Mi Mosliug on Bisulphide of Benzoyle. 303 



Bisulphide of benzyle can readily be reduced to benzyle-mer- 

 captan by nascent hydrogen. 



Another remarkable and hitherto unexplained mode of form- 

 ing bisulphide of benzyle, by which it may be obtained in large 

 transparent crystals, consists in dissolving the mercaptan in 

 alcoholic ammonia and exposing the solution to spontaneous 

 evaporation. 



By the further oxidation of benzylic mercaptan, benzyle-sul- 

 phuric acid is formed, HO C 12 H 5 S 2 O 5 . 



Mosling has investigated* the action of hydrochloric acid and 

 of sulphuretted hydrogen on benzoic anhydride. The action of 

 the former substance is simply in accordance with the equation 



€ 7 H 5 0\ n HI _G 7 H 5 01 n , € 7 H 5 G\ 

 eiWQf^ + ClJ- H J U+ CI J 



Benzoic Benzoic Chloride of 



anhydride. acid. benzoyle. 



Benzoic anhydride was heated with sulphuretted hydrogen to 

 a temperature of 130° for twenty hours. Some benzoic acid 

 sublimed, and the residue in the retort, when crystallized from 

 alcohol and bisulphide of carbon, was found to consist of a new 

 body, which had the formula 



€ 7 H5 0Sor| 7 g^ 2 , 



and is therefore the persulpliide of benzoyle. It is not soluble in 

 water, and difficultly so in alcohol. 



It readily dissolves in ether, and especially in bisulphide of 

 carbon, from which it crystallizes in colourless plates which 

 appear to be rhombic columns. It melts at 123°, and decom- 

 poses at a somewhat higher temperature. It is the first mem- 

 ber of a new series of sulphur-compounds, and corresponds to 

 Brodie's peroxide of benzoyle and acetyle. 



It is probably formed in accordance with the following reac- 

 tion : — 



3 e 7 H50/ O + Vr 3 H/ O+ G 7 H 5 0/ fe + HJ 



Benzoic Benzoic Persulphide Hydride of 



anhydride. acid. of benzoyle. benzoyle. 



In a preliminary notice, Kallef announced that, by the action 

 of zinc-ethyle on chloride of sulphon-benzyle, he had obtained a 

 new body which was a mixed acetone belonging to the benzyle 



* Liebig's Annalen, June 1861. 

 t Phil. Mag. vol. xx. p. 522. 



