ON ABSORPTION SPECTRA AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION. 



109 



decide with certainty as to whether the constitution of the latter sub- 

 stance should be represented by the formula T. or II. If it differs only 

 from quinone chlorimide by 



the substitution of OH for Curves of Molecular Vibrations.— {5) Quinone 

 CI, we should expect at least 

 as close a resemblance be- 

 tween the spectra of the two 

 bodies as between the spectra 

 of quinone dioxime and 

 quinone dichlorimide, seeing 

 that the difference in both 

 cases would consist merely 

 in the substitution of OH 

 for CI. The difference, how- 

 ever, is considerably greater 

 in the one case than in the 

 other, as will be seen by 

 I'eference to the diagrams. 



Though we do not regard 

 the evidence as conclusive, 

 we are of opinion that it 

 does not favour the repi'e- 

 sentation of /(-nitroso-phenol 

 by a formula analogous to 

 that of quinone chlorimide. 



The chemical properties 

 of quinone are as much 

 those of a peroxide as of a 

 ketone ; for instance, under 

 the influence of sunlight it 

 oxidises alcohol to aldehyde, ' 

 while it undergoes reduction 

 to quinol. 



In like manner it oxidises 

 isopropyl alcohol to acetone. 

 It acts upon polyhydric 

 aliphatic alcohols, producing 

 sugar-like substances, such 

 as were obtained by E. 

 Fischer by the action of 

 alkaline hypobromites ; for 

 instance, from mannitol is 

 obtained mannitose. 



Experimental Part. 



Quinone. — The specimen 

 of quinone which we ex- 

 amined was prepared in the 

 usual way by the oxidation 

 of aniline. The absorption 

 spectra of its aqueous solu- 



' Gjamician and Silber, Ber., 1901, 34, 1350. 



