974 REPORT—1885. 
from Kékulé’s inactive malic acid, and in view also of the discovery of Kékulé and 
Anschiitz that fumaric acid on oxidation gives racemic acid, while maleic acid 
yields mesotartaric acid. On the other hand the slight differences found to exist 
between the zine methoxysuccinates—the only difference observed so far between 
the corresponding addition products—may be due to slight impurity in one or both 
of the salts, a supposition not improbable, considering that the acids did not give 
absolutely definite melting-points. 
K. Grosner has recently shown (Inaugural Dissertation, Wiirzburg, 1885), 
that the ethers of the isomeric pyrocitric acids, when treated with sodium aleoholates, 
yield alkyloxypyrotartaric acids; he finds, however, that itaconic and mesaconic 
ethers yield the same acid, and citraconic ether an acid which, though isomeric, is 
essentially different in its properties from the other. In view of the relation of 
citraconic to mesaconic acid being in so many respects similar to that subsisting 
between maleic and fumarie acids, these results are difficult of explanation. 
The author intends, as soon as he has a sufficient quantity of material at his 
disposal, to investigate the optical and crystallographic characters of some of the 
salts of the ethoxy- or methoxysuccinic acid, obtained from the two parent acids, 
with the object of determining the identity or isomerism of the acids in question. 
He purposes also preparing alkyloxysuccionic acids direct from malic acid, so as 
to compare these acids, obtained from various sources, with each other, and also 
with the isomeric malic acids now being investigated by Anschiitz. He also reserves 
for further study the intermediate sodium compounds to which reference’ has been 
made. 
9. On Sulphine Salts derived from Ethylene Sulphide. 
By Orme Masson, MA., D.Sc. 
Ethylene sulphide, as obtained by mixing alcoholic solutions of ethylene bromide 
and potassium sulphide, is a white amorphous powder, insoluble in any of the 
ordinary solvents, and very difficult to obtain in astate of purity. When heated to 
about 160° C., either by itself or with carbon disulphide in sealed tubes, it is converted 
in great part into the crystalline diethylene disulphide S C.H, S, whose consti- 
§ P J J Pp C,H, 
tution is adduced from its vapour density, its reactions, and from the fact that it 
is also produced according to the equation 
C,H,<S>He + Br,0,H, = C,H, <g>0,H, + HgBr, 
(Crafts, Ann. Chem. Pharm. exxiv. 110 ; exxviii. 220 ; Husemann, did. exxvi, 269.] 
The author has found that this crystalline sulphide is capable of combining 
directly with methyl iodide to form a sulphine salt of the formula 
C,H, CH. 
S<cHs< i 
the combination taking place slowly at the ordinary temperature when the re- 
agents are mixed in ethereal solution, and quickly when they are heated to 
60°-70° in sealed tubes. 
Diethylenesulphide-methyl-sulphine iodide is freely soluble in hot water, much 
less so in cold water, practicably insoluble in alcohol or ether. It separates from 
the hot aqueous solution, on cooling, in opaque white crystals which at first sight 
appear to be cubical, but are not truly so; and by slow evaporation of the mother 
liquor it is obtained in the form of transparent prismatic needles. It enters into 
double decomposition with soluble silver salts, producing well defined crystalline 
salts of the sulphine radical. Of these the nitrate (C,H,),S,(CH,)NO,, and the 
sulphate {(C,H,),S,CH,},SO,. 3H,0, have been examined. From the latter, by 
the action of barium salts, the chloride and other compounds of the sulphine 
radical may be prepared. The chloride (C,H,),S,CH,Cl, yields insoluble or 
sparingly soluble compounds with certain metallic chlorides. Thus with platinic 
chloride it gives a heavy yellow precipitate of (C,H,),S,CH,Cl. PtCl,, insoluble in 
