AMYL ALCOHOLS. 69 



concentrated hydriodic acid. From this the alcohol 

 is obtained by heating with silver oxide and water. 

 Colorless liquid, rather easily soluble in water, is pre- 

 cipitated from this solution by means of potassium 

 carbonate. Of a strong, penetrating odor. Boiling 

 point, 96-98; specific gravity, 0.85 at 0. When 

 heated to 240-250 it is resolved into butylene and 

 water. By oxidation it is at first converted into ethyl- 

 methylketone, and then into acetic acid. The iodide, 

 C 4 H 9 I, boils at 117-118. 



4. Tertiary butyl alcohol (Pseudobutyl alcohol, 

 trimethylcarbinol), CHAC.OH j ^jp Is contained in 



small quantity in commercial butyl alcohol of fermen- 

 tation. Can easily be prepared from isobutyl alcohol. 

 Isobutyl iodide, when heated with an alcoholic solu- 

 tion of potassa, yields a hydrocarbon, C 4 H 8 (isobuty- 

 lene), which combines directly with hydriodic acid, 

 forming pseudobutyl iodide. By means of silver oxide 

 and water the alcohol is prepared from this. The 

 alcohol can be obtained still more readily by conduct- 

 ing the isobutylene into concentrated sulphuric acid, 

 and, after diluting with water, subjecting to distil- 

 lation. When acetyl chloride (1 vol.) is poured very 

 slowly into an excess (about 4 vols.) of z^ncethyl, 

 kept at 0, there separates from the mixture after a 

 time, large, transparent prisms of C 2 H 3 O.C1 + 2 

 [(CH 3 ) 2 Zn], which, in contact with water, are imme- 

 diately decomposed, forming zinc oxide, zinc chloride, 

 marsh gas, and pseudobutyl alcohol. Colorless, thick 

 liquid, which, when thoroughly free of water, congeals 

 at 20-25 in a crystalline form, and boils at about 82. 

 Yields by oxidation carbonic, acetic, and propionic 

 acids. Pseudobutyl chloride, C 4 H 9 C1, boils at 50-51. 

 The iodide, C 4 H 9 I, at 98-99. 



5. Amyl Alcohols. 

 C 5 H 12 = C 5 Ii u .OH. 



Eight isomeric alcohols of this composition can 

 exist, viz. : 4 primary, 3 secondary, and 1 tertiary. Of 



