137 



sorbed less freely, a portion passing through ; after this treatment, 

 the liquid fumed and was highly acid ; it was distilled upwards for 

 some time by which a portion of free hydrochloric acid was expelled, 

 and then distilled fractionally ; about one-third came over between 

 56 and 60 C., one-fourth between 60 and 70, one-sixth between 

 70 and 80, and the remainder (about one-fourth) between 80 and 

 88. To the lowest distillate about an equal bulk of water was 

 added ; the substance floated on the surface and seemed to be little, 

 if at all dissolved by the water ; a sufficient quantity of carbonate 

 of soda was next added to neutralize the free acid, and the liquid 

 pipetted from the water, it was then distilled upwards for some time 

 with dry chloride of calcium, and afterwards distilled off; this distil- 

 late was found to boil constantly at 55'5C. An analysis made of 

 this body agrees closely with the formula C 6 H 14 O 5 . 



The distillate which came over between 60 and 70 after being 

 treated in the same way as the lower distillate, also yielded a liquid 

 which boiled at 56C. 



As both methods hitherto used for the purpose of obtaining the 

 body C 7 H 16 O 3 afforded only small quantities, the treatment of 

 chloroform with an alcoholic solution of potash was tried ; for this 

 purpose 12 oz. of solid hydrate of potash and 20 oz. of quicklime 

 were added to about three pints of absolute alcohol, and the alcohol 

 distilled upwards for six or seven hours; 6 oz. of chloroform were 

 then added gradually, the upward distillation being continued about 

 two hours longer ; the liquid was next distilled off to dryness by 

 means of an oil- bath, and submitted to fractional distillation ; by this 

 method a much larger quantity of the compound was obtained than 

 by the former processes ; it was found to boil constantly at 146C., 

 and its analysis agreed almost exactly with the formula. In this 

 process the lowest distillate had the same smell of vinous ether 

 which was before observed in the other methods. 



An attempt was made to produce the intermediate compounds 

 CHC1 2 , AeO, and CHC1, 2AeO, by adding dry and powdered 

 ethylate of soda very gradually to a large excess of chloroform ; but 

 the liquid after being separated from the precipitate, was found, on 

 distilling fractionally, to resolve itself into chloroform, alcohol, and 

 the body (C 7 H 16 O 3 ) already obtained, the presence of no other sub- 

 stance being observable. 



