613 



METHYL. 



METRE. 



Heated with potash-lime, methylic alcohol is converted into formiate 

 of potash, with disengagement of hydrogen. Oxidising agents also 

 give formic acid, and sometimes an intermediate body resembling an 

 aldehyde. Malaguti calls this body methylal (C H b O..), and shows that 

 the formo-melhi/lal of M. Dumas is a mixture of methylal and formiate 

 of methyl. When potassium is added to methylic alcohol, hydrogen 

 is evolved, and methylate of potash (C,H 3 0,KO), corresponding to the 

 ethylate of the same base, is formed. 



Sulphides of m'thijl. In composition, properties, and mode of for- 

 mation, these bodies closely resemble the corresponding ETHYL com- 

 pounds. Methj 1-mercaptan (C.,H 3 S,HS) boils at 69'8 Fahr. ; sulphide 

 of methyl (C a H s S,C 2 H s S) at 105-8 ; and bisulphide of methyl (C a H 3 S 2 , 

 C,H,S,) at about 242. There also appears to exist a tersulphide of 

 methyl (C.H.S^.CLH.SJ. 



Chloride of mc'hyl (C 2 H 3 C1). This is produced from wood spirit in 

 the same way that chloride of ethyl is obtained from spirit of wine. At 

 ordinary temperature it is a colourless gas, of ethereal odour and sweet 

 taste, specific gravity 1736. When cooled to- 33 Fahr., it condenses 

 to a liquid, the boiling point of which is about 6 Fahr. By the 

 prolonged action of a dilute solution of potash upon chloride of methyl 

 Berthollet has obtained methylic alcohol, and as chloride of methyl 

 results from the action of chlorine on hydride of methyl, and hydride 

 of methyl may be directly obtained from its elements, it follows that 

 wood spirit, like most of the other alcohols, may be produced 

 artificially. 



By the action of chlorine upon chloride of methyl there are succes- 

 lively produced chloride of dilurmeOu/l (C.H.Cl.Cl), chloride of 

 bichlvrmelhyl (chloroform) (C 2 H Cl t , Cl), and chloride of perMormethyl 

 (CjClj, Cl). The latter is identical with bichloride of carbon. Cldoride 

 of nitro-perchlarmelhyl (C,C1.,(NO 4 ), Cl) is CHLOROPICRINE. 



Bromide of methyl (CjH 3 Er) is made by a similar method to bromide 

 of ETHTL. Its specific gravity is 1-664; boiling point about 55 Fahr. 

 Bromide of bibrom-methyl (C^HBr,, Br), or bromoform, is produced by 

 the simultaneous action of caustic potash and bromine upon woodspirit, 

 alcohol, or acetone. The bromide of nitro-perlrom-metltyl (C a Br,(NO,) 

 Br) is bromopicrine. 



Iodide of methyl (CjH,I) is made in the same way as, and much 

 resembles, iodideof ethyl. Its specific gravity at 72 Fahr. is 2'237. Boil- 

 ing point between 105 and 120. From iodide of methyl there are 

 obtained by substitution processes the following compounds : Iodide 

 I'irmelhyl (C,HC'l,, I) or CHLORIODOFORM ; Iodide of bibrom-methyl 

 (C,H Br,, I), or BROMIODOFOHM ; Iodide of bi-iod-melhyl (C,H I a ,I), or 

 IODOFORM. By distilling iodoform with sulphide of mercury, Bou- 

 chardat has obtained an oily body which he calls tulphoform, but it 

 has not yet been thoroughly investigated. A cyanide of bi-iod-metkyl 

 (C,H I,,Cy) has also been described. 



Nitride* of methi/l. [ORGANIC BASES.] 



Cyanide of methyl (C,H, Cy), Acetonitriie or arelonttryl. Prepared 

 by distillation, from a mixture of sulphomethylate of potash and 

 cyanide of potassium. Boiling point 17CP-G Fahr. Cyanide of tri- 

 cUarmetkyl (CjCljCy) is identical with chloracetonitrile. 



Carbonate of methyl (2C,H 3 0, 0.OJ has not been prepared, but 

 melhylcarbonic acid or carbomethylic acid (C 2 H S 0, HO,C,OJ in the 

 state of a baryta salt (C 2 H.,0, BaO, C,0.) is precipitated when carbonic 

 acid i passed through a solution of baryta in wood spirit. 



