313 



The velocity of decomposition of the dextrogyratory acid is about 

 13% greater than that of the laevogyratory acid. Also the enormously 

 accelerating influence of basic solvents such as aniline, in com- 

 parison with that of different neutral solvents like acetophenone , 

 is strikingly proved by these figures: a fact which, beyond all 

 doubt, must be connected with the intermediate formation of a 

 compound between the basic solvent and the acid under con- 

 sideration. 



The experiments, in which the campho-carboxylic acids were 

 dissolved in nitrobenzene or acetophenone, and then a smaller quantity 

 of l-nicotine was added, demonstrated that the effect of nicotine 

 is not to be attributed to the fact that it has merely the 

 function of a solvent. They then found: 



d-acid -f- l-nicotine, dissolved in nitrobenzene: k = 0,00302', in aceto- 

 phenone: k = 0,00277 



l-acid + l-nicotine, dissolved in nitrobenzene: k = 0,00270', in aceto- 

 phenone: k 0,00233. 



The dextrogyratory acid in nitrobenzene decomposed with a 

 velocity of about 8% greater than the tewgyratory acid; in 

 acetophenone with a velocity about 17% greater. This result proves 

 again that the nature of the solvent has an appreciable influence 

 on the difference of velocities for both antipodes. 



Fa jans investigated in the same way -the velocity of decom- 

 position of the campho-carboxylic acids and bromo-campho-carboxylic 

 acids. 



Besides nicotine, this author studied the influence of quinine 

 and quinidine, when added in small quantities to a solution of 

 the acids in acetophenone. 



At 70 C. the ratio of the velocity-constants of the right- and 

 left-handed antipodes was found to be: 



= 7^- = 1,19, in the case of nicotine, 

 ki 



whereas in acetophenone at 75 C. it was: 



for quinine : = 1 ,46 

 for quinidine: f = 1,46. 



In the catalytic action of quinine, half of the d^rogyratory acid 

 originally used was decomposed in 92 minutes, whereas the left acid 

 dwindled to half its original amount in 135 minutes. If instead 

 of quinine, quinidine were used as a catalyst, the 



