—_ 
1a 195 
The red powder was boiled for some time with a potassium hydroxide 
solution, the latter concentrated and acidified with hydrochloric acid, when 
a yellow mass was precipitated. This was dissolved in hot water, from which 
it crystallized, on cooling, in yellow leaflets. These melted constantly at 
230° C. By reference to Berichte, 20, 404, it will be seen that four distinct, 
nitro-m-oxybenzoic acids exist ; of these the @-acid melts at 230° C., and 
crystallizes in yellow leaflets. Other points of similarity show that the 
acid obtained by me is identical with that termed § nitro m-oxybenzoic 
acid. ; 
The red oil exhibited no signs of crystallization, although I allowed it 
to stand undisturbed for several months. It was also boiled with concen- 
trated potassium hydroxide for ten hours. After concentration it was 
allowed to cool, when rather large and well-defined monoclinic prisms, 
having a deep chrome-red color, appeared. The salt was purified by re- 
crystallization from water, and analyzed. Two estimations of the potas- 
sium gave 13.02% and 13.00% K. On heating the salt explodes with 
violence. The free acid crystallizes from water in long needles having a 
light yellow color. It melts at 111°. Like its salt it explodes when 
heated. Its taste is intensely bitter. In all respects it resembles the tri- 
nitro-m-oxybenzoic acid mentioned by Griess, Annalen, 117, 28, and Beil- 
stein, Annalen, 139, 11. These chemists, however, make no mention of 
the melting point. The percentage of potassium required by an anhy- 
drous salt of this acid is 12.58%. 
The difficulty experienced in obtaining large quantities of the acid is 
due to the fact that there are other products formed in the nitration pro- 
cess, and these cling tenaciously to the acid, defying the most persistent 
efforts to effect their removal. 
Stated Meeting, May 18, 1888. 
Present, 15 members. 
President, Mr. FRALEY, in the Chair. 
Correspondence was submitted as follows: 
Letters of envoy from Institut Egyptien, Cairo; Institut 
Méiéorologique de Roumanie, Bucharest; Museum of Com- 
parative Zodlogy, Cambridge, Mass. 
Letters of acknowledgment from Institut Egyptien, Cairo 
(125); Magyar Tudomainyos Akademia, Buda-Pesth (125) ; 
Prof. Edward Suess, Vienna (125, 126); Verein fiir Geogra- 
