Carbonic Oxide on Sodium-ethyle, 509 



tube had the well-known smell of the lower members of the fatty 

 acid series, and after being diluted with water were distilled, and 

 gave an acid distillate. This distillate was redistilled, and the 

 distillate converted into a baryta-salt. The baryta-salt was care- 

 fully tested for formiates, and contained none. 

 It was dried at 110° C. and analyzed. 



I. *3922 grm. of baryta-salt was ignited, and evolved abun- 

 dance of organic matter, leaving *2804 grin, carbonate of baryta. 

 Therefore Ik per cent. =4977. 



II. *6266 grm. was precipitated with dilute sulphuric acid ; 

 and the resulting sulphate of baryta weighed '5295 grm. There- 

 fore Ba per cent. =49*74. 



These numbers are intermediate between those required by 

 propionate and acetate of baryta — a result which clearly shows 

 that the liquid is broken up on oxidation, and, since neither car- 

 bonic acid nor formic acid is produced, indicates pretty clearly 

 that the results of the oxidation are propionic and acetic acids. 



Confirmation of this fact was obtained by applying Liebig's 

 method of fractional saturation to the mixed acid. Some of the 

 acid was partially saturated with carbonate of soda and distilled, 

 and the distillate made into a baryta-salt. 



•2066 grm. of this baryta-salt gave "1728 grm. of sulphate 

 of baryta. .*. Ba per cent. = 49*24. 



Propionate of baryta contains 48*48 per. cent, of barium. If 

 higher acids than propionic had been there, an utterly different 

 result would have been obtained. 



The residue in the retort was then supersaturated with sul- 

 phuric acid and distilled, when it gave a distillate which pre- 

 sented all the characters of acetic acid. 



It is therefore established that the oxidation-products are 

 propionic and acetic acids, and that neither carbonic acid nor 

 formic acid is given. 



Bearing in mind the origin of the compound, this is a very 

 interesting result. Formed by the union of carbonic oxide with 

 ethyle, it gives the characteristic oxidation-product of the pro- 

 pyle series, and the characteristic oxidation-product of the ethyle 

 series, tq 



C-i C 2 H 5 + 3 = C 3 H 6 2 +C 2 H 4 2 . 



[C 2 H 5 



According to theory, normal propione should fall into the groups 

 C 3 and C 2 when oxidized ; this reaction therefore indicates that 

 the product obtained from carbonic oxide and sodium-ethyle is 

 identical with normal propione. 



In conclusion, I cannot refrain from referring to Kolbe's spe- 

 culations on the nature of the ketones. Many years ago he 



