190 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 710 



amines, and the influence of various solvents and 

 also the temperature effects have been determined. 



A Wao) Add from Soils; Agrocerio Acid: Oswald 



ScHEEiNEE and Edmund C. Shoeet. 



In the examination of a black clay loam from 

 North Dakota there was obtained by treatment 

 with boiling 95 per cent, alcohol a colored extract 

 from which a micro-crystalline precipitate sepa- 

 rated on cooling. By washing with cold alcohol 

 and reerystallizing, this can be obtained free of 

 color. On drying this purified precipitate and 

 treating with cold ether it is divided into two 

 portions. The ether soluble portion crystallizes 

 on evaporation of the ether in minute leaflets, 

 melting at 72-73° C. The physical and chemical 

 properties of this body place it among the fatty 

 acids found in waxes. Elementary analyses cor- 

 respond with the formula C^i^LaOs, the hypothet- 

 ical acid of a lactone found in carnauba wax. 

 The name agroceric acid is proposed for this body. 

 A Cholesterol Body in Soils; Agrosterol: Oswald 



ScHEEiNEB and EDMimD C. Shoeet. 



When the alcoholic extract of the soil referred 

 to in the first paper is separated from the precip- 

 itate, which forms on cooling, and is evaporated 

 to small volume, a resinous dark-colored mass is 

 obtained. Cold ether dissolves a portion of this, 

 including the coloring matter. Spontaneous 

 evaporation of the ether leaves again a resinous 

 dark-colored mass. Treatment of this with cold 

 absolute alcohol removes the coloring matter and 

 leaves a white crystalline residue. Purification 

 of this by recrystallization yields a body crystal- 

 lizing in plates resembling those of phytosterol, 

 melts at 237° and gives the cholesterol reaction 

 with acetic anhydride and sulphuric acid. Ele- 

 mentary analysis gave figures corresponding to 

 the formula CjeH^O. The name agrosterol is 

 suggested for this compound. 

 Studies in Catalysis; Some Practical Results and 



their Application to the Synthesis of Some 



Esters: Isaac K. Phelps. 



A study of the quantitative yields of various 

 esters in a special form of apparatus under known 

 conditions of temperature and in the presence of 

 various substances as catalyzers. From the pres- 

 ent evidence, it seems that each individual cat- 

 alyzer has its own individual effect. Zinc chloride 

 in the presence of alcohol and hydrochloric acid 

 is the most efficient chloride studied; next in 

 catalytic effect come stannic, cupric and mercuric 

 chlorides, followed by bismuth and antimony 

 chlorides. Potassium chloride appears inactive; 

 the following chlorides act as negative catalyzers. 



sodium, lithium, ammonium, aluminum and cal- 

 cium. The list for sulphates in order of efficiency 

 is sulphuric acid, acid sodium sulphate, am- 

 monium, potassium, aniline and pyridine acid 

 sulphates. Zinc bromide and hydrobromic acid 

 act less efficiently as ester-forming catalyzers as 

 the temperature rises. In esterifying malonic 

 acid, 96.1 per cent, yield was obtained: cyan- 

 acetic acid 97.1 per cent, of the theory; applying 

 these results to the synthesis of malonic ester 

 from chloracetic acid, it appears that conditions 

 of quantitative reactions are found with a yield 

 of 87 per cent, from chloracid of 95 per cent, 

 purity; or in synthesizing similarly cyanacetic 

 ester a yield of 85 per cent, from acid of the same 

 purity. 



Addition Reactions on Methyl Oxomalonate: 

 EiCHAED S. CuBTiss and F. 6. C. Spenceb. 

 Methyl oxomalonate can only be made perfectly 

 anhydrous by distilling methyl dihydroxymal- 

 onate with phosphoric anhydride. It gives with 

 ammonia and its derivatives compounds more or 

 less imstable, which represent the class of hy- 

 pothetical intermediate addition products, sup- 

 posed to be first formed when amines, etc., act 

 on aldehyde or ketone groups, and which pass 

 into the final stable end product by loss of the 

 elements of water. Thus aniline gave 



H OH 



|\-N-C=(CO,R), 



Urethone reacts in like manner. More positive 

 ammonias add on two oxomalonate radicles. 

 Alcohols and even the acids add on the carbonyl 

 group of these esters. The products which are 

 tartronic ester derivatives are unstable and 

 readily dissociate into their constituent parts, in 

 moist air or simply by heating. The studies on 

 these and similar substances are being continued. 



Methods for the Determination of Salicylates: 



Atheeton Seidell. 



In looking for a reaction upon which to base a 

 quantitative method for the determination of the 

 salicylic acid radicle, the author found that 

 bromine acting upon a concentrated hydrochloric 

 acid solution of salicylic acid yielded di-brom- 

 salicylic acid (m. pt. 220°) and in the presence 

 of relatively small amounts of H~0 and at 80-90° 

 the reaction proceeded quantitatively, although 

 rather slowly. The suggested method is as fol- 

 lows: The weighed sample of 2-3 grams of sali- 

 cylate is dissolved in 100 c.c. of water. 3-5 c.c. 

 portions of this solution measured accurately 



