TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION B. 527 
narcotising substances of the same homologwus series, such as the ordinary alcohols 
or the esters, be considered, we are brought to the conclusions that the cells acted 
on are all of the same species, that the action in the interior of the cell only differs 
in degree, and finally that this difference depends essentially and solely on the 
velocity with which the homologous substances penetrate into the cells. Now this 
velocity has been shown to be proportional to the depression of the surface tension 
of water by the dissolved substances, and hence we cannot but conclude that the 
same law holds good for the narcotic action of homologous substances as has been 
proved to be valid for surface tension, and approximately so for the distribution 
coefficient. 
2. The Action of Organic Bases on Olefinie Ketonic Compounds. 
By Dr. 8. Runemann and E. R. Watson. 
The authors have continued their investigation ' of the behaviour of unsaturated 
ketonic compounds, especially of benzylideneacetylacetone, towards organic bases, 
and have isolated several additive compounds which are thus formed, e.g., with 
m-toluidine, p-toluidine, m-chloroaniline, p-chloraniline, and B-naphthylamine. 
These substances on heating suffer the following decomposition : 
C,H,.CH(NHR).CH(COCH,), = C,H,.CH : NR + CH,(CO.CH,),. 
In some cases the additive compounds cannot be isolated, because they are 
decomposed at once, according to the above equation. Of interest is the fact that 
neither o-toluidine nor a-naphthylamine combines additively with benzylidene- 
acetylacetone. Ortho-substituted benzenoid bases, therefore, seem not to react 
with the diketone. This conclusion is supported by the fact that piperidine readily 
forms an additive product with benzylideneacetylacetone, but tetrahydroquinoline 
does not. 
The study of piperidobenzylacetylacetone, C,H,.CH(N.O,H,,).CH(COCH,),, 
has proved of the greatest interest as throwing light on the catalytic action of 
piperidine and other secondary bases in the condensation of aldehydes and ketones, 
which have been elaborated by Knoevenagel and his pupils. The authors arrive 
at the view that, taking the formation of benzylidenebisacetylacetone as example, 
the reaction is to be expressed thus: 
(1) C,H,.CH : C(CO.CH,), + O,H, NH = C,H,.CH(N.C,H,,).CH(CO.CH,),. 
(2) C,H,C (N.C, H,,).CH(CO.CH,), + CH,(CO.CH,), = C,H, CH[CH(CO.CH,),],. 
The observation of Knoevenagel and Faber,’ that ethyl benzylideneacetoacetate 
in the presence of diethylamine yields ethyl benzylidenebisacetoacetate, has also 
found a ready explanation. The fact that piperidobenzylacetylacetone on treat- 
ment with water yields benzaldehyde and henzylidenebisacetylacetone indicates 
that the formation of the latter substance is preceded by the production of an 
additive compound of the unsaturated ketone with the base. 
3. The Union of Hydrogen and Oxygen in contact with a Hot Surface. 
By Wiuutam A. Bont and Ricnharp ‘V. WHEELER. 
The authors have investigated the rate of formation of water when electrolytic 
gas, or electrolytic gas diluted with an excess of either hydrogen or oxygen, is 
circulated at a uniform speed over a porous surface, either of porcelain or magnesia, 
heated to 430° in the combustion tube of the ‘circulation apparatus’ described in 
our paper on the Slow Oxidation of Methane (‘Trans. Chem. Roe. 1903, 88, 1074). 
The steam was condensed each time the gases left the combustion tube, so that its 
rate of formation was indicated by the pressure-fall in the apparatus. 
The experimental conditions were such that chemical change was exclusively 
' Cf. Trans, Chem. Soc., 1904, 85, 466. 2 Ber., 31, 2773. 
