TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 4 
4. Nascent hydrogen converts opianic acid into meconin :— 
C1°H 005 + H? =CHOt + HO. 
Opianic acid. Meconin. 
¥ Opianiec acid, boiled with strong potash-lye, yields meconin and hemipinic 
acid :— 
92CHYO5 = yloF10O4 + C1°H1908, 
Opianic acid. Meconin, Hemipinic acid. 
6. Opianic acid, meconin, or hemipinic acid, boiled with hydrochloric acid, yields 
chloride of methyl. 
7. In the case of hemipinic acid, the action of hydrochloric acid, if continued for 
a short time, gives rise to carbonic acid and a new acid, C°H°O+, as well as to 
chloride of methyl :— 
C°H?°0® + HCl = CH%0t + CO? + CH°Cl; 
Hemipinic acid. New acid. 
or, if continued for a longer time, to hypogallic acid, carbonic acid, and chloride of 
methyl :— 
CH'O*% + 2HCl = C7H°0t + CO? + 2CH°Cl. 
Hemipinic acid. Hypogallic acid. 
The object of the present communication is to point out analogies between the 
substances which take part in, or result from, these transformations and bodies 
whose constitution is better known ; and so to deduce a series of rational formule 
which shall, as far as possible, express their respective chemical functions and their 
relations to one another. 
Cotarnine.—The authors regard transformations 2 and 3 as proving that cotarnine 
is a methylized compound, corresponding to a not yet isolated normal cotarnine, 
C“H™NO®, bearing the same relation to cotarnic acid that malimide bears to malic 
acid. They point out that cotarnic acid resembles malic acid in being a bibasic. 
ae containing five atoms of oxygen, and they compare the derivatives of each as 
‘ollows :— 
C405 (+H805 
Cotarnic acid. Malic acid. 
CY'HNO! C*H'’NO* 
Cotarnamic acid. Aspartic acid 
CUHYNO4,HCl C+H'NO}, HCI 
Hydrochlorate of cotarnamie acid. Hydrochlorate of aspartic acid. 
C™H™MNO? C*H*NO® 
Cotarnimide (hypothetical normal cotarnine). Malimide. 
C™H°(CH*)NO# C*H+(C*H®)NO? 
: Methyl-cotarnimide (cotarnine). Phenyl-malimide. 
Hence they deduce the following rational formule :— 
11F79C02)iii 
a 0*=cotamic acid (bibasic but triatomic). 
=cotarnamic acid. 
C™H*02)iii ey 
Oe. YN 
(C ‘Ca Vey “ = methyl-cotarnimide=cotarnine. 
Meconin, Opianiec acid, Hemipinic acid.—Transformations 6 and 7 may be taken 
as proof. that each of these bodies is a dimethylized derivative of a corresponding 
normal compound not yet isolated. The authors further regard transformations 
4 and 5 as indicating the existence of a hydrate of meconin, C’*H”O’, and they 
suppose this compound to be a first result of both transformations, and to give rise 
to meconin by subsequent loss of the elements of water. If this be admitted, 
opianic acid and its congeners may be compared to oil of bitter almonds and glucose 
and their respective derivatives :— 
