116 S. P. Sadtler— Occurrence of Tartronic Acid. 



Prof. Wislicenus, however, frankly gives one experiment 

 made by himself, the result of which tends the other way. He 

 reduced the P iodo-propionic acid by sodium amalgam and 

 obtained what appeared to be the normal propionic acid, show- 

 ing the regular molecular structure. 



In favor, moreover, of the normal structure for the molecule 

 of glyceric acid is the formation of pyruvic or pyroracemic acid. 



The structure of this pyruvic acid is known from the fact 

 that acted upon by nascent hydrogen it gives normal lactic 



A strong additional argument would be had, if we could 

 show a connection between glyceric acid, 



CO.OH 



CH.OH 



CO.OH. 

 lie acid had not been formed from glyceric 

 an indirect way, by the spontaneous decom- 

 .•tartaric acid, according to the following 



OH CO.OH 



<!)H.O(NOi) CH.OH 



aH.O(NO,r<^O.OH+^^^^+^°- 

 CO.OH 



However this mode of formation was interesting as tending 

 to show its symmetry of structure. For that matter a dibasic, 

 triatomic acid could hardly exist, except by the assumption of 

 two carboxyl groups. 



I have been fortunate enough to find tartronic acid associ- 

 ated with glyceric acid in the oxydation products of glycerine. 

 The preparation of the two acids was as follows : One part by 

 weight of glycerine is mixed with one part of water, and to 

 the mixture is added, by means of a long funnel tube reaching 

 to the bottom of the cylinder, about one and a quarter parts of 



