1863.] 429 



February 12, 1863. 

 Major-General SABINE, President, in the Chair. 



Pursuant to notice given at the last Meeting of the Society, His 

 Royal Highness the Prince of Wales was proposed by the President 

 for election and immediate Ballot. The Ballot having been taken, 

 His Royal Highness was declared duly elected a Fellow of the Royal 

 Society. 



The following communications were read : 



I. "On some Compounds and Derivatives of Glyoxylic Acid." 

 By HENRY DEBUS, Ph.D., F.R.S. Received December 31, 



1862. 



(Abstract.) 



Glyoxylic acid contains one atom of oxygen less than oxalic acid, 

 and may be considered as glycolic acid minus two atoms of hydro- 

 gen. It therefore bears to these two acids the same relation that 

 oil of bitter almonds does to benzoic acid and benzylic alcohol. On 

 another occasion* it has been shown to possess other properties in 

 common with hydride of benzoyl. Dilute nitric acid, for instance, 

 oxidizes glyoxylic acid to oxalic acid, and hydrate of potash converts 

 it into glycolic acid and oxalic acid. The same reagents produce 

 with oil of bitter almonds benzoic acid, beuzoate of potash, and 

 benzylic alcohol. 



C^H.0, + HN0 3 = C 2 H 2 4 + HN0 2 , 



Glyoxylic acid. Oxalic acid. 



C 7 H 6 + HN0 3 = C 7 H 6 2 + HN0 2 , 



Hydride of Benzoic acid, 



benzoyl. 



2C 2 H 2 3 + 3KHO = C 2 H 3 K0 3 + C a K 2 4 + 2H 2 O, 



Glycolate of Oxalate of 

 potash. potash. 



2(C 7 H 6 0) + KHO = C 7 H 5 K0 3 + C 7 H 8 O. 



Hydride of Benzoate of Benzylic 



benzoyl. potash. alcohol. 



In the memoir of which this is an abstract certain properties of 

 * Quarterly Journal of the Chemical Society, xii. 234. 



VOL. XII. 2 I 



