112 ANIMAL CHEMISTRY LECTURE V. 



muscle with some oxidising agent we obtain certain aldehydes 

 together with their corresponding acids, it only shows that our 

 oxidising agent is employed in deficiency, or rather that the pro- 

 ducts, being readily volatile, are not left in contact with the heated 

 oxidising mixture sufficiently long to be entirely converted into 

 acids. 



(119.) But in addition to aldehydes and acids, certain nitriles, 

 more particularly formio-nitrile and valero-nitrile, have been 

 obtained by muscle oxidation. You may remember that I have 

 already, in previous lectures, made mention of prussic acid, cyanide 

 of hydrogen, or formio nitrile ; of cyanide of methyl, or aceto- 

 nitrile ; of cyanogen, or oxalo-nitrile, &c. The majority of these 

 nitriles are procurable either by the action of the simplest organic 

 nitrile, namely, prussic acid, upon the preceding alcohol, or by 

 the action of ammonia upon the co-equal acid, with elimination 

 of water, as shown below in the case of valero-nitrile : 



Water Valero-nitrile 



H 2 = C 5 H 9 N 



Water Valero-nitrile 



The first process is a true synthesis, or passage from a lower to 

 a higher carbon group, as explained in my last lecture when 

 speaking of general synthetic methods ; while the second is merely 

 a metamorphosis of the acid into its dehydrated ammonia-salt. 

 Now by treatment with caustic alkalies, the several nitriles or 

 organic cyanides absorb water to reproduce ammonia and a salt 

 of the acid to which they respectively appertain, thus : 



Valero-nitrile Potash Water Ammonia Pot.valerate 



C 5 H 9 N + KHO + H a O = H 3 N + C 5 H 9 KO a 



Prussic acid Potash Water Ammonia Pot. formiate 



CHN -t- KHO + H 2 = H 3 N + C H KO Z 



Accordingly, the occurrence of nitriles, in addition to acids and 

 aldehydes, only shows that certain oxidation -products of the carbo- 



