acid decomposes into benzoic and acetic acids, to the idea that the 

 atomic groups contained in those acids entered into its constitu- 

 tion. It might be a copulated compound of common aldehyde 

 with benzoic acid, or of benzoic aldehyde with acetic acid. The 

 latter appeared the most probable, since benzoic aldehyde is pro- 

 duced by the oxidation of cinnamic acid. Bertagnini accordingly 

 mixed equivalents of chloride of acetyle with pure oil of bitter 

 almonds, and heated them in a closed tube to a temperature of 

 120°-130° for twenty to twenty-five hours. At 'the exph-ation 

 of that time the liquid in the tube had become brown and viscous, 

 and on the sides were deposited crystals. On opening the tube 

 a large quantity of hydrochloric acid was given off, and the mass 

 became quite tough. On heating this mass with boiling water 

 and filtering, white lustrous needles were obtained which had all 

 the properties of cinnamic acid. An analysis of the silver salt 

 gave numbers quite coincident with those required by the theory. 

 The formation of cinnamic acid is thus expressed : — 



CM 1^6 02 + C^H^CIO^ = CisH^O" + HCl. 



Oil of bitter almonds. Chloride of acetyle. Cinnamic acid. 



Goessmann described, some time ago, a general method for 

 the formation of bases by distilling at high temperatures the 

 compounds of certain aldehydes and bisulphite of ammonia along 

 with hydrate of lime. From common aldehyde he obtained 

 rethylamine ; and from benzoic aldehyde, lophine and amarine. 

 He has nowf investigated cinnamic aldehyde in this direction, 

 and has obtained from it a new base which he names triphenyl- 

 amine. It is not easy to be obtained pure, from the difficulty of 

 getting the compound of cinnamic aldehyde with bisulphite of 

 ammonia pure, and from the ready decomposability of the base. 

 When pure it is oleaginous and colourless, but readily changes 

 into red. It is easily soluble in alcohol and in aether, but more 

 difficultly so in water. It has the formula C^^ 11'^ N. 



Its salts arc readily changeable, and difficult to crystallize. 

 The hydrochlorate forms lustrous plates with a somewhat reddish 

 tint j with bichloride of platinum it forms a compound of the 

 formula C='<'" II"'' NCI, + Pt CF. The base also forms with hi- 

 chloride of platinum a compound, C^ H'^ N, Pt CF. The base 



* II Nuovo Cimento, vol. iv. p. 46. Liebig's Annalen, October 1856. 

 t Liebig's Annalen, October 1856. 



