MM. Beilstein and Seelheim on Saligenine. 363 
cold water, and but slightly so in hot. It erystallizes from this 
solution in very small needles. 
This body seems to have the composition of salicylic acid, 
€’ H®0®, without, however, beimg identical with it; for it 
does not give the well-known reaction with perchloride ‘of iron, 
characteristic of salicylic acid. The baryta salt has the formula 
G7 H° Ba O38, and the silver salt G’ H® Ag 0°, 
As yet the glycols of the fatty acid series only are known. 
Wicke obtained a compound, €!! H!? 64, which has the compo- 
- @7 He 
sition of an acetate of benzo-glycol, (C2 H3 oy: $s but its pro- 
perties differ from what might be expected of a glycol derivative, 
and it is rather analogous to the compounds which Geuther ob- 
tained by heating the aldehydes of the fatty acids with anhydrous 
acids. Beilstein and Seelheim* have made a series of experiments 
to prepare theglycol,€’ H° 0”, of the aromatic series of acids, which 
stands to benzylic alcohol, €’ H® 0, and benzoic acid, €’ H® O?, 
in the same relation as ordinary glycol, €? H® O?, does to alcohol, 
€* H° O, and acetic acid, C? H*0*. By the action of sulphuric 
acid on benzylic alcohol, they hoped to obtain the bibasie radical 
@’ H° in a manner analogous to that by which ethylene is obtained 
from ordinary alcohol. But the result of the above action was a 
resinous body, which, when treated with bromine in the expecta- 
tion of obtaining €’ H® Br?, gave off hydrobromic acid and un- 
- derwent a complete decomposition. 
The composition of the desired body would be identical with 
that of saligenine, which in many points resembles a biatomic 
alcohol. An attempt was made to prepare from it the biatomic 
chloride, G’ H® Cl?, which did not give the desired result. 
By the action of pentachloride of phosphorus, saligenine was 
resolved into saliretine, 6’ H® Q, and water; at the same timea 
certain quantity of a chlorine compound was formed which 
seemed to contain the chloride €’ H® Cl?, but which could not 
be separated in the pure state. 
Saligenine was heated with anhydrous acetic acid in the ex- 
pectation of forming acetate of saligenine ; but instead of this, 
saliretine and acetic acid were formed :— 
CHS 0? + fopsg bO=C’ W804 20 HO? 
seas Salireti Acetic acid. 
Saligenine. Acetic Hea ree 
anhydride. 
~ When sodium was added to a solution of saligenine in pure 
ether, hydrogen was evolved, and a white pulverulent precipitate 
* Liebig’s Annalen, January 1861. 
