72 MESSES. TEANKLAND AND DUPPA'S SYNTHETICAL EESEAECHES ON ETHEES. 



radicals in these cyanides are normal radicals, that is, methyls in which only one atom 

 of hydrogen has been replaced, it is highly probable that all the non-synthesized acids 

 contain normal radicals with two atoms of unreplaced hydrogen, just as the natural 

 acids of the acrylic series contain, as we have proved for a large majority of them *, the 

 largest possible number of atoms of unreplaced hydrogen, which is one atom, thus dif- 

 fering from the synthesized acids of the same series which contain no unreplaced hydrogen, 

 as seen for instance in pyroterebic acid and its synthesized isomer ethyl-crotonic acid. 



C, 



fH 



O ^2 



OH 



O 



OH 



Pyroterebic Ethyl-crotonic 



acid. acid. 



This remarkable peculiarity in the constitution of the radicals of natural or analytically 

 obtained organic compounds, must be the expression of some general law regulating the 

 formation of those compounds, and which cannot much longer elude detection. 



Intimately connected with isomerism in the fatty acids is the like phenomenon in the 

 alcohols which has recently been remarked by KoLBEf and by Friedel J ; in fact the syn- 

 thesis of the carboketonic ethers and of the fatty acids lays open a direct path, through 

 the beautiful reactions either of Mendius or Friedel, to corresponding alcohols. 



In conclusion, there can be no doubt that the reaction which forms the subject of this 

 paper is capable of a very wide extension, and that by its means we shall be able to 

 ascend many of the well-recognized homologous series. In future communications we 

 hope to have the honour of laying before the Royal Society the results of its extension to 

 the alcohols and ethers, and to the benzoic series of ethereal salts. 



* Joum. Chem. Soc. vol. xviii. p. 147. 



t Zeitschrift Ch. u. Phann. Bd. v. 687. 



+ BuUotin de la Soc. Chimique, 1863, p. 247. 



