202 Messrs. Frankland and Duppa Synthetical [April 27, 



H fNa 



Ire | H 

 Q ^ H + Na 2 =2C J H + H 2 

 OC 2 H 5 IOC 2 H 5 . 



Acetic ether. Sodacetic ether. 



H +NaI 



OC.H.. 



Butyric, or ethacetic ether. 



It has been already stated above that an acid of the same composition as 

 butyric acid must also result from the replacement of two atoms of hydro- 

 gen, in the methyl of acetic ether, by two of methyl ; and we have in fact 

 produced this acid by first replacing the two atoms of hydrogen by sodium, 

 and then acting upon this compound with iodide of methyl : 



Na 



+ 2NaI 



OC 2 H 5 



Butyric, or dimethaeetic ether. 



We have not yet obtained this ether in a state of perfect purity ; but by 

 acting upon the crude product of the reaction with alcoholic potash, a 

 mixture of potassium acetate and butyrate was obtained, and yielded, by 

 the application of Liebig's admirable method of partial saturation, butyric 

 acid in a state of such purity that a further semisaturation produced no 

 change in its composition. A barium salt and a silver salt made from 

 this acid yielded results on analysis closely corresponding with the for- 

 mulae 



f2C CH, 



Q, 



J 



Barium butyrate, or dimethacetate. Silver butyrate, or dimethacetate. 



It is thus evident that an acid, having the composition of butyric acid, 

 can be now produced by three distinct synthetical processes, viz. 1st, by 



