508 Prof. Wanklyn on the Action of 



The resulting oil has therefore the composition of a compound 

 containing two atoms of ethyle and one atom of carhonic oxide, 



C 5 H 10 O = CO+(C 2 H 5 ) 2 ; 

 and all the facts ohserved are in harmony with the account of 

 the reaction given by this equation, 



C0^2NaC 2 H 5 =Na 2 + CO(C 2 H 5 ) 2 . 



There is absorption of gas and precipitation of metal. Obvi- 

 ously sodium liberated in presence of zinc-ethyle will act upon 

 the zinc-ethyle, precipitating the zinc. 



The oil having the composition C0(C 2 H 5 ) 2 appears to be 

 identical with propione. It has the proper kind of smell, about 

 the right boiling-point, and does not combine with bisulphite 

 of soda, in this respect agreeing with the propione of Morley 

 prepared from propionate of baryta, and the propione of Freund 

 obtained by the action of zinc-ethyle on chloride of propionyle. 

 Further reasons for concluding that it is identical with propione 

 will be given directly. 



The ketones are able to take up nascent hydrogen, giving 

 secondary alcohols ; it is therefore to be expected that the pro- 

 pione should have been partially converted into amylene-hy- 

 drate during the treatment of the mass of reduced metal and 

 propione with mercury and water. This will fully account for 

 the analyses exhibiting the hydrogen rather in excess over the 

 formula required for propione. Further support is furnished 

 by a peculiarity observed in the distillation of the substance. It 

 commenced to distil with great precision at 99° and 100°, and 

 at 110° the retort was quite dry; but the boiling-point had no 

 tendency to remain constant at any point intermediate between 

 these two extremes. 



Now propione boils at 101° C, and amylene-hydrate at 108°C. 



No attempt was made to effect a separation by fractional dis- 

 tillation. 



With the view of further ascertaining the nature of the com- 

 pound CO (C 2 H 5 ) 2 , it was submitted to the oxidizing action of 

 a mixture of bichromate of potash and dilute sulphuric acid. 

 For this purpose a quantity of the product was prepared, and 

 rectified ten times. It was also heated in a stream of dry car- 

 bonic acid gas, so as to expel all traces of ether, and then sealed 

 up with excess of bichromate of potash and dilute sulphuric acid, 

 and heated in the water-bath for many hours. The action takes 

 place very slowly j and indeed one attempt to effect the oxidation 

 in a retort utterly failed. 



After the oil had disappeared, the digestion-tube was opened ; 

 there was no escape of gas, proving the non -formation of car- 

 bonic acid during the oxidation. The contents of the digestion- 



