42 ELECTROLYSIS AND ELECTROS YNTHESIS 



It is expected that these results will give the struc- 

 tural formula for camphoric acid. 



Following the experiments of Brown and Walker, 

 Schields ' investigated the deportment of ethyl-potas- 

 sium maleate and fumarate on electrolysis. His 

 results confirm the experiments of Kekule. During 

 the electrolysis carbon dioxide, oxygen, and unsat- 

 urated hydrocarbons were evolved, and the unchanged 

 maleic or fumaric acid and the corresponding ethyl 

 esters, respectively, remained in the solution. 



From these experiments it would appear that un- 

 saturated acids form no synthetic products on elec- 

 trolysis, and the aromatic acids phthalic acid and 

 benzyl-malonic acid conduct themselves in a similar 

 manner. Finally may be mentioned the electrolysis 

 of ethyl-potassium oxalate, which yielded ethylene in 

 addition to carbon dioxide. 



ELECTROSYNTHESES OF MULLIKEN' AND WEEMS. S 



Mulliken electrolyzed the sodium compounds of the 

 diethyl esters of dibasic acids in alcoholic solution and 

 obtained the same compounds which were formed 

 when sodium was removed by iodine. He thus 

 made: 



1 Lieb. Ann., 274, 64; Journ. Chem. Soc., 69, 737. 



2 Amer. Chem. Journ., 15, 323. 

 Ibid., 1 6, 569. 



