[ 356 ] 



L. Chemical Notices from Foreign Journals, 

 By E. Atkinson, Ph.D., F.C.S. 



[Continued from p. 258.] 



IN the expectation of preparing brominated diamylene, 

 G 10 H 19 Br, Bauer* studied the action of alcoholic soda on 

 bromide of diamylene, € 10 H 20 Br 2 . The reaction is very ener- 

 getic and results in the removal of both atoms of bromine and 

 the formation of a new hydrocarbon, G 10 H 18 . Thus : 



G 10 H 20 Br 2 +2NaH9=2NaBr + 2H 2 G + e l0 H ,8 



Bromide of New hydro- 



diamylene. carbon. 



The new body belongs to the acetylene series, and stands in the 

 same relation to diamylene that valerylenef does to amylene. 

 And it is related to rutic acid in the same way that acetylene is 

 to acetic, and valerylene to valerianic acid ; hence Bauer proposes 

 to call the new hydrocarbon Rutylene. 



€ 2 H 2 G 2 H 4 € 2 H 4 2 



Acetylene. Ethylene. Acetic acid. 



C 5 H 8 G 5 H 10 € 5 H 10 9 2 



Valerylene. Amylene. Valerianic acid. 



£io H i8 G 10 H 20 G 10 H 20 G 2 . 



Rutylene. Diamylene. Rutic acid. 



It is a colourless liquid, lighter than water, and with a pleasant 

 odour. It boils at about 150° C. By carefully keeping down 

 the temperature it can be made to unite with bromine and form 

 a new compound, € 10 H 18 Br 2 , bromide of rutylene. This cannot 

 be kept without decomposition. It acts with great energy on 

 alcoholic solution of soda, and on dry acetate of silver ; in both 

 cases a hydrocarbon of the formula € 10 H 16 ' is probably formed. 



With a view of extending our knowledge of xylole, and of 

 clearing up the very discrepant statements of its properties which 

 exist, Beilsteinf has undertaken an investigation of this body. 

 By subjecting a large quantity of coal-tar to fractional distilla- 

 tion over metallic sodium, he obtained constant boiling-points at 

 82°, 111°, and 141°, corresponding respectively to benzole, 

 toluole, and xylole. He thus confirms H. Muller^s observations, 

 who finds that xylole boils at 140°. 



By oxidation of toluole with chromic acid Hofmann obtained 

 benzoic acid; and it was natural to expect that by oxidation of 



* Liebig's Annalen, September 1865. 

 f Phil. Mag. S. 4. vol. xxvii. p. 501. 

 J Liebig's Annalen, January 1865. 



