208 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LII. No. 1339 



Aldrich. The fcenzoie acid ester of cMoretone ia 

 prepared by heating molecular quantities of anhy- 

 drous chloretone and benzoyl chloride (slight ex- 

 cess) on the steam bath, until hydrochloric acid 

 gas ceases to be given off. Any uncombined 

 chloretone or benzoylehloride is eliminated and the 

 resulting body recrystallized from alcohol. The 

 ester is when pure a solid melting at 34°-35° and 

 not a liquid as claimed by Willgerodt and Durr 

 (J. f. praMische Chemie (Neue Folge), 39 and 40, 

 p. 189). It may be distilled under reduced pres- 

 sure ■without decomposition. Chlorine determina- 

 tions (Carius) gave results which characterize the 

 compound as the benzoic ester: 



C„H,CO— OCCjHoClo. 

 The compound is readily soluble in the organic sol- 

 vents, and practically insoluble in water. It is 

 not readily saponified, being much more stable than 

 the other esters studied. Boiling with con. nitric 

 acid does not decompose it as is the case with the 

 aliphate esters of both chloretone and brometone. 

 It is not volatile in the air, but is slightly volatile 

 with steam. Pharmacological tests would indicate 

 that it possesses less hypnotic and anesthetic prop- 

 erties and is less toxic than the esters studied thus 

 far. Its relative stability is greater than that of 

 any of the esters studied previously. 



The utilization of waste sillc fibroin: Treat B. 

 Johnson and P. G. Daschavsky. A statistical 

 study of the development of the waste silk indus- 

 try in the United States. The behavior of fibroin 

 on distillation is described, and an improved method 

 of obtaining tyrosine from fibroin has been de- 

 veloped. It is shown experimentally that fibroin is 

 a valuable source of the drug "tyramine, " 

 HO . CeH, . CH,CHjNH,. 



The conversion of anilides of chloracetic add 

 into Tcetide-isothiocyanates : Treat B. Johnson, 

 Arthur J. Hill and Erwin B. Kelsey. Isothio- 

 cyanates of the general formula 



SON . CH, . CONHR 

 have hitherto never been synthesized. A method 

 of preparation has now been developed which elim- 

 inates any possibility of the formation of isomeric 

 rhodanides NCS ■ CHXONHB. The work is an 

 extension of earlier researches on thiocyanates and 

 isothiocyanates carried on in the Sheffield Chem- 

 ical Laboratory, and has led to the development of 

 a new method of entering the hydantoin series. 



The condensation of formaldehyde with o-nitro- 

 Treat B. Johnson and J. B. Hishman. 



A repetition of the work of several previous in- 

 vestigators has revealed the fact that o-nitrophenol 

 condenses with formaldehyde to form two isomeric 

 compounds, viz. : 3-nitro-4-hydroxy- and 3-nitro- 

 2-hydroxybenzylalcohols. Several new derivatives 

 of these compounds have been prepared. 



The alkylation of aromatic amines hy heating 

 with alcohols: Arthur J. Hill and J. J. Bon- 

 LEAVY. A study of the influence of catalysts on tie 

 general reactions 



E . NH. + E'CH.OH ^« E . NH . R' -f- N^O 

 and 



KNH, + 2R'0H,OH -^ R . N(E')2 • -f 2H.0. 

 The work so far has been confined to the study of 

 aniline and the isomeric toluidines and the two 

 alcohols ethyl and n-butyl. It has been found by 

 experiment that these alkylation reactions are 

 greatly stimulated by using certain inorganic salts 

 as catalytic agents. The first contribution on this 

 subject has already been accepted for publication 

 in the Journal of Industrial and Engineering 

 Chemistry. 



The search for pressor substances in the pyrimi- 

 dine series: Treat B. Johnson and L. A. 

 MiKESKA. A study of some new amidine conden- 

 sations leading to the formation of new types of 

 cyclic amine combinations in the pyrimidine series. 

 The substances under examination will be sub- 

 mitted to a careful pharmacological investigation 

 to determine their pressor or other specific action. 

 The research will be extended to the hydantoin and 

 purine series. 



The oxidation of iso-propyl alcohol by means of 

 alkaline potassium permanganate: Wm. L. Evans 

 and Lily Bell Septon. 



Charles L. Parsons, 

 (To he continued) Secretary 



SCIENCE 



A Weekly Journal devoted to the Advancement of 

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 ceedings of the American AssociatioB for 

 the Advcmcement of Science 



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