1863.] 505 



Thus viewed, botk transformations appear strictly analogous to 

 the known transformations of oil of bitter almonds and many other 

 substances; e.g., 



(1) ... 7 H 6 G-fH 2 =. 7 !PO (Friedel) 



Oil of bitter Benzylic 



almonds. alcohol. 



(2) ... 2( 7 H 6 0) + H 2 0=G 7 H 3 04-G 7 H 6 2 (Cannizzaro) 

 Oil of bitter Benzylic Benzoic 



almonds. alcohol. acid. 



and may be regarded as supporting the views of Berthelot, who has 

 suggested that opianic acid ought to be classed as an aldehyde rather 

 than as a true acid. 



With regard to the constitution of hemipinic acid, the authors 

 suppose that it may be a dimethylized derivative of a bibasic but 

 tetratomic acid, G 8 H 6 O 6 (analogous to tartaric acid, C 4 H 6 O 6 ), the 

 two atoms of methyl occupying the places of the two atoms of hy- 

 drogen, which, though outside the radical, are incapable of being 

 replaced by metals : hemipinic acid would thus be comparable to 

 Wurtz's ethyllactic acid, the .body at one time described by Butlerow 

 as valerolactic acid. 



An analogy is further pointed out between the derivatives of malic 

 acid and the substances obtained from cotarnine. This analogy be- 

 comes apparent on comparing the two following series of formulae : 



Cotarnicacid....G n H 12 O 



) Cotarnamic 

 acid 



\ 

 J 



Hydrochlorate 1 



of cotarnamic [ u H 13 NO 4 . HC1 



acid ...... j 



Cotarnine, 

 metta 

 nimic 



The authors intend to continue their experiments. 



:arnine, or ] 



nethyl-cotar- L G u H 10 (H 3 ) NO 3 



limide . . . . J 



C 4 H 6 G 5 Malic acid. 

 4 H 7 NO 4 Aspartic acid. 



4 H 7 NO 4 . HC1 



of 



aspartic acid. 



II. Postscript to a Paper read January 15, 1863, "On the For- 



mation of Fibrin from Albumen ." By ALFRED HUTCHISON 



SMEE, Jim. Communicated by ALFRED SMEE, Esq., F.R.S. 



Received March 2, 1863. 



Since the paper was read before the Koyal Society the following 



additional facts have been elicited. Fibrin was obtained from 





