THE OXIDATION OF PHENOL. 141 



has not been determined. When dry ozone comes in contact with dry 

 phenolj cooled in an ice bath, the velocity of the reaction is very much 

 reduced; the products, however, appear to be the same. Carbon dioxide 

 is evolved and no ozonide can be isolated. No attempts have been made 

 to work at lower temperatures and employ solvents for the phenol, with 

 the view of isolating an ozonide. 



THE ACTION' OF NASCENT OXYGEN, LIBERATED AT THE ANODE, UPON 



PHENOL. 



By the action of the alternating current upon aqueous solutions of 

 phenol in the presence of magnesium sulphate and magnesium hydrogen 

 carbonate, Drechsel ^° has obtained catechol, quinol, phenolsulphonic 

 acid, y diphenol, formic acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid and a number of 

 other products. The action of-tlie alternating current in aqueous alkaline 

 solutions has also been studied. 



Bartoli- and Papasogli -° have studied the products of the action of the 

 direct current upon alkaline solutions of phenol. 



It is to be expected that the oxidation of alkaline solutions of phenol 

 will produce more complicated reaction products than when an acid 

 solution is employed, for the reason that quiuone is so easily oxidized to 

 complicated products in presence of alkalies. 



ESPEBIMBNTAL. 



A concentrated aqueous solution of phenol, acidified with sulphuric acid to 

 facilitate the passage of the electric current, was divided between two vessels con- 

 nected by a syphon, and electrolyzed with a direct current passing between plati- 

 num electrodes placed one in each vessel. 



While the evolution of hydrogen was quite brisk from the cathode, very little 

 oxygen escaped from the anode. The solution surrounding the anode quickly 

 assumed a yellow color deepening to a red, while that surrounding the cathode 

 remained colorless. The anode became coated with a thick layer of a yellowish- 

 red substance which was removed from time to time by washing the electrode in 

 alcohol. Tliis compound is insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol and in phenol, 

 imparting to both solutions a brilliant red color. It is in all probability one of 

 the condensation products to which the coloration of phenol is to be attributed. 



The solution around the anode was found to contain considerable quantities of 

 quinone. No complete investigation of the reactions involved was attempted. 



THE QUESTION OF THE CHEIIICAL ACTIVITY OF OXYGEN GAS lOKTS. 



Experimental data seems to point to the fact that gas ions are not 

 reactive in the chemical sense. 



Goekel ^' found that the ionization of ozonized oxygen made by passing oxygen 

 over moist phosphorus was not destroyed by passing the gases through various 



^"Joiirn. f. prakt. Chem. (1884), 2, 29, 229; and (1888), 2, 38, 67. 

 " Compt. rend. Acad. sci. (1882), 94, 1339; Oanz. chim. Hal. (1884), 14, 90. 

 "^Phys. Ztschr. (1903), 4, 602. 

 82592— — i 



