OF ALIPHATIC COMPOUNDS. 2$ 



Oxalic Acid. The deportment of the saturated solu- 

 tion of the free acid on electrolysis was determined 

 by Brester, 1 Bourgoin, 2 Balbiano and Alessi, 3 Bunge, 4 

 and Renard. 6 The general result was that oxygen 

 and carbon dioxide were obtained at the anode and 

 hydrogen at the cathode. It is possible to completely 

 oxidize oxalic acid to carbon dioxide. On this prop- 

 erty depends the great importance of oxalic acid in 

 quantitative electrolytic analysis, into which it has 

 been introduced by Classen. 8 



The ability of ammonium oxalate to form soluble 

 double salts with many difficultly soluble or insoluble 

 metallic salts is in accord with the favorable conduct 

 of the acid on electrolysis, by which operation it may 

 be entirely removed from the solution in the form of 

 gas. The reducing effects of the current on oxalic 

 acid were also observed. Thus on electrolyzing both 

 the free acid and its sodium salt Balbiano and Alessi 

 were able to prove the presence of glycolic acid. 



The oxidation is not complete if the electrolysis is 

 conducted in the cold solution, carbon monoxide 

 as well as carbon dioxide being then formed at the 

 positive pole. 



1 Jahresber. f. Chemie, 1866, p. 87. 

 8 Comp. rend., 67, 97. 



3 Gazz. chim., 1882, p. 190; Chem. Ber., 15, 2236. 



4 Chem. Ber., 9, 78. 



5 Ann. chim. phys., [5] 17, 289. 



8 Classen, Quan. Analysis by Electrolysis (Wiley & Sons, N. Y.). 



