190 Drs. Letts and Collie on the Salts of 



As Schmidt* denies that this ketone yields a crystalline 

 compound with bisulphite of soda, we were not surprised to 

 find that the body in question would not unite with the bi- 

 sulphite. As its quantity was only small we decided to 

 submit it to oxidation. Accordingly it was digested for some 

 time with bichromate of potash and sulphuric acid, and the 

 mixture then submitted to distillation, when an acid distillate 

 was obtained. This was warmed with oxide of silver, filtered 

 and concentrated. On cooling, a white crystalline silver salt 

 separated, in which, when dry, a determination of silver 

 was made. 



0'161 grm. gave 0*0975 grm. Ag= 60*56 per cent. 

 Calculated for 3 H 5 O 2 Ag . . =69*66 per cent. 



The mother liquor yielded on concentration another quan- 

 tity of silver salt, which contained a higher percentage of 

 silver. 



0*1385 grm. gave 0*085 grm. Ag. = 61*37 per cent. 

 Calculated for C 2 H 3 2 Ag . . = 64*67 per cent. 



These results indicate that the product of oxidation con- 

 sisted of a mixture of acetic and propionic acids f. The 

 formation of which farther proves that the volatile liquid was 

 in reality diethylketone. 



We consider, therefore, that part at least of the phospho- 

 nium salt decomposes in the manner indicated above. 



But another and totally different reaction also occurs, in 

 which triethylphosphine, carbonic anhydride, and a gaseous 

 hydrocarbon are produced. The following equation probably 

 represents this second change :— 



(C 2 H 5 ) 3 P. 



(C 2 H S ) 3 P< 



\C 2 Bj 



\CO| = (C 2 H 5 ) 3 P + (C 2 H 5 ) 3 P0 + C0 2 + C 4 H 10 . 



/ 



x/ 



v /CofL 



But we could devise no means of proving it absolutely. No 

 trace of carbonate of ethyl could be detected among the pro- 

 ducts of the decomposition of the phosphonium salt; and we 



* Schmidt, Ber. d. deutsch. Chem. Ges. v. p. 599. 



t The analytical numbers are not very satisfactory, but the quantity 

 of material at our disposal was so small that we could not purify the two 

 silver salts. 



