August 3, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



119 



THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 

 II 



ORGANIC DIVISION 



J. E. Bailey, Chairman 

 H. L. Fisher, Secretary 



Some oxidation reactions: H. D. Gibbs and C. 

 CoNOVEK. The investigatiou of the cause of colora- 

 tion of some compounds begun some years ago by 

 the writers while in the tropics was described. 

 Since all of the reactions which were encountered 

 were catalyzed by light, the studies were greatly 

 facilitated by the intense sunlight of the tropics. 

 These investigations are now being extended to 

 other catalytic reactions which promise some com- 

 mercial importance. 



The action of aluminum chloride upon aromatic 

 hydrocarbo7is : Gustav Egloff and Egbert J. 

 Moore. Benzene, toluene, xylene, cxmiene and oy- 

 mene were distilled over a period of twenty-four 

 hours with ten per cent, by weight, of aluminum 

 chloride in order to determine the percentage 

 yields of reaction products. The results in terms 

 of percentages, were as follows: 



Hydrocarbons Used 



Benzene 



Toluene 



Xylene 



Cumene 



Cymene 



Naphthene 



Tar 



0.8 

 14.3 

 7.0 



28.5 



0.5 



49.4 



The naphthene formed during the above reactions 

 proved to be hexahydrotoluene. Traces of phenol 

 were noticed in all the reactions, the toluene, in 

 particular, yielding one per cent. 



A study of the nitrogen distribution in different 

 soil types: C. A. Morrow. The study was made 

 on two peats, one muck, seven mineral surface 

 soils and one subsoil, all from Minnesota. The 

 method of Van Slyke's protein analysis was used 

 throughout the investigatiou because the nitrogen 

 could be separated into a larger number of frac- 

 tions than by the employment of earlier methods. 

 The most significant fact brought out by this 

 study is that the organic nitrogen distribution in 

 different soil types is very uniform. This is to be 

 expected, since the nitrogen distribution in soils is 

 an average distribution .of all the plant and ani- 

 mal nitrogenous products that find their way to the 

 soil. 



New derivatives of arsanilic acid: Oliver Kamm. 

 A new series of acyl derivatives of arsanilic acid 

 has been prepared; viz., the halogen-benzenesul- 

 fonyl derivatives, and their physiological action 

 has been studied. The introduction of halogens 

 increases the toxicity of these arsenic compounds. 



Tetraphenylmethane : Oliver Kamm. The ac- 

 tion of phenylmagnesium bromide upon various 

 ethers of triphenyl carbinol has been studied. 

 This reaction was found very convenient for the 

 preparation of tetraphenylmethane, the yield in 

 the case of the phenyl ether being 20 per cent. 



Oxidation products of alkaline copper sulphate 

 on lactose: W. Lee Lewis. The products are 

 mainly galactasido acids whose hydrolysis yields 

 galactose and acids containing from one to six 

 carbon atoms. One hundred grams of anhydrous 

 lactose gave 9.65 gms. of carbon dioxide, 3.06 

 grams of formic acid and 97 grams of nonvolatile 

 syrupy acids. The hydrolysis of these later gave 

 29.30 gms. of galactose, 52.90 gms. syrupy acids 

 and 0.486 gms. of oxalic acid. The analysis of 

 these syrupy acids has so far yielded 14.26 gms. of 

 mannonic lactone, 4 gms. of glyeoUie acid and the 

 residue gives evidence of trioxy butyric acid and 

 d-1 glycerinic. The origin of these acids is found in 

 the explanation of Nef. Intermediate galactasido 

 hexose dienols are formed whose dissociation and 

 oxidation logically account for the products. The 

 presence of such large amounts of mannonic lactone, 

 obtained also from maltose, must originate in a 

 benzUlie acid rearrangement of galactasido-gluco- 

 sone, and sharply differentiates the oxidation of 

 the simple hexoses from the reducing disaeoharoses. 

 The glucosido acids clearly explain the lesser re- 

 ducing power of the latter. 



The oxidation of ethyl alcohol hy means of alka- 

 line potassium permanganate: Wm. Lloyd Evans 

 and Jesse E. Day. In neutral aqueous solutions 

 of potassium permanganate at 25°, 50° and 75°, 

 ethyl alcohol is oxidized exclusively to acetic acid; 

 in alkaline solutions of the same reagent, acetic, 

 oxalic ajid caxbouic acids are the reaction prod- 

 ucts. A continuous increase in the concentration 

 of the potassium hydroxide produces a correspond- 

 ing increase in the yield of oxalic and carbonic 

 acids, and a diminution in the yield of acetic acid. 

 An increase in the temperature of the reaction 

 tends to increase the yield of oxalic and carbonic 

 acids and a diminution in the yield of acetic acid. 



The oxidation of acetaldehyde hy means of alka- 

 line potassium permanganate: Wm. Lloyd Evans 

 and Homes B. Adkins. The same general results 



