May 38, 1897.] 



SCIEISGE. 



853 



chloride yield chlorformanilides, thus offering a 

 simple and easy method for preparing these 

 substances. When free urethane is treated with 

 phosphorus pentachloride a more complex re- 

 action takes place, a carbamide chloride being 

 formed. When urethane and phosgene are 

 brought together, three different reactions take 

 place, depending to some extent upon the rela- 

 tive amounts of the substances present. 



Action of Phosphorus Pentachloride on Aniline 

 and its Salts : By J. Elliott Gilpin. The au- 

 thor has obtained several products by the sub- 

 stitution of one or more chlorine atoms of the 

 phosphorus pentachloride by residues of aniline. 

 When aniline hydrochloride and phosphorus 

 pentachloride are heated together a volatile 

 compound having the composition PCI3 (NC5H5) 

 is formed. This is unstable and readily decom- 

 posed by water. A product, obtained by treat- 

 ing the aniline with phosphorus pentachloride, 

 PCI (NHCjHs)^ is, on the other hand, extremely 

 stable, resisting, in general, all except the most 

 energetic reagents. Derivatives of this sub- 

 stance cannot be obtained readily, if at all, as 

 it is completely decomposed if any action takes 

 place. When heated it forms a black substance, 

 containing probably carbon and phosphorus, 

 which is remarkable for its stability. Com- 

 pounds analogous to the one formed from ani- 

 line can be obtained from the toluidenes. 



On the Preparation of Metabrombemoic Acid 

 and of Metabromnitrobenzene : By H. L. 

 Wheeler and B. W. McFarland. The most 

 general method that has been used for the 

 preparation of these compounds consisted in 

 heating the benzene compound with bromine 

 or ferrous bromide in a sealed tube for several 

 days. The authors find that the reactions can 

 be performed in an open vessel and in a short 

 time by using iron as a bromine carrier. This 

 is even better than already prepared ferrous 

 bromide. The substance is warmed with iron 

 wire, and bromine is added slowly until the 

 action is complete. The method was tested in 

 a number of cases and proved to be one of gen- 

 eral applicability. 



On the Non-existence of Four Methenylphenyl- 

 paratolylamidenes : By H. L. Wheeler. In 

 an article published recently Walther describes 

 the preparation of this substance by four dif- 



ferent methods. Each method, according to 

 him, gives a new amidine, and he supposes them 

 to be isomers. The author of this paper has re- 

 peated the work, as the results obtained by 

 Walther are not in harmony with the generally 

 accepted behavior of amidines, and finds that 

 the products obtained by the first and second 

 methods are mixtures, while the third and 

 fourth methods yield one and the same product, 

 thus showing that instead of four only one ami- 

 dine was obtained. 



South American Petroleum : By C. F. Ma- 

 bery and A. S. Kittelberger. In the 

 present paper Professor Mabery contributes 

 further results obtained in his investigations 

 on petroleum. This oil was obtained in South 

 America and differs in some ways very much 

 from the product obtained in this country. 

 The methods hitherto used for isolating the 

 products failed in some cases, and the exact 

 nature of the products could not be determined. 

 The investigation showed, however, that the 

 hydrocarbons present consisted of a series con- 

 taining less hydrogen than C„ 11^+2 and more 

 than C„ H2„_6 with perhaps a trace of these. 



The Action of Certain Alcohols on Asymmeta- 

 diazoxylenesulphonic Acid : By W. B. Shober 

 and H. E. Kiefer. The action of this diazo 

 compound with methyl, ethyl and propyl alco- 

 hols was studied, and in each case two amides, 

 one the xylenesulphon amide, and the other the 

 amide of the xylenesulphonic acid of the alcohol, 

 were obtained, whether the reaction was car- 

 ried on at ordinary temperatures or under pres- 

 sure. The methoxyxylenesulphonic acid and its 

 salts were made and studied, as were also those 

 of the propyl acid. By the oxidation of Asym- 

 metamethoxyxylenesulphonamide they ob- 

 tained methoxysulphaminetolnic acid and from 

 it prepared its salts. 



The Action of El hylic Oxalata on Camphor: By J. 

 B. Tingle. Several structural formulae have 

 been assigned to camphor, and in all of these the 

 presence of the group CH, CO is recognized. 

 In the study of the related bodies, the diketones 

 and keto-acids, the compounds chiefly investi- 

 gated have contained strongly negative groups ; 

 but in the present investigation the author has 

 used substances only feeble in this respect, in 

 hopes of throwing some light on this class of 



