from the Siearoplen of Oil of Peppermint. 421 



that the formula I announced for the sulphodadylate of lime, 

 was SO3 . Ca O + Cgg Hig, and not the formula which Mr. 

 Walter attributes to me. 



The substance obtained by Mr. Walter in acting on the 

 stearopten with perchloride of phosphorus is of great import- 

 ance, as giving some evidence of how far this essential oil acts 

 as an alcohol. The action appears to be very complicated, 

 and hence it is to the analysis alone that we can look for 

 explanation. Taking for the best analysis the highest car- 

 bon and the lowest hydrogen, the results of Mr. Walter 

 '^^^i Best analysis. Mean of six. 



Carbon 70-55 70-01 



Hydrogen... 9-89 lO'Sl 



The chlorine, determined once, gave 20"S7. 



The most natural formula is to suppose that, as with alcohol 

 or acetone, water is eliminated and decomposed, a sort of mu- 

 riatic aether being produced. Hence the formula should be 

 C^o Hjg CI or C21 H[g CI. The numbers are. 



Coo 69-26 Cg, 70-32 



H,9 10-72 Hjg 10-36 



CI 20-02 CI 19-31 



100-00 100-00 



Here with the C^q of Blanchet, there is again too much 

 carbon and too little hydrogen, but with the Cg, as on my 

 view, the numbers are more nearly true. But Mr. Walter 

 suggests that the hydrogen may be IS atoms in place of 19, 

 and then the formulas give 



C21 70-71 

 Hjg 9-87 

 CI 19-42 



^20 



69-6 



H,s 



10-a 



CI 



20-1 



100-0 100-00 



Thus we have still on Blanchet's basis too little carbon 

 and too much hydrogen in the formula. On the basis of C^j 

 the formula becomes much more likely to be true; at all 

 events the third formula suggested by Mr. Walter C^q Hj^ CI 

 is quite unnecessary. I consider this body to be chloride of 

 menthene. 



Although we should find similar examples in the products 

 formed by the action of chlorine on the stearopten, yet I will 

 not enter into any discussion relating to them, as from the 

 analytical results, and other circumstances, it is evident that 

 the final and definite/ products of that action have not yet 

 been obtained. In Mr. Walter's formulss there come into 



