SYNTHETICAL EESEAECHES ON ETHEES. 



43 



distillation of a mixture of valeraldehyde and quicklime, and with cenanthol. From the 



first two it is distinguished by its lower boiling-point (138°), butyrone boiling at 144° C, 



and Fittig's ketone at 161° to 164°, and from the third by its different properties, which 



are essentially those of a ketone and not of an aldehyde. The difference in structure of 



three of these bodies may be expressed with considerable certainty by the following 



formulae : — 



CMeO /C(C3H;)0 fCHO 



LCEtgH 



LCEtH, 



LC (Cj HiiJHg 



Y 



Butyrone. 



y 

 (Enanthol. 



Diethylated acetone. 



We have mentioned above that ethylic diethacetone carbonate is freed from another 

 body with which it is associated, by long ebullition with aqueous potash. A large quan- 

 tity of potassium carbonate is formed in this reaction, and there is at the same time 

 a volatile body of a ketonic character set free. This led us to suspect the presence in 

 the original mixture of a lower homologue formed by the action of only one atom of 

 sodium upon two atoms of acetic ether — a suspicion supported by the composition of 

 the mixture as shown by the analyses given at page 40, which indicate the formula 



^9 Hi6 O3 

 that would be deduced from the analysis of equal weights of ethylic diethacetone car- 

 bonate (CjoHigO.^), and its lower homologue, ethylic ethacetone carbonate (CgHj^O^). 

 Further investigation of the mixture before boiling with aqueous potash completely 

 confirmed this surmise ; for by careful fractional distillation we succeeded in sepa- 

 rating two liquids of constant boiling-point, one of which was ethylic diethacetone car- 

 bonate, and the other ethylic ethacetone carbonate. The latter yielded on analysis the 

 following numbers. -2411 grm. gave -5387 grm. carbonic acid and -1944 grm. water. 

 These numbers correspond well with the formula 



C4^ 



fH3 



0_ 

 H 



O 



iOC^Hs 



as is seen from the subjoined comparison : 



H 



14 



100-00 



Found. 



60-94 

 8-96 



