10 ELECTROLYSIS AND ELECTROS YN THESIS 



breaks up into formic acid, oxalic acid, a sugar, and 

 an acid, C 6 H 8 O 8 . The reactions are probably the fol- 

 lowing: 



C 6 H M 6 -4 C.H.A - C 3 H 6 9 - C 8 H 8 8 

 -> CH a O 3 - C a H a O 4 -> CO - CO 2 . 



Whether any intermediate products have escaped 

 observation, and the nature of these, can naturally be 

 determined only by new and careful experiments. 



Since organic substances, apart from acids, bases, 

 and salts, are poor conductors of electricity, the addi- 

 tion of a mineral acid to an organic electrolyte pro- 

 duces a complication of conditions, since oxidation 

 reactions occur in combination with substitutions. 

 After it is once made possible to establish and regu- 

 late the oxidizing and reducing effects of the current, 

 the field of substitution reactions is the one which 

 offers the most promising results. 



(b) Ketones. 



Acetone. Acetone has been electro lyzed by Mul- 

 der, 1 Riche,* and Friedel. 1 The electrolysis of an 

 acetone solution acidified with sulphuric acid gave 

 carbon dioxide, acetic acid, and formic acid. In 

 hydrocloric acid solution mono-chlor-acetone and di- 

 chlor-acetone could be isolated; in hydrobromic acid 



1 Jahresber. f. Chemie, 1859, p. 339. 



1 Comp. rend., 49, 176. 



* Ann. Chem. Phar., 112, 376. 



