286 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE. 
Sachs and Loevy! find that additive compounds are formed from 
isonitriles, for which Nef’s formulation, R.N:C©, is taken. These 
additive compounds 
when treated with mineral acids probably give first aldehydeimide deriva- 
tives R.N:CH. Aryl, and then aldehydes, 0: CH. Aryl. The 
method, however, is not a very practical one. 
Ethers. 
Klages * has prepared a number of phenol ethers from aldehydes ; for 
example, o-propenyl phenetole, C,H, .O.C,H,.CH : CH. CH;, from 
ethyl salicylaldehyde and magnesium ethyl iodide. 
According to Hamonet,? halogen-substituted methyl ethers interact 
with magnesium organic compounds, thus: RMgX+XCH,OR=MgX, 
+R.CH,OR. 
Esters. 
According to Grignard,‘ monoethyl ethylacetoacetate interacts with 
magnesium methyl iodide, partly in accordance with its ketonic structure, 
CH; . CO. CH(C,H,;) . COOC,H,, to give the ester 
(CH,),C(OH) . CH(C,H,) . COOC,H, 
Ethy! chlorocarbonate can be converted into ethyl benzoate by means 
of magnesium phenyl bromide when care is taken to avoid an excess of 
the latter by dropping it into an excess of the chlorocarbonate,’ thus :— 
C,H,MgBr + Cl . CO,C,H, = C,H, . COOC,H, + MgC1Br 
The reaction appears to be a general one. 
Ethyl] benzoate may also be prepared from magnesium phenyl bromide 
by a method described by Tschitschibabin,® who uses normal carbonic 
esters :— 
RMgX + CO(OC,H,), = RC(OMgX)(OC,H,), 
RC(OMgX)(00,H,), + H,O =R . COO?“H, + C,H,OH + MgXOH 
If the reaction between magnesium organic compounds and ortho- 
carbonic esters is moderated and not too prolonged it proceeds thus :— 
C(00,H,), + RMgX =R.. C(OC,H,), + MgX(0C,H,) 
Houben’ describes a method for the preparation of esters from 
alcohols or phenols. The alcohol or phenol is converted by means of 
magnesium alkyl chloride into its magnesium chloro-compound, which is 
then caused to interact with an acid chloride or anhydride, e.g., with benzyl 
alcohol :— 
C,H, . CH,OH + 0,H,MgCl = C,H,CH,OMgCl + C,H, 
C,H,;CH,OMgCl + (CH,CO),0 = ©,H,CH,OCOCH, + CH, . COOMgCl 
The preparation of the acetates of terpineol, linalool, thymol, and cis-terpin 
» Ber., 1904, 37, 874. 2 Thid., 1904, 37, 3987. 
5 Compt. rend., 1904, 188, 813, 975; 1904, 189, 59. 
4 Thid., 1902, 134, 849. * Houben, Ber., 1903, 36, 3087. 
6 
LTbid., 1905, 38, 561, ™ DR -P., 1905, 162863 ; Ber., 1906, 39, 1736, 
