12 ELECTROLYSIS AND ELE CTROS YN THESIS 



are much simpler, since the acids are mostly good 

 conductors of electricity, both in solution and in 

 the free condition, as well as in the form of salts. 

 Kolbe's ' classical investigations on the electrolysis of 

 organic compounds, in which he demonstrated the 

 formation of the hydrocarbons from the acids, are the 

 foundation of later investigations. A continuation 

 along the same line are the researches of Kekule, a 

 Brown and Walker, 3 Mulliken, 4 and Weems. 5 They 

 employed the electric current as a valuable means for 

 effecting the synthesis of a complete series of com- 

 pounds. 



For the sake of clearness the researches here given 

 will be arranged chiefly in accordance with their 

 chemical characteristics. 



Formic Acid. Although up to this point, in the in- 

 vestigations mentioned, it has been necessary to con- 

 sider chiefly oxidizing reactions, we now enter upon a 

 field comprising those reactions which involve the 

 process of reduction, and in which compounds of a 

 relatively high stage of oxidation are the starting- 

 points. The electrolytic formation of formic acid 

 from oxalic acid, as observed by Royer, 6 is a reduc- 

 tion reaction of this nature. 



1 Lieb. Ann., 69, 257. 



8 Lieb. Ann., 131, 79. 



8 Lieb. Ann., 261, 107. 



4 Amer. Chem. Journ., 15, 523. 



6 Amer. Chem. Journ., 16, 569. 



6 Comp. rend., 70, 731; Bull. soc. chim., [2] 14, 226. 



