542 Boyal Society : — 



compound of aldehyde with zincethyle. When treated with 

 water, the mass became heated and hydride of ethyle was disen- 

 gaged, while a liquid distilled over which had the properties and 

 the composition of acetal. The reaction is thus expressed : — 



2(€ 2 H 4 + ZnG s H 5 ) + H 2 = G 6 H 14 2 + € 2 H 6 -i-Zn 2 



Acetal. 



As no higher homologues of acetal are known, the authors 

 tried the decomposition of valeraldehyde, which is much more 

 readily attacked than ordinary aldehyde. The reaction is, how- 

 ever, quite different, and their investigation is not yet complete. 

 The main product of it is identical with a substance which Fittig 

 obtained by the action of caustic lime on valeraldehyde, and 

 which he represented by the formula € 8 H 14 G. Bieth and 

 Beilstein consider that its formula is € 10 H 18 0, and they repre- 

 sent its formation in their experiment thus : 



2O 5 H 10 O + Zn€ 2 H 5 =€ 10 H 18 O + € 2 H 6 -fZnH9. 



(Enanthole, G 7 H ,4 0, yields an entirely similar body, € 14 H 26 0. 

 The authors found that zincethyle acted very energetically 

 on acetone, and they found that the action is essentially a dehy- 

 drating one, quite analogous to that which caustic lime exerts 

 on acetone, and which Fittig has investigated*. The main pro- 

 duct was phorone, which agreed in all its properties with that 

 obtained by Fittig ; and, like him, they could not obtain it of a 

 constant boiling-point. Its formula from acetone maybe repre- 

 sented by the equation 



3C 3 H 6 'O-2H 2 O=C 9 H 14 0, 

 or 



3€ 3 H 6 + 2Zn€ 2 H 5 =€ 9 H 14 + 2ZnHO+2€ 2 H 6 . 



The same authors give detailed accounts of their improved 

 methods of preparing zincethyle and iodide of ethyle. 



LXXVII. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 



[Continued from p. 487.] 

 March 12, 1863.-— Dr. William Allen Miller, Treasurer and Vice- 

 President, in the Chair. 

 The following communications were read : — 

 "On the Influence of Temperature on the Electric Conducting 

 Power of Thallium and Iron." By A. Matthiessen, F.R.S., and 

 C. Vogt, Ph.D. 



Thallium. — The experiments detailed in this paper were made 

 with specimens of thallium lent to us by Mr. Crookes and Professor 

 Lamy of Lille. The values obtained for the conducting power, 

 * Phil. Mag. vol. xix. p. 116. 



