13-B.] 



METHYL ALCOHOL 



43 



Journ. pr. Ch. [2] 67, 287 ; 422 ; Ch. 

 Centr. 1898, 1, 1303: see also under 

 /3-orcinol [77]). 



Rangiformic acid from Cladonia ran- 

 giformis (Paternd, Gazz. 12, 259 ; Zopf, 

 Ann. 288, 63 ; Hesse, Journ. pr. Ch. 

 [2] 57, 275), and chrysocetraric = 

 pinastric acid from Cetraria juniperina, 

 C.pinastri, Calyciumjlavum^nA. Lepraria 

 flava are methyl esters, the latter of 

 oxypulvic acid (Zopf, Ann. 284, 107 ; 

 Hesse, Ibid. 176; Journ. pr. Ch. [2] 

 57, 307 ; 62, 342 ; 65, 537 ; 552, &c.). 



Lecidic acid from Lecidea cinereo-atra 

 is a methyl ester (Hesse, Journ. pr. Ch. 

 [2] 58, 508). Caperatic acid from 

 Parmelia caperata, Mycoblastu* sangui- 

 narius, var. endorhodea, and Platysma 

 glaucum may be a methyl ester (Hesse, 

 Ber. 30, 365 ; Journ. pr. Ch. [2] 57, 

 427 ; Zopf, Ann. 306, 306 ; 312). 



Parellic acid = psoromic = squamaric 

 and (?) zeoric acid is a methyl ester 

 found in the following lichens: Le- 

 canora parella (Ochrolechia pallescem, 

 y-parella), L. varia, L. sordida, var. 

 glaucoma, Placodium crassum, var. ccespi- 

 tosnm, P. lagasca, P. gypsaceum, P. cir- 

 oinatvm, Rhizocarpon geographicum, var. 

 lecanorina, and vars. contiguum and 

 geronticum, Stereocaulon corallo'ides (?), 

 S. incrustatum, S. vesuvianum, S. denu- 

 datum, var. genuinum or pnlvinatum, 

 Catocarpus alpicolus, Roccella intricata, 

 R. tinctoria, Darbis/tirella gracillima, 

 Cladonia pyxidata, Usnea ceratina, U. 

 barfjata and jlorida (Schunck, Ann. 54, 

 274 ; Spica, Gazz. 12, 431 ; Zopf, Ann. 

 284, 129; 288, 59; 295, 233; 236; 

 248; 251; 273; 295; 297,285; 317, 

 no; 321, 37; Hesse, Journ. pr. Ch. 

 [2] 57, 272; 274; 58, 518; 62,430; 

 462; 465; 65, 537; Ber. 3O, 363; 

 31, 663. Hesse was unable to find this 

 acid in Lecanora parella, from which it 

 was first said to be obtained by Schunck, 

 and concludes that this last author had 

 some other species in hand ; see Ch. 

 Centr. 1902, 2, 382). 



Thamnolic acid from Thamnolia ver- 

 micularis, Cladonia fioerkeana, and Cla- 

 dina uncialis may be a methyl ester 

 (Zopf, Ch. Centr. 1 893, 2, 54 ; Journ. 

 pr. Ch. [2] 58, 465 ; 62, 441 ; 446 ; 

 Ann. 324, 39). 



Vulpic acid is the methyl ester of 

 pulvic acid = diphenylketipic anhy- 

 dride, and is found in the following 

 lichens : Cetraria (= Evernia) vnlpina, 

 C. pinastri, C. tubulosa, C. juniperina, 

 Cyp helium ckrysocepkalum, Calycium 

 chlorinum, C. chlorellum, C. stenfiamari, 

 Parmelia perlata, American, (Moller 

 and Strecker, Ann. 113, 56 ; Bolley, 

 Jahresber. 1864, 554 ; Zopf, Ann. 284, 

 120; 324, 39 ; Hesse, Ann. 284, 173; 

 Journ. pr. Ch. [2] 57, 316; 62, 340; 

 65, 537 : the later papers of Zopf and 

 Hesse referred to above under atranorin 

 may also be consulted for references to 

 vulpic acid : for references to con- 

 stitution see also Spiegel, Ann. 219, 

 i, &c.). 



The. methoxy group, CH 3 .O, is con- 

 tained in large numbers of natural pro- 

 ducts belonging to nearly every family 

 of organic compounds. Such com- 

 pounds are in a sense ethers of methyl 

 alcohol. 



Methyl alcohol is among the products 

 of fermentation of glycerol by Bacillus 

 boocopricus (Emmerling, Ber. 29, 2727), 

 of the bacterial fermentation of calcium 

 glycerate (Fitz, Ber. 13, 1312), and of 

 the fermentation of the juice of the 

 sugar-cane by a special (wild) yeast 

 (Marcano, Comp. Rend. 108, 955). 



SYNTHETICAL PROCESSES. 



[A.] From carbon, oxygen, and hy- 

 drogen, a mixture of carbon monoxide, 

 and the latter giving methyl alcohol 

 among other products under the influence 

 of the electric discharge in an ' ozoniser' 

 (Slosse and Solvay, Bull. Acad. Roy. 

 Belg. 35, 547; Ch. Centr. 1898, 2, 

 421). 



[B.] From methane [l] by chlorination 

 and the action of aqueous potash on 

 the methyl chloride (Berthelot, Ann. 

 105, 241 ; Ann. Chim. [3] 52, 101). 

 Methane and air (the mixture contain- 

 ing insufficient oxygen for complete 

 combustion) give methyl alcohol among 

 other products when passed over finely 

 divided copper, asbestos, or coppered 

 pumice (Glock, Germ. Pat. 109014 of 

 1898; Ch. Centr. 1900, 2, 304; see 

 also Coquillon in Journ. Soc. Ch. Ind. 



