THE CHEMISTRY OF THE ANIMAL BODY. 975 



quantity by heating fish oil at a pressure of ten atmospheres.' The paraffins may all be 

 formed synthetically from methane by the action of sodium on halogen compounds of the 

 group: 



2CH 3 I + 2Na = C a H 6 + 2NaL 



C 2 H 5 I + CH 3 I + 2Na = C S H 8 + 2NaI. 



This may be continued to form a theoretically endless number of compounds. Paraffins are 

 notably resistant to chemical reagents, not being affected by either concentrated nitric or 

 sulphuric acids. Vaseline contains a mixture of paraffins melting between 30 and 40. 

 By massage vaseline may be absorbed by the skin, through the epithelial cells of the seba- 

 ceous glands. In rabbits and dogs, directly after such treatment, it may be detected de- 

 posited especially in muscle, but it is for the greater part destroyed in the body. 2 



MONATOMIC ALCOHOL RADICALS. 



These are radicals which may be considered as paraffins less one atom of hydrogen, and 

 therefore having one free bond. They form the basis of homologous series of alcohols 

 and acids. 



Monatomic Alcohols (general formula, C n H 2n + :OH). 



Methyl alcohol, CH 3 OH. Amyl alcohol, C 5 H n OH. 



Ethyl alcohol, C 2 H 5 OH. Hexyl alcohol, C 6 H 13 OH. 



Propyl alcohol, C 3 H 7 OH. Heptyl alcohol, C 7 H 15 OH. 

 Butyl alcohol, C 4 H 9 OH. etc. 



General Reactions for Primary Alcohols. (1) Alcohols treated with sulphuric acid 

 give ethers (see Ethyl ether) : 



2CH 3 OH + H 2 S0 4 = CH S > + 



Methyl ether. 



(2) Alcohols oxidized give first aldehyde and then acid : 

 CH 3 OH + = HC ^ + H 2 0. 



Methyl aldehyde. 



Formic acid. 



(3) Primary alcohols may be prepared 3 by reduction of the aldehyde with nascent 



hydrogen, 



CH 3 CHO + H 2 = CH 3 CH 2 OH 



Ethyl aldehyde. Ethyl alcohol. 



and similarly by reduction of the acid. 



Secondary Alcohols. From propyl alcohol upward there are alcohols isomeric with, the 

 primary alcohols, but in which the grouping R CHOH R is characteristic. These are 

 secondary alcohols, and may be produced by the action of nascent hydrogen on ketones : 



CH 3 - CO - CH 3 + H 2 = CH 3 - CHOH - CH 8 . 



Acetone. Isopropyl alcohol. 



Tertiary Alcohols. These have the general formula R,, COH. 



1 Engler : Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft, 1888, Bd. 21, p. 1816. 



2 Soubiranski : Archivfur ex/per. Patholoyie und Pharmakoloyie, 1893, Bd. 31, p. 329. 



* Again attention is called to the fact that the list of these reactions is in no wise complete, 

 but only intended to be suggestive of what should be mastered from a text-book on general 

 chemistry. 



