22 ELECTROLYSIS AND ELECTROS 'YN THESIS 



Hexane (CH 3 .CH 2 .CH 2 .CH a .CH 2 .CH 3 ) and propyl 

 alcohol (CH 3 .CH a .CH a OH) could not be detected. 

 They could, therefore, only have been formed in 

 extremely small quantities. The very remarkable 

 formation of isopropyl alcohol can only be explained 

 by assuming the hydration of propylene or the molec- 

 ular rearrangement of the group CH 8 .CH,.CH a . 



Potassium Isobutyrate, 



(CH 9 ) a :CH.COOK. 



This salt gave 300 g. propylene bromide (CH,. 

 CHBr.CH a Br), equivalent to 62 g. propylene (CH 3 . 

 CH:CH a );20 g. isopropyl alcohol ((CH 3 ) a :CHOH); 

 over 12 g. isobutyric isopropyl ester, 



((CH,),: CH.COOCH(CH 8 ) a ); 



6 g. of an oil having a pepper-like odor and boiling at 

 130-160. 



In this case also the paraffine isohexane (CH 3 ),:CH. 

 CH :(CH 8 ) a was not formed. 



Hamonet draws the following conclusions from 

 these results: 



I. The equation 



2C.H M+l .COO-= C.H 4K+2 + 2CO., 



representing the reaction in the electrolysis of the 

 alkali salts of the fatty acids, which since the experi- 



