312 Scientific Intelligence. 
. pr. Ch., Il, v, 365, May, 1872. G. F. B. 
3. On the Formation of Chloral._—The action of chlorine upon 
a .,, CH; Wirts ou 
aldehyde H produces acetyl chloride docr 78 urtz 
l 
CO : ; 
time ago showed. In this case it is not the methylic groups 
CH,, but the incomplete group COH, which is attacked. ; 
order to render this latter group more resistant, Worrz 3° 
VoarT load it, as it were, with other groups; hoping thereby to 
limit the action to the methyl group. For this purpose, they use 
the compound CH,---CH es oH, obtained by Wurtz and Fra- 
lli by acting with hydrochloric acid gas on a mixture of ean 
yada and alcohol. Here the COH group is replaced by one 0 
greater complication, CH | “y oH, Upon submitting this sub- 
stance to the action of chlorine in presence of a eee a iodine, 
the predicted tetrachlorinated ether, OCl,---CH 4 ¢) 7? °, 18 ob- 
tained, This it is easy to transform into chloral by the action of 
water: 
ocl,--CH | OP 24s 11,0 = HC1+0,H, (OH)+CCl,--COH. 
Heated with alcohol, hydrochloric acid and trichloracetal are pr 
duced, thus: oc.H 
CC1,--OH | Gy 2M +.C,H, (OH) = HC1+C01,--CH} oc2H? 
Moreover, the hydrochloric acid acting on an excess of alcohol 
produces, at the same time, ethyl chloride. Cee 
B above reactions, the authors explain the ag 
chlorine upon alcohol in the production of chloral. The nas 
stage produces aldehyde and hydrochloric acid, as Stas 
shown: 
in? 401,2(HON,4+ 10 
This a ia og acid acts upon the aldehyde and the ere 
alcohol, to form the monochlorinated ether of Wurtz an 
polli: 
CH CH ' 
(2) CaH,(OH)+ (° +H01 = CH,--CH} Oy? *+H20 
This ether then becomes tetrachlorinated by the action of the 
chlorine, as above shown: 
(3.) CH,--CH | Crete tol, = CCl,--CH} OCH + HCI)» 
