III. PHENACETIN: METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND COMMER- 

 CIAL STATUS. 



HISTORICAL REVIEW. 



On reviewing the history of phenaoetin it soon becomes apparent 

 that, like many other useful discoveries, it was not the achievement 

 of a single individual nor of a certain time, but was gradually evolved 

 by the successive efforts of many minds, stimulated by the progress of 

 correlated branches of science. It was, however, due to the patient 

 efforts of O. Hinsberg and his associates that the production of this 

 article on a commercial scale was made possible and its great medicinal 

 value became known to the world. 



The germ of phenacetin was sown by the celebrated French chem- 

 ist, A. Cahours, during the course of a series of valuable investi- 

 gations extending over a number of years. In 1843 a appeared his 

 "Recherches sur 1'huile de Gaultheria procumbens," which work was 

 persistently continued until 1849,* when he announced the discovery 

 of phenetol (C 6 H 5 OC 2 H 5 , phenol ethyl ether), mononitrophenetol 

 (C 6 H 4 NO 8 OC 8 H B ), and phenetidin (C U H 9 NO 2 C 2 H 2 , old nomenclature). 

 Two methods for preparing phenetol were given; one by heating 

 together ethyl salicylate and baryta, and the other by simply heating 

 barium ett^l salicylate. 



Following up a suggestion of Cahours, G. Baly, tf at the request of 

 A. W. Hofmann, prepared phenetol by the first method described 

 above, but called it "salithol." Baly presented his work to the Lon- 

 don Chemical Societ} 7 December 4, 1848, but it did not appear in the 

 society's official organ until 1850. Jt is interesting to note in (his 

 connection that several foreign journals printed the article in 1M:. 

 giving the Quarterly Journal of the Chemical Society credit for an 

 article that did not appear in its columns until nearly a year afterwards. 



In 1851 Cahours' 7 prepared phenetol by heating potassium phenolate 

 and ethyl iodid together in a sealed tube at from 100 to 120 C. The 

 following year appeared C. GerhardtV classic " Recherches sur les 

 acides organique anhydres." In this investigation we find prepared 



"Corap. rend., 1843, 16: 853; J. prakt. Chem., 29: 197. 



&Ann. Chim. Phys., 1849 (3), 27:439; J. prakt. Chem., 1850, 49:262; Ann. 

 (Liebig), 74: 314. 



c Quart. J. Chem. Soc., 1850, 2: 28; J. prakt. Chem., 1849, 47: 419. 

 dComp. rend., 1851, 32: 60; Ann. (Liebig), 78: 225. 

 Coinp. rend., 1852, 34: 755; J. prakt. Chem., 56: 321. 



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