M. Schacht on Monosulpholactic Acid. 505 



the ether by treatment with weak caustic soda. Ethylcamphresic 

 acid, G 10 H 13 (G 2 H 5 ) O 7 , was obtained mixed with the preceding 

 compound when camphresic acid was boiled with absolute alcohol. 

 Schwanert tried the action of boiling nitric acid on a great num- 

 ber of oils, resins, and gum-resins, and found that camphresic 

 acid was a frequent product of this action ; for the details of the 

 experiments the paper must be consulted. 



When chloracetic acid is treated with potash, or when chlor- 

 acetate of potash is boiled with water, chloride of potassium is 

 formed together with glycolic acid. This reaction, which was 

 first studied by Kekule*, has been applied in other cases as a 

 means of passing from the acetic acid to the lactic acid series. 

 Carius has further shown f that when chloracetate of potash is 

 treated with hydrosulphate of potassium, the monosulphoglycolic 

 acid is formed; more recently J Schacht has applied the same 

 reaction to the preparation of monosulpholactic acid. He first 

 prepared chlorolactate of potash, and treated this at a tempera- 

 ture slightly over 100° with hydrosulphate of potassium, when 

 the following reaction took place : — 



G 3 H 4 KCIO 2 + KHS = KC1 + G 3 H 5 K0 2 S. 



Chloropropionate Monosulpholactate 



of potassium. of potassium. 



The solution was saturated with sulphuretted hydrogen, diluted, 

 and precipitated with acetate of lead ; the precipitate was dif- 

 fused in water, then decomposed by sulphuretted hydrogen, and 

 the liquid, after removing hydrochloric acid, treated with car- 

 bonate of barium, by which the barium-salt was obtained. From 

 the barium-salt the lead-salt was prepared, from which in turn 

 the free acid was produced by treatment with sulphuretted 

 hydrogen. 



Pure monosulpholactic acid crystallizes in broad needles which 

 are grouped in masses. It is soluble in the ordinary media, and 

 its dilute solution can be boiled without its being decomposed. 

 The acid forms a crystalline but very deliquescent potash- salt, 

 and with silver a white amorphous precipitate. 



When the acid is treated with dilute nitric acid, it yields an 

 acid identical with one obtained by Buckton and Hofmann in 

 the action of strong sulphuric acid on propionamide. 



Carius has prepared monosulphomalic acid by the action of 

 monobromosuccinic acid on sulphide of potassium. The reaction 

 required a temperature of above 110°. It is expressed by the 

 following equation : — 



* Phil. Mag. vol. xvi. p. 138. 



t Liebig's Annalen, vol. cxxiv. p. 43. % Ibid. January 1864. 



