14-A.] 



ETHYL ALCOHOL 



53 



(Klocker, 'Die Garungsorganismen, &c/ 

 p. 277). Alcohol is among the products 

 of the butyric fermentation of dextrose, 

 saccharose, and starch by the anaerobic 

 Amylobacter bulylicum and A. tBthylicum 

 (Duclaux, Ann. Inst. Past. 9, 811), and 

 of the fermentation of sugar in nutrient 

 solution by a slime-forming Bacillus 

 isolated from impure water (Schar- 

 dinger, Centr. Bakter. II, 8, 144; 

 175). Soil bacteria produce alcohol 

 among the products of fermentation of 

 saccharose (Deherain and Maquenne, 

 Comp. Rend. 97, 803). 



The sugar gelatinising Clostridium 

 gelatinosum produces alcohol in nutrient 

 solutions containing saccharose (Laxa, 

 Zeit. Zuckerind. 26, 122; Journ. Fed. 

 Inst. 8, 639). 



Alcohol is formed in small quantity 

 as a product of putrefaction of fish 

 (Morner, Zeit. physiol. Ch. 22, 514). 

 The bacteria which cause putrefaction 

 of proteids are capable of producing 

 alcoholic fermentation (Vitali, Ch. 

 Centr. 1900, 1, 141). Arabinose gives 

 alcohol on putrefaction (Salkowski, 

 Zeit. physiol. Ch. 30, 478). Alcohol 

 and ethyl acetate are formed when blood 

 saturated with saccharose is kept for 

 fifteen months (Ibid. 27, 297). Fibrin 

 kept for several years under chloroform 

 water gives a cupric reducing substance 

 which is fermentable by yeast with the 

 production of alcohol (Ibid.}. Rancid 

 butter contains alcohol and ethyl esters, 

 especially butyrate, which are probably 

 bacterial products (Amthor, Zeit. anal. 

 Ch. 38, 10). Alcohol is among the 

 products of anaerobic putrefaction of 

 milk by Bacillus putrificus and by the 

 Bacilli of malignant oedema and of 

 symptomatic anthrax (Bienstock, Ch. 

 Centr. 1901, 1, 1209). 



Alcohol is said to occur in animal 

 tissues such as muscle, brain, and liver, 

 and in diabetic urine (Rajewski, Pflii- 

 ger's Arch. 11, 122; Bechamp, Comp. 

 Rend. 89, 573 ; Zeit. anal. Ch. 20, 

 603 ; Markownikoff, Ber. 9, 1441 ; 

 1603). Ethylsulphuric acid (a salt) 

 occurs under certain conditions in horse 

 urine (Pfeiffer and Eber, Landw. Ver- 

 suchs-Sta. 49, 97), and in human fistula 

 bile (Brand, Pfliiger's Arch. 90, 491)- 



SYNTHETICAL PEOCESSES. 



[A.] From acetylene (see under me- 

 thane [l ; A]) through ethylene by 

 reduction (Berthelot, Comp. Rend. 50, 

 806; 54, 515; 132, 281; Wilde, Ber. 

 7, 353), ethylsulphuric acid by com- 

 bination of latter with sulphuric acid 

 (Faraday, Phil. Trans. 1825, 448; 

 Hennell, Ibid. 1826, 240 ; 1828, 365 ; 

 Berthelot, Ann. Chim. [3] 43, 385), 

 and decomposition of ethylsulphuric 

 acid by hydrolysis (Hennell; Berthe- 

 lot ; see also Butleroff and Gorjainoff, 

 Ann. 169, 147). There is said to be 

 some practical difficulty in reducing 

 acetylene to ethylene (Kriiger, Elektro. 

 Zeit. 1895, 32; Wood, Ch. News, 78, 

 308). 



Acetylene can be partially reduced to 

 ethylene bypassing it mixed with hydro- 

 gen over finely divided nickel heated to 

 300 (Sabatier and Senderens, Comp. 

 Rend. 128, 1 1 73), or over finely divided 

 copper at 130-180 (Ibid. 130, 1559) 

 or iron at 180 (Ibid. 1628) or platinum 

 black at ordinary temperature (Ibid. 



131, 40), or by the action of heated 

 finely divided nickel on acetylene per se 

 (Ibid. 187). Ammoniacal chromous 

 sulphate solution is said to reduce 

 acetylene to ethylene (Coudert, Eng. 

 Pat. 17159 of 1898; Journ. Soc. Ch. 

 Ind. 17, 1178; also Villon process, 

 Elect. Rev. 35, 375; Journ. Soc. Ch. 

 Ind. 19, 553 5 Berthelot, Comp. Rend. 



132, 281). 



Acetylene is reduced to ethylene by 

 the action of sodammonium (Moissan, 

 Comp. Rend. 127, 914). Acetylene 

 can be reduced to ethylene and ethane 

 electrolytically, and in sulphuric acid 

 solution (with mercury cathode) gives 

 rise to small quantities of alcohol (Bil- 

 litzer, Sitzungsber. Wien. Akad. 110 ; 

 ' Nature/ 67, 425). 



Acetylene combines with mercuric 

 chloride to form a compound which is 

 decomposed on heating with aqueous 

 hydrochloric acid with the formation of 

 aldehyde [92]. The latter can be re- 

 duced to alcohol as below under H 

 (Kriiger and Piickert, Ch. Ind. 1895, 

 454 ; see also Caro, Ibid. 226 and 454 ; 

 Kutscheroff, Ber. 17, 13). Acetylene 



