59 



a very violent reaction, and an explosive decomposition, if 

 distillation be attempted ; but by diluting with water a heavy 

 fluid is produced, which gives, on analysis, unsatisfactory re- 

 sults, owing, in the first place, to its decomposing with an ex- 

 plosion when heated, and, secondly, to its being always mixed 

 with some of the substance last described : the results ob- 

 tained indicate, however, as very probable the formula c 6 h 3 no 4 . 

 To connect the above results, Professor Kane proposes 

 to assume as radical the body c 6 h 3 , to which he gives the 

 name of pteleyl. Then 



Hydruret of pteleyl or mesitylene. 



Chloride of pteleyl. 



Iodide of pteleyl. 



Hydrated oxide of pteleyl, the al- 

 dehyd of the mesitic series. 

 c 6 h 3 no 4 = c 6 H, o + no 3 . Hyponitrate of pteleyl. 



The compound heavy liquid produced by the action of 

 chlorine on mesitic alcohol, was found to differ but little 

 from the description given by Liebig. Its formula, as given 

 by Dr. Kane's analysis, is c 6 h 3 o 2 cl 2 ; and by the action of 

 bases it yields a metallic chloride, and a salt of a new acid 

 named by Professor Kane Pteleic Acid. This has not yet 

 been analyzed, but theory indicates for its composition the 

 formula a h, o 



C 8 H 4 



= C 6 H 3 +H. 



C 6 H 3 CJ 



= C 6 H 3 + c£ 



C 6 H 3 I 



= C 6 H 3 +1. 



C 6 H 4 2 



= C 6 H s O+HO, 



r 



By the action of permanganate of potash on mesitic al- 

 cohol, there is generated a neutral salt of potash containing 

 an acid, to which is given the nameof the Perpteleic, whose 

 salts generally decompose themselves with facility into car- 

 bonates, and a salt of another acid to which the name of the 

 Acetonic Acid has been applied. The constitution of these 

 last three acids remains yet to be fixed by other experiments, 

 the author confining himself in the present paper to the 

 suggestion of that view of their composition, which, in the 

 absence of positive analyses, seems to him most likely to be 

 true. 



