﻿Ethylene-sodium and of its Homologues. 181 



observed to distil over ; the valerianate of the ethylene-sodium 

 remains behind as a white mass. 



Valerianate of ethylene-sodium gives alcohol and valerianate 

 of soda with water, thus : — 



^C 5 H 9 J U + ^HJ U ~ (C 5 H 9 0) 2 J U + * HJ U> 



Benzoate of Ethylene-sodium. 



Formed like the salts just described. The high boiling-point 

 of benzoic ether makes this a very convenient instance for the 

 demonstration of the production of alcohol during these reac- 

 tions. There is moreover no difficulty in effecting a tolerably 

 complete transformation of a quantity of the hydrate into the 

 benzoate I subjoin the details of an experiment. 



2 '05 5 5 grms. of sodium were dissolved in alcohol, and the 

 resulting crystals heated up to 220° C, and maintained for some 

 time between 220° C. and 230° C. Weight of the hydrate of 

 ethylene-sodium =5*528 grms. Added 17*455 grms. of pure 

 benzoic ether and heated to 200° C. for about an hour, and just 

 at last raised the temperature to 240° C. There distilled over a 

 liquid, of which 2*9 grms. were collected and weighed. This 

 proved to be absolute alcohol ; it boiled to dryness sharply at 

 80° C. The weight of the solid residue was 19*486 grms., and 

 the loss in weight by heating consequently was ^equal to 3*497 

 grms. The theoretical loss which the quantity of hydrated 

 oxide of sodium-ethylene experimented on should have sustained 

 is 4*111 grms., showing that in the above experiment the action 

 had been nearly complete. 



The benzoic ether used in the above experiment was quite 

 pure, being neutral to test-paper, and having given correct 

 numbers on titration with alkali. 



Hydrated Oxide of Amylene-sodium. 



This compound is obtained like the corresponding ethylene- 

 compound, viz. by the action of heat upon the product got on 

 dissolving sodium in amylic alcohol. It is also formed in a very 

 interesting way by the action of amylic alcohol on the hydrated 

 oxide of ethylene-sodium : — 



C 2 H 4 Na\ n C 5 P1 n C & H 10 Nal n , C 2 H & 1 n 

 H J H J H J 0+ H J ' 



The salts of amylene-sodium are parallel with those of ethy- 

 lene-sodium. The acetate and valerianate have been prepared ; 

 the latter is particularly distinguished from the ethylene-sodium 

 salts by being readily fusible. In the preparation of these salts 



