416 Mr. A. H. Church on Parahenzole, 



The comparison of the theoretical and experimental per- 

 centages of carbon and hydrogen gives the following results : — 



If a test-tube containing benzole and another with the new 

 substance be placed in an appropriate freezing mixture, the ben- 

 zole, as is well known, solidifies at 0° C; but not so the other 

 hydrocarbon, which, indeed, I have not been able to obtain in 

 the solid form. The odour of the new hydrocarbon is shghtly 

 alliaceous, and more disagreeable than that of pure benzole. 



Parahenzole, for so I provisionally name this new hydrocarbon, 

 yields two nitro-substitution products : of the preparation and 

 properties of these I will now give the details. For the prepa- 

 ration of the first nitro-compound, five volumes of pure nitric 

 acid, of spec. grav. 1-5, were taken, and two volumes of the hy- 

 drocarbon added in small portions to the nitric acid, which was 

 kept cool. When the oil no longer dissolved immediately in the 

 acid, a little more of the latter was added, and afterwards the 

 mixture was allowed to stand aside for an hour. At the end of 

 that time the whole was thrown into water, and the heavy oil 

 which settled washed first with water, and then with a dilute 

 solution of carbonate of soda. The product was finally dried 

 with chloride of calcium : it nearly equalled in volume the hy- 

 drocarbon employed. The nitro-compound thus prepared is 

 orange-yellow, of aromatic odour, very similar to, but perhaps 

 not quite so pleasant as that of ordinary nitrobenzole. It boils 

 constantly at 213° C, the boiling-point of nitrobenzole. 



The second nitro-compound was obtained as follows : — To a 

 mixture of fuming sulphuric and nitric acids, in the proportion 

 of 2 ; 3, two volumes of the hydrocarbon were gradiially added. 

 Though each drop of oil produced a violent action and appeared 

 to dissolve, yet when the whole had been added, an orange- 

 coloured fliiid floated on the surface of the mixed acids. After 

 this the whole was boiled for some time and the dinitro-com- 

 pound precipitated by water and, as it was still contaminated 

 with the first nitro-compound, purified by a second treatment 

 with nitro-sixlphuric acid, and by several recrystallizations from 

 alcohol and water. The substance thus obtained is a crystalline 

 solid, slightly soluble in boiling water. From this solution it is 

 deposited in long, flexible, white needles ; or if the solution be 

 acid, in long, hard needles, brilliant, and of very considerable 

 size. It is almost absolutely colourless. It fuses when pure, 

 and crystallized from water, at 88° C, solidifying at 86°. The 



