5 



T. -0894 gramme of the salt gave '0580 gramme of metallic silver. 

 II. *1597 gramme of the salt gave 1022 gramme of metallic silver. 

 Comparison of these results with the composition of acetate of 

 silver gives as follows : 



Calculated. Found. 



I. II. 



Per-centage of Silver 64-67 64'88 64-00 



which leaves no doubt as to the presence of acetic acid. 



Still further proof of the same was obtained by converting a little 

 of the acid into a soda-salt, and heating it with arsenious acid. 

 Abundance of kakodyl was evolved. 



In order to remove any doubt which might exist as to the 

 source of this acetic acid, and to show that it did not arise from 

 oxidation of the ether which accompanied the sodium-methyl, I 

 operated upon some of the original sample which had never been 

 exposed to carbonic acid, and which, as previously mentioned, had 

 been laid aside for comparison. 



I mixed it with a little mercury, distilled with excess of dilute 

 sulphuric acid, and digested the redistilled distillate with oxide of 

 silver, using the same samples of acid and of oxide of silver as in 

 the former experiment. 



The distillate neither smelt like acetic acid, nor yielded acetate of 

 silver on spontaneous evaporation to dryness in vacua of its product 

 with oxide of silver. Neither could kakodyl be obtained on heating 

 its soda-residue with arsenious acid. 



From all which it is evident that the acetic acid obtained must 

 have been the product of the action of carbonic acid. The following 

 conclusion is, therefore, established : 



Dry carbonic acid is decomposed by sodium-methyl with evolution 

 of heat, and production of acetate of soda. 



Sodium-methyl. Acetate of soda. 



A A 



f 



C 2 4 + NaC 2 H 3 C 2 2 C 2 H 3 1 



Na j 2 * 



I hope also to be able to present shortly an account of the action 

 of carbonic acid on one of the higher compounds of the alkali- 

 metals most probably on potassium or sodium-amyl. 



