200 Messrs. Frankland and Duppa Synthetical [April 27, 



An ether, of the same composition as the last, will also obviously result, 

 if, instead of replacing two atoms of hydrogen by two of methyl, one of 

 those atoms be substituted by one of ethyl, 



2 H 5 



O 

 lOC 2 H 5 . 



Again, if two atoms of hydrogen in the methyl of acetic ether be replaced 

 by two of ethyl, caproic ether should result : 



C 2 H 5 

 C,H 5 



.OC 2 H 5 . 



And, finally, if all three atoms of hydrogen be replaced by amyl, there 

 must be produced the ether of an acid possessing the atomic weight of 



margaric acid : 



c r H 



rrJr H 



[ C < C s H u 



C! C c Hu 

 1 o 



IOC 2 H 5 . 



It is unnecessary to follow theoretically these reactions further ; but it 

 is obvious, from what has been already advanced, that, by a proper selection 

 of the three radicals put into the place of the methylic hydrogen, any ether, 

 from the margaric downwards, can be produced at will, by a process 

 analogous to that which we have experimentally demonstrated in the lactic 

 series. 



The present note describes the method by which we have already realized 

 several of these substitutions. 



Synthesis of Butyric Ether. 



When sodium is gently heated with acetic ether, it gradually dissolves 

 with evolution of hydrogen, and on cooling, the liquid solidifies to a crystal- 

 line mass, which becomes hot when mixed with iodide of ethyl, abundance 

 of iodide of sodium being formed : nevertheless it is advisable to complete 

 the reaction by enclosing the materials in a digester, and then heating the 

 latter for several hours to 100C. On distilling the crude product thus 

 obtained with water, a large quantity of an ethereal liquid collects upon the 

 surface of the aqueous portion of the distillate. After drying with chloride 

 of calcium, this liquid begins to boil at about 40 C., when a considerable 

 amount of ethylic ether comes over. Afterwards the temperature rises to 

 70, between which point and 80 some acetic ether, which had escaped 

 the action of the sodium, distils. The remainder of the distillate, which 



