274 Phelps and Tillotso?i, Jr. — Malonie Aoid or its Ester. 



figuring it on the chlorine content of the chloracetic acid, about 

 92 per cent, which is an improvement of about thirty per cent 

 on the best previous methods known to us. 



Pure malonie acid was obtained from ester, prepared in this 

 way, for use in an earlier paper* on the esterification of mal- 

 onie acid. The ester was fractionally distilled under atmospheric 

 pressure with a Hempel column. Portions boiling within two 

 tenths of a degree were converted into malonie acid by heating 

 equal parts of malonie ester and water with a few drops of 

 nitric acid at a temperature of about 60° for some time after 

 the mixture had become homogeneous. The solution was then 

 evaporated in an open dish at a temperature of about 50° to 

 the point of saturation, and the malonie acid which separated 

 on cooling was recrystallized from hot water. In this manner 

 pure malonie acid may be obtained with only slight loss of 

 material. 



* This Journal, xxvi, 243. 



