290 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIV. No. 1130 



been shown that mereaptans are analogous to alco- 

 hols in esterfication. In the present work the 

 rates and limits of esterifieation of benzoic acid 

 by normal, iso-, and secondary butyl mereaptans 

 have been measured at 200° and the same relations 

 found to hold with the mereaptans as with the al- 

 cohols. 



Esterifieation of Acids by Isomeric Mereaptans: 



J. H. Sachs and E. Emmet Eeid. 



Since with a given alcohol, isomeric acids show 

 different esterifieation velocities, the present work 

 was undertaken to find whether the same relations 

 hold when isomeric acids are esterified by the 

 analogous mereaptans. The three toluic acids have 

 been heated with ethyl mercaptan at 200°. Esteri- 

 fieation progresses most rapidly with the meta 

 isomer and most slowly with the ortho. The limits 

 are nearly the same, 14.4, 13.2 and 13.3 per cent, 

 for ortho, meta and para, respectively. 



Catalytic Preparation of Nitriles: G. D. Van Epps 



and E. Emmet Eeid. 



It is known that when the vapors of acetic acid 

 and of alcohol are mixed and passed over certain 

 metal oxides at high temperatures, water is split 

 off and ethyl acetate is formed. It is now found 

 that when the vapor of acetic acid and ammonia 

 gas are passed over alumina at 500°, water is 

 eliminated and acetonitrile is formed up to 85 

 per cent, of the theoretical. 



CH3COOH + NH S = CH a CN + 2H.O. 

 The Preparation of Nitriles: G. D. Van Epps and 



E. Emmet Eeid. 



Eeid's method for the preparation of nitriles, 

 which consisted in heating a mixture of the zinc 

 salt of the organic acid and lead sulphocyanide, 

 and which gave good results with aromatic acids, 

 has been extended to aliphatic acids and good 

 yields obtained. The preparation of acetonitrile 

 was extensively studied, a large variety of modifi- 

 cations of the method being tried. Good yields 

 have been obtained, but this method is rendered 

 obsolete by the discovery of the catalytic method. 



The Identification of Acids: E. Emmet Eeid. 



p-Nitrobenzyl bromide has been found to be an 

 excellent reagent for the identification of acids. 

 One gram of this reagent is boiled an hour with 

 an excess of the alkali salt of the acid in 15 c.e. 

 of 63 per cent, alcohol. E. g., 2 N.C 8 H 4 .CH,Br + 

 CH s COOK = ESr + CH 5 COO.CH a .C,H«.NO,. 



The p-nitrobenzyl esters so formed crystallize 

 well as a rule, have good melting points, and con- 

 venient solubilities. With the alkali salts of 

 phenols, under the same circumstances, the same 



reagent forms ethers which are convenient for the 



identification of phenols. 



Some Anomalies in the Solidification Points of 



Fats: B. H. Nicolet and L. M. Liddle. 

 On the Nitration of Toluene: I. W. Humphrey. 

 The Hydrolysis of Chloropentanes as affected by 



High Pressures: Synthetic Fusel Oil: H. Essex 



and B. T. Brooks. 

 The Effect of Sulphur on the Auto-Oxidation of 



Organic Compounds: B. T. Brooks, I. W. 



Humphrey and B. T. Long. 

 Two New Methods of Determining Acetylene in 



Gaseous Mixtures: G. O. Curme, Jr. 



Note on Lead Propionates : S. Frank Cox. 



Neutral lead propionate is formed almost quan- 

 titatively when lead carbonate is treated with hot, 

 dilute propionic acid. It is an amorphous, white 

 solid, very soluble in water, insoluble in ether. If 

 the tetroxide be treated with dilute propionic acid, 

 the black dioxide is thrown out on boiling the mix- 

 ture, and neutral lead propionate is formed prac- 

 tically quantitatively. If litharge containing a 

 considerable percentage of carbonate be used, neu- 

 tral lead propionate, rather than either of the basic 

 propionates which are reported, is formed. Analy- 

 sis shows that lead carbonate will give the purest 

 propionate, and the yields in this case are also the 

 most satisfactory. Lead and hydrogen determina- 

 tions, also the reaction with chlor di methyl ether 

 whereby lead chloride is formed quantitatively, 

 were used to identify the salts prepared. 



Crystalline ^-Methyl Fructoside and Its Tetrace- 



tates: C. S. Hudson and D. H. Brauns. 

 A Fourth Crystalline Pentacetate of Galactose and 



Some Belated Compounds : C. S. Hudson and J. 



M. Johnson. 

 The Isomeric Pentacetates of Glucosamine and of 



Chondrosamine : C. S. Hudson and J. K. Dale. 

 Indirect Measurements of the Eotatory Powers of 



Some of the Alpha and Beta Forms of the 



Sugars by Means of Solubility Measurements: 



C. S. Hudson and E. Yanovsky. 

 Some Numerical Relations among the Botatory 



Powers of the Compound Sugars: C. S. Hudson. 



division of fertilizer chemistry 

 J. E. Breckenridge, Chairman 

 F. B. Carpenter, Secretary 

 Plant Food Deficiencies of Coastal Plain and Pied- 

 mont Soils: C. B. Williams. 



Charles L. Parsons, 



Secretary 

 (To be concluded) 



