August 23, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



247 



in constant equilibrium with each other, 

 and (3) the rapidity of the change of each 

 of these tautomeric forms into the other as 

 the equilibrium between them is disturbed. 



Various phases of the equilibrium condi- 

 tions existing in solutions of tautomeric 

 acids or bases, or their salts, have been 

 studied by the application of the mass law. 



The conditions under which normal and 

 abnormal hydrolysis of salts of tautomeric 

 compounds can be determined have been 

 discussed. 



A large number of derivatives of phenyl- 

 urazole have been made and studied. 



Studies in Catalysis: S. F. Agree and J. 



M. Johnson, Johns Hopkins University. 



The study of the rearrangement of 

 aeetyl-chloramiao-benzene in the presence 

 of acids has shown that the velocity is pro- 

 portional not to the concentration of the 

 hydrogen ions, but to the square of the con- 

 centration of the hydrogen ions. 



The study of the reactions of earbonyl 

 compounds with hydroxylamine and hy- 

 droxylamine hydrochloride has shown that 

 the reaction is a reversible catalytic one, 

 and that the equilibrium point is changed 

 by a change in the concentration of the 

 hydrogen ions. 



A general discussion of catalytic reac- 

 tions has shown why the three so-called 

 laws of catalysis were deduced from the 

 experimental material previously available, 

 and under what conditions they do or do 

 not hold. 



The Use of Benzyl Cyanide in the Synthesis 

 of Certain Aromatic Succinic and Glu- 

 ■ taric Acids: S. Avery, F. W. Upson and 

 G. R. McDoLE, University of Nebraska. 

 Analogous to sodium malonic ether, so- 

 dium benzyl cyanide condenses with alde- 

 hyde cyanhydrins to form products which 

 on hydrolysis yield alkyl succinic acids. 

 S-diphenyl succinic and the heretofore un- 



known s-isopropyl phenyl succinic acid 

 were formed by the above reactions. 



With the ethereal salts of unsaturated 

 acids, sodium benzyl cyanide forms con- 

 densation products analogous to those ob- 

 tained by Michael's reaction. On con- 

 densing with ethyl einnamate and hy- 

 drolyzing, two stereo isomeric phenyl glu- 

 taric acids were formed. 



Mechanism of the Claisen Condensation: 



J. Bishop Tingle and E. E. Gorsline, 



Johns Hopkins University. 



The condensation product of ethyl 

 phthalate and camphor exists in the keto 

 and enolic forms. 



A study has been made of the action of 

 sodium and of sodium ethylate on ethyl 

 benzoate. Sodium ethylate is eliminated 

 and, apparently, a sodium compoimd, 

 CeH,C(ONa):C(ONa)CeH„ is formed. 

 With water this is converted quantitatively 

 into benzyl alcohol and benzoic acid, in 

 equi-moleeular proportion. Ether does not 

 exert any apparent catalytic effect on the 

 formation of the above sodium compound 

 of ethyl benzoate; and sodium ethylate, 

 free from alcohol, is without action on ethyl 

 benzoate. Experiments in which the quan- 

 tity of sodium was varied show that the 

 yield of condensation product is greatly in- 

 creased by treating the ester with two 

 atomic proportions of sodium and then add- 

 ing sodium camphor. 



Intermolecular Condensation in the Per- 

 thalic Acid Series: J. Bishop Tingi-e 

 and B. F Lovelace, Johns Hopkins 

 University. 

 At the last meeting of this society Tingle 



and Cram reported that phthalanilie acid, 

 .CONHCeH, 



C„H.< 



CO,H 



in presence of aniline and alcohol, is con- 

 verted at a temperature below the boiling 

 point of the latter into phthalanil, 



