12 CHARLES ANTHONY GOESSMANN 



from leucin by the same process which served him for 

 the preparation of benzoglycolic acid from hippuric 

 acid. After distillation he recognized as products of 

 decomposition hydrocyanic and valeric (or valerianic) 

 acids, ammonia and valero-nitrile. Previously he had 

 obtained a solution which evolved the odour of chlo- 

 ride of cyanogen. 



By a new method he obtained ethylamine from bi- 

 sulphite of aldehyde-ammonia by distillation with 

 calcium hydroxide. From the oil of bitter almonds 

 (benzoic aldehyde) he collected amarine and lophine. 

 He showed that lophine is formed when bisulphite of 

 ammonia and oil of bitter almonds are heated together 

 with dry calcium hydroxide. He and Atkinson like- 

 wise established the formula of lophine, C 21 H 17 N 2 , 

 which differs very little from that adopted by Fownes, 

 one of the original discoverers of this base, and also 

 showed that the pyrobenzoline of Fownes and the 

 lophine of Laurent are identical. 



In 1855 Goessmann and Scheven, in a subsequent 

 investigation of the ground-nut oil, discovered a new 

 member of the oleic acid series with the formula 

 C 16 H 30 O 2 , which they named hypogaeic acid. Goess- 

 mann and Caldwell showed that hypogaeic acid in 

 contact with nitrous acid is converted into the isomeric 

 compound, gaeidic acid. By dry distillation of hypo- 

 gaeic acid Goessmann obtained ordinary sebacic acid. 

 He also found palmitic acid present in the ground- 

 nut oil. In his investigations on the combinations of 

 arachic acid he prepared arachin by heating equal 

 parts of arachic acid and glycerin in a sealed glass tube. 



