SUBSTITUTION OF CHLORINE FOR HYDROGEN. 



the chlorine and hydrogen in these bodies, their formulae may 

 be written thus : 



C 4 H 5 C1. C^Cl. C 4 j 3 Cl. C 4 ^ 2 C1. C 4 j Cl. C 4 C1 5 Cl. 



Chloromethylic ether or chloride of methyl C 2 H 3 C1, a body 

 having the same relation to wood- spirit that hydrochloric 

 ether has to alcohol, gives rise to an analogous series of chlo- 

 rinated compounds when a stream of chlorine is passed through 

 it, the product being treated in its turn with the gas, and the 

 same process repeated with the new product ; when the hydro- 

 gen is then entirely withdrawn, and a chloride of carbon remains, 

 the same that is derived from light carburetted hydrogen (Reg- 

 nault). The bodies of this series are : 



C 2 H 3 C1. C 2 ** 2 C1. C 2 j Cl. C 2 C1 3 Cl. 



All these chlorinated compounds possess the neutral charac- 

 ter of the bodies from which they are derived. Malaguti has 

 also observed that ether (oxide of ethyl) may lose two equiva- 

 lents of hydrogen and gain two of chlorine, C 4 H 5 O becoming 

 C 4 H 3 C] 2 O, without any of its essential properties undergoing 

 alteration ; for its power of combination remains the same, and 

 chlorinated ether is still ether. Oxalic ether or the oxalate of 

 oxide of ethyl, may have its whole five atoms of hydrogen 

 replaced by five atoms of chlorine, and chlorinated oxalic 

 ether, or chloroxalic ether is formed ; C 4 H 5 O -f C 2 O 3 becomes 

 C 4 C1 5 O + C 2 O 3 , or adopting empirical formulae, C 6 H 5 O 4 becomes 

 C 6 C1 5 O 4 . Now each of these ethers is the base of a class of 

 salts, the oxalovinates and chloroxalovinates ; each of them, 

 also, is affected by dry ammoniacal gas, and by solution of am- 

 monia in the same way, forming oxamethane or chloroxame- 

 thane with the first re-agent, and oxamide with the second :* 



OXALIC ETHER, AND COMPOUNDS DERIVED FROM IT. 



Oxalic ether . . . C 6 H 5 O 4 



Oxalovinic acid (hydrated) C 6 H 5 O 4 + C 2 O 3 , HO 



Oxamethane . . C 6 H 5 O 4 + C 2 O 2 , NH 2 



Oxamide . . C 2 O 2 , NH 2 



* Malaguti, Annales de Chiinie, etc. t. 74, p. 299. 



