Chemistry and Physics. 487 



trimethylcarbinol. Pseudobutylene, isomeric with the former, suf- 

 fers a similar change but much more slowly. — Liehig's Ann., clxxx, 

 245, Feb., 1876. G. F. b. 



9. 0)i the IHmethylhenzols of Coal tar Oil and their Separa- 

 tion from each other. — Jacobsen has examined very carefully the 

 trimethylbenzols obtainable from coal tar and has shown that only 

 two, mesitylene and pseudocumol are present therein, the third 

 one which theory points out as possible, not existing in the oil at 

 all. Pseudocumol fonns only a single sulpho-acid with sulphuric 

 acid, the salt supposed formerly by the author to be isocumolsul- 

 phate of barium being a well characterized double salt of mesityl- 

 ene-sulphate and pseudo-cumol-sulphate. The two trimethylben- 

 zols found separated readily by converting them into the amides 

 of the sulpho-acids, by obtaining first the chlorides by the action 

 of phosphoric chloride and then the amide by the action of 

 ammonia upon this. By crystallization from alcohol, the two 

 substances, mesitylene-sulphamide and pseudocumolsulphamide, 

 are easily and completely separated, the former being far more 

 soluble. On treating the pure amides with hydrochloric acid, the 

 hydrocarbons were regenerated. — Ber. Berl. Chem. Ges., ix, 256, 

 Feb., 1876. G. V. b. 



^ 10. On the Detection of Phloroglucin and Nitrites.— ^ hen very 

 dilute solutions of phloroglucin and of toluidine or aniline nitrate 

 are mixed and a few drops of a solution of potassium nitrite is 

 added, the liquid, at first clear, becomes turbid and brownish-yel- 

 low, then orange, and deposits a cinnabar- red precipitate. Wesel- 

 SKY,^ who discovered this reaction, proposes it as a test for phloro- 

 glucin and nitrites. One c.c. of a solution, containing 0*0005 gram 

 phloroglucin was mixed with one c.c. of a solution of toluidine 

 nitrate saturated at ordinary temperatures, diluted to 50 c.c. with 

 water and treated with one c.c. of a solution containing 0-001 

 gram potassium nitrite. In 15 minutes the solution became yel- 

 low and in three hours the cinnabar precipitate was obtained. 

 Similar reactions are obtained with aqueous solutions of maclurin 

 and catechin, and decoctions of fustic and hops, in place of phlo- 

 roglucin.— i?er. Berl. Chem. Ges., ix, 216, Feb., 1876. G. p. b. 



11. On the Succinic acid obtained from Active Tartaric acid.— 

 Pasteur announced some time ago the existence of an optically 

 active succinic acid, and Kekule showed that the succinic acid de- 

 rived from active malic acid was itself inactive. Buemer and 

 Va^-^'t Hofp, deeming the existence of such an active succinic 

 acid extremely improbable, since its molecule contains no asym- 

 metrical carbon atom, have examined the acid which is produced 

 along with dextro-malie acid, by the reduction of dextro-tartaric 

 acid. The acid in question proved to be absolutely inactive and to 

 "'3 acid. Hence we have: 



, ^„,„._^, ,.CIJ(OH).C03H, con- 



ng two asymmetrical carbon atoms and rotating the polarized 

 i {a)z=i6°-6 ; (2) Dextro-malic acid, CO^H .CH{OH) . CII, . 



