hitelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 153 



and chloroform, which was set free. We have therefore 

 C« H^ O* Cl« = 04 O* + C* H'^ CF. 



" I was convinced, and I had to a certain extent announced it in 

 my memoir, that acetic acid would produce an analogous reaction ; 

 that is to say, under the influence of an excess of base it would 

 change into carbonic acid and a carburet of hydrogen, the formula 

 of which would be C"* H'^. After some trials I perfectly succeeded 

 in producing this remarkable reaction. It is only necessary to mix 

 10 grammes of crystallized acetate of soda with 30 or 40 grammes 

 of caustic barytes, and to heat the mixture very slightly in a retort, 

 to effect the conversion of the acetic acid into carbonic acid and a 

 gas, the formula of which is C^H*^. 



"This decomposition is quite perfect : the residue is perfectly white : 

 not the sHghtest trace of oil or of pyroacetic spirit is disengaged, nor 

 any vapour, except the water which accompanies the gas. The 

 analysis of this gas bj'' the eudiometer proved that it was formed, as 

 is commonly stated, of one volume of vapour of carbon and two vo- 

 lumes of hydrogen. This is precisely the composition of a gas which 

 chemists have never been able to produce, I mean light carburetted 

 hydrogen (gaz des marais) . It is impossible not to observe the con- 

 nexion which exists between light carburetted hydrogen, produced 

 by the spontaneous decomposition of vegetable substances, and that 

 resulting from the final decomposition of acetic acid, which has been 

 itself produced by the destructive distillation of wood. 



" I intend to perform a complete examination of this gas, and to 

 follow out an examination of reactions analogous to that which 

 caused its discovery. At present I confine myself to announcing in 

 a distinct manner that the gas C* H^, corresponding to chloroform 

 C* H^ CP, according to the theory of substitutions, has been pro- 

 duced by chloroacetic acid ; that is to say, that acetic acid and chloro- 

 acetic acid possess the same fundamental properties as I had deter- 

 mined, and belong to the same organic type." — L'lnstitut, No. 313. 



MYRONIN, MYRONIC ACID. ESSENTIAL OIL OF MUSTARD. 



It results from the experiments of M. Bussy that there exist in 

 the farina of mustard seed two principles, the reaction of which, 

 under the influence of water, gives rise to an essential oil. One of 

 these is a peculiar acid, which M. Bussy calls myronic acid (fivpov 

 essence), and the other is a substance which has great analogy with 

 albumen, and which he calls myronin. 



The properties of these substances are as follows : 



Myronic acid is inodorous, it exists in mustard combined with pot- 

 ash. Myronate of potash is a salt which is soluble in water, per- 

 fectly crystallizable, inodorous, colourless, of a bitter taste, and de- 

 composable by heat. The myronic acid, which may be isolated, 

 combines also with soda, barytes, ammonia, and yields salts, which 

 like the myronate of potash develop essential oil under the influ- 

 ence of myronin. 



Myronin is a substance soluble in water, coagulable like albumen 



