Aniouiit of 3.5% 



Caustic Soda required. 



21.2 



c.c. 



11.3 



c.c. 



]0.8 



c.c. 



8.9 



c.c. 



8.0 



c.c. 



9.0 



c.c. 



9.5 



c.c. 



20.8 



c.c. 



18.3 



c.c. 



7.8 



c.c. 



Syj) thesis of Sugars. 385 



With 17 Yo calcium chloride — 



0.0 c.c. 



2.0 c.c. 



3.0 c.c. 



4.0 c.c. 



5.0 c.c. - - - 



8 c.c. 

 lO.O c.c. 

 With 15% NaCl— 



5.0 c.c. . . - 



Solution sattuated with NaCl. 

 0.8% calciuiu formate - 



Even using a condensing flask in which to carry the reaction, the 

 amount of soda required varies by a fraction of a cubic centimeter 

 when the tests are done in duplicate. The presence of calcium 

 chloride lessens the amount of soda required up to a concentra- 

 tion of 0.34 %. Salt has no effect except when present in suffi- 

 cient amount to raise the boiling point of the liquid. Calcium 

 formate is as effective as calcium chloride, and its use has the 

 advantage that both the salts produced are formates (calcium and 

 sodium). 



The following experiments indicate the effect of the presence of 

 Magnesium, Barium and Strontium salts. In each case 5 c.c. of 

 40 % formaldehyde was used in 250 c.c. of wat-er, and the sodium 

 hydrate dripped slowly into the liquid boiling in a condensing 

 flask. 



o' r r. «* o"/ c!^i •••« Amount of 3..T% NaHO 



2o e.c of 24 SoluMou. to complete reaction. 



Maornesium sulphate - - - 20.5 c.c. 



Bariuiit chloride . . - 14.1 c.c. 



AVater only - - - - 22.0 c.c. 



Strontium chlori<le . . - 15 7 c.*-. 



Water only - - - - 21.9 c.c. 



The reaction lags considerably, and if the addition of sodium 

 hydrate is made rapidly, a white precipitate is apt to form, 

 particularly in the cavse of the magnesium, whidi only redissolves 

 slowly, in the form of a soluble formate. 



Hence the presence of a magnesium salt exercises little or no 

 katalytic action on tlie polymerization of formaldehyde to sugar 

 by caustic soda, and Barium and Strontium salts are les.s effective 

 than calcium salts. 



