150 OXYPKOPIONIC ACIDS. 



weight of phosphorus chloride ; phosphorus oxichloride 

 is formed at the same time, and, for the separation of 

 the two products, no means have been devised up to 

 the present. K~ot distillable without partial decomposi 

 tion. Is decomposed by water, yielding hydrochloric 

 acid and a-chlorpropionic acid; by alcohol, yielding 

 hydrochloric acid and ethyl a-chlorpropionate ; when 

 heated with alkalies, it yields lactic acid ; and in con 

 tact with zinc and water, propionic acid. 



{OTT 

 CO KIP * s f rmec ^ k v heating 



alaiiine in a current of hydrochloric acid gas at 180- 

 200. Colorless, transparent needles or laminae ; fusing 

 point, 275 ; easily soluble in water and alcohol. 



2. Sarcolactic acid (Paralactic acid, ethylene- 



CIP.OII 

 lactic acid), AT nr\ QTT 1S contained in the juice of 



flesh and in animal secretions, at times also in urine, 

 probably together with ordinary lactic acid. It is 

 produced by boiling ethylene cyanhydrine (p. 137) with 

 alkalies, and, together with some acrylic acid, by 

 boiling /3-iodopropionic acid with milk of lime. To 

 prepare it, baryta water is added to an aqueous extract 

 of chopped meat, the whole then boiled, filtered, and 

 evaporated. Sulphuric acid is added to the syrupy 

 residue, and the lactic acid extracted by means of 

 ether. The free acid is very similar to lactic acid of 

 fermentation, but the corresponding salts of the two 

 acids present differences in the degree of their solu 

 bility and in the amount of water of crystallization 

 contained in them. The calcium salt is less soluble in 

 water than that of ordinary lactic acid, and crystal 

 lizes with 4 molecules of water. The zinc salt contains 

 only two molecules of water, is much more easily 

 soluble in water (in five to six parts of cold 

 water), and also easily soluble in alcohol. Oxidized 

 by means of chromic acid, sarcolactic acid is converted 

 into malonic acid. Heated up to 130-140, and the 