Metallic meihidet. This series of bodies is not quite so complete as 

 the corresponding series of ethidet. [ETHYL.] They are in nearly all 

 CMM produced by methods similar to those for obtaining the resictive 

 metallic ethides. For a description of them, see OBUAJJO-METALLIC 

 J;'j;>:: -. 



Itetkyl-hexyl (C,.H le = C a H 3 , C..H,,) Methylide of hexyl. This is a 

 double alcohol radicle, .containing methyl, united with hexyl the 

 radical of CAPROIC ALCOHOL. Its boiling point is 179-6 (?) Fahr., and 

 it* vapour density 3'426. 



Methylene (C^H.,) is a gaseous body, obtained on passing chloride of 

 methyl through a red-hot porcelain tube, hydrochloric acid being 

 produced at the same tune. It cannot, like ethylene, be formed by 

 the action of hot concentrated sulphuric acid on the alcohol. 



The following are the names and formula; of the remaining more 

 important compounds of methyl. Those containing nitrogen will be 

 described in detail under OBOANIC BASES. 



(C.H, 



Mcthylaminc ... . . N { H 



B 



bimctbylamine 



Tetramethylphosphonium, hyd. ox. 



Methyl-aniline (methyl-phenylaminc) 



Methylcinchonine hydrate . . 

 Methylconme ..... 

 Mcthylcyanamide. [CYAKAMIUE.] 

 Methylmorphine .... 

 Methylnicotine .... 



Methylphenidine. [ANISIDINE.] 

 Metbylpiperidine .... 



Mcthylquinine 



Methylsalicylate of methyl 



Methylsulphurous chloride . 

 Bichloromethylsutphurous chloride 

 TrichloromethylBulphurous chloride 

 Methylthiosinnamine . . . 

 Methylurca 



C,H 3 



C s " 3 

 C a H 3 

 C.H. 



o, no 



N 

 I 



, 110 



C 10 II 10 (C 2 H 3 )N 



C a II 3 ) 

 C1/ S 



C,HC1 2 ) , 



cij" 



c ci}> 



.H, ) 

 CyS / 





Dim 



etbylurea ^^'^'o } 



ACIDS. 



Methylcamphoric acid. [CAMPHOR.] 

 Methylcarbamic acid. [CAEBAMIC ACID.] 



Mcthyldisulphocarbonic acid . . . C a S 4 J a |tj, 



Methyldithionie acid (methylsulphurons ncid). 

 Methjlmalicacid C 8 H 5 (C 8 H. J )O 10 



Methyloxalic acid C,O, I C *jjo 



Mcthylselenious acid . 

 Methylparatartric acid . 

 Methylsnlphophcnio acid . , 



Mcthylsnlphuric acid . . 

 Mcthylsulphurous acid , , 

 Chloromethylsulphurous acid 

 Bichloromethylsulphnrous acid , 



B n f 0,11,0 

 ' Se '" \ HO 



, C.HaC^HJO,, 

 C 14 H,(C,H,,)01 



HO } 



S 



C.jHjClO 



1 

 HO / S 



c,nci.,o 



HO 



CoCi.o ) 



Trlchloromethylsiilphurous acid 



~~ j 



Methj-ltartric acid ^^({CjHjJO,, 



llethylsanthio acid (methyldisulphocarhonic acid). 



METHYLCAMPHORIC ACID. [CAMPHOB; OumpUmethyUcAcld.} 



METHYL-CONINE. [CONINE.] 



METHYL-HEXYL. [METHYL.] 



METHYL-PHENIDINE. [A 



METHYL-UKEA. [UREA.] 



METHYLAL (C H,0 5 ). One of the products of the oxidation of 

 methylic alcohol. It contains the elements of 3 atoms of methylic 

 alcohol minus 4 atoms of water. 



METHYLAMINE. [ORGANIC BASES.] 



METHYLATED SPIRIT. A mixture of alcohol with 10 per cent, 

 of wood naphtha, allowed by the Excise to be sold duty free fur 

 manufacturing purposes. [ALCOHOL.] 



METHYLENE. [METHYL.] 



METOLUIDINE (C l4 B.CyN). A cyanogen derivative of toluidine. 

 ORGANIC BASES.] 



METONIC CYCLE. [METOK, in Bioa. Div ] 



METOPE. [ALTO RELIEVO.] ' 



METRE (from the Greek ^rpor, a measure) is that quality of verse 

 by wliwh it is to the ear distinguishable from prose. It ia frequently 



