TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION B. 663 



5. Note on the Constitution of Camphoric Acid. 

 By J. J. SuDBOROUGH, D.Sc, Ph.D., F.I.C. 



The author draws attention to the fact that, as regards its etheriBcation, 

 camphoric acid shows a marked resemblance to some of the polycarboxylic acids 

 investigated by Victor Meyer and Sudborough (' Ber.,' 27, 314(5), and to hemi- 

 pinic acid (Wegscheider, ' Monatsheft,' 16, 75). It is thought that this resem- 

 blance may throw some light on the constitution of camphoric acid, and that at 

 any rate it' can be used as an argument for or against any formula which is brought 

 forward. The author then considers several of the more important formulae 

 already suggested, and regards those of Armstrong and of Bredt as best agreeing 

 with the behaviour of camphoric acid. 



6. Ex2)erimental Proof of van H Hoff's Constant, Dal ton's Lau; dec, for 

 very Dilute Solutions. By Dr. M. Wildeemann. 



7. The FormaUoyi and Properties of a New Organic Acid. 

 By Henry J. Horstman Fenton, M.A. 



When tartaric acid is oxidised under certain conditions in presence of a ferrous 

 salt a substance is produced which acts as a powerful reducing agent, and which 

 gives a beautiful violet colour with ferric salts in presence of alkali. This sub- 

 stance has after considerable dilHculty been isolated, and proves to be a dibasic 

 acid having the fovmula C JI,0^;.2n./). 



The coDStJtutiou of this acid is now under investigation. 



Heated with hydrogen iodide it gives succinic acid, racen.ic acid being an iiiter- 

 mediate product. Bromine in presence of water oxidises it quantitatively to dioxy- 

 tartaric acid. Heated with water it is resolved into carbon dioxide and glycollic 

 aldehyde. 



This aldeh3'de has been obtained as a viscid liquid, pure except for a trace of 

 ether ; and, on removing tlie latter by heating in a vacuum, the aldehyde under- 

 goes polymerisation, a sweet-tasting solid gum being the result. Analj^sis and 

 molecular weight determination show that this gummy substance has the formula 



Further observations have recently been made as to the conditions under which 

 this new acid may be obtained from tartaric acid. The presence of a ferrous salt 

 is essential. Ferric, manganous, and various other salts have been tried with 

 negative results. 



If moist ferrous tartrate be exposed to the air for a short time a certain quantity 

 of the new acid is produced, and may be indicated by the characteristic violet 

 colour given when caustic alkali is added. The eflect is much more intense if the 

 exposure be made out of doors, and the increased result was at first attributed to 

 some constituent of the fresh air (e.g., hydrogen _ dioxide ; ozone seems to be 

 inoperative). But later experiments show conclusively that light is the cause. 

 Air which has been purified by passing through potassium iodide and caustic potash 

 solutions gives an effect about equal in intensity to that produced by fresh external 

 air, if the exposure to light be the same in both cases. That oxygen (or some 

 oxidising agent) is essential is shown by the fact that exposure in a vacuum, even 

 to bright sunlight, gives a negative result. 



8. On the Velocity of Reaction before Perfect Eqnilibriiom takes place. 

 By Meyer Wildeemann, Ph.D. 



The solidification and the crystallisation of over-cooled liquids, as well as the 

 melting of frozen and solidified liquids, belong to processes which occur most 

 generally in nature; therefore it is of importance to know the velocity with 



