on Valerianic Ether. 4o7 



In one experiment I employed — 



Valerianic ether . . . 30*4 grins. 



Sodium 5*8 „ 



Pure common ether . . 70 cub. centims 



The sodium dissolved completely, without evolution of gas. 

 To the product of the action water was afterwards added ; there 

 was again no evolution of gas. Two layers of liquid resulted on 

 adding water, viz. an oily layer, containing, of course, much ether, 

 and an aqueous layer, which was powerfully alkaline. 



The aqueous layer was examined. The amount of free alkali 

 ascertained by the use of test-acid was equivalent to 5*13 grms. 

 of sodium. Furthermore, by careful distillation of the aqueous 

 layer, there was extracted from it 4*5 grms. of absolute alcohol. 



The oily layer, after being deprived of ether and dried, weighed 

 19 grms. A sojourn of forty hours in vacuo over sulphuric acid 

 brought about a loss of 0*9 grm. A combustion made of the 

 oil yielded the following numbers — = 66*31 per cent., H = ll*7 

 per cent. ; from which it is perfectly clear that it was not the 

 same product as had been obtained by me in 1864 by prolong- 

 ing the action, and by the employment of a higher temperature 

 during the reaction between the sodium and the ether. The 

 numbers obtained from an oil prepared under different condi- 

 tions in 1864 were = 71*48 per cent., and H = 11*67 per cent. 



A further quantity of the oil having been prepared, a fraction- 

 ation was undertaken. At first the liquid began to distil at 

 about 150° C, and distilled almost to dryness at about 200° C. ; 

 but by repeated fractionation it was at length separated into 

 two sharply defined fractions about equal in quantity. 



The low fraction boiled between 130° and 140°, and was 

 shown by titration and " limited oxidation" to be valerianic 

 ether. 



Titrated. — 100 parts saturated 29*36 parts of potassium. 

 The theory for pure valerianic ether demands that 100 parts 

 shall saturate 30*08 parts of potassium. 



"Limited oxidation." — Treated by the well-known method of 

 Chapman, Thorp, and Smith, it yielded only acetic and valerianic 

 acids in equivalent proportion. Percentage of barium in the 

 mixed baryta-salt = 46*11. The theory for an equivalent mix- 

 ture of acetate and valerianate of baryta is Ba = 46*13 per cent. 

 The upper fraction boiled at about 215° C. * only traces of 

 liquid of still higher boiling-point were present, and these were 

 removed. Combustions of it gave results in accordance with 

 the formula C 5 H 10 O, and the liquid is a polymer of hydride of 

 valeryl (valeral). It will be remarked that it is isomeric with 

 valerianate of amyl. It differs from that ether by having a 



