﻿354 
  Gooch 
  and 
  Baldwin 
  — 
  Action 
  of 
  Acetylene. 
  

  

  Art. 
  XLII. 
  — 
  The 
  Action 
  of 
  Acetylene 
  on 
  the 
  Oxides 
  of 
  

   Copper 
  ; 
  by 
  R 
  A. 
  Gooch 
  and 
  DeForest 
  Baldwin. 
  

  

  [Contributions 
  from 
  the 
  Kent 
  Chemical 
  Laboratory 
  of 
  Yale 
  University 
  — 
  LXXXIX.] 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  recent 
  paper 
  by 
  Erdmann 
  and 
  Kcithner^ 
  an 
  account 
  is 
  

   given 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  a 
  peculiar, 
  light-brown, 
  highly 
  

   voluminous 
  substance 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  acetylene 
  below 
  250° 
  

   C. 
  upon 
  cuprous 
  oxide, 
  or 
  even 
  (though 
  more 
  slowly) 
  upon 
  

   copper. 
  The 
  product 
  obtained 
  by 
  passing 
  acetylene 
  during 
  

   eighteen 
  hours 
  over 
  1 
  grm. 
  of 
  cuprous 
  oxide 
  (prepared 
  from 
  

   copper 
  sulphate, 
  grape 
  sugar, 
  and 
  sodium 
  hydroxide) 
  amounted 
  

   to 
  7 
  grms. 
  and 
  filled 
  a 
  space 
  of 
  nearly 
  SOO'^'^l 
  At 
  higher 
  tem- 
  

   peratures 
  a 
  black 
  carbonaceous 
  mass 
  is 
  the 
  result, 
  and 
  at 
  red 
  

   heat 
  (400°-500° 
  C.) 
  carbon 
  is 
  deposited 
  in 
  graphitic 
  condition. 
  

   The 
  light-brown 
  fluffy 
  material 
  yielded 
  cuprous 
  chloride 
  to 
  

   hydrochloric 
  acid, 
  a 
  distillate 
  from 
  its 
  mixture 
  with 
  zinc 
  dust 
  

   possessing 
  the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  naphthene 
  or, 
  at 
  higher 
  tem- 
  

   perature 
  and 
  under 
  rapid 
  heating, 
  aromatic 
  compounds 
  among 
  

   which 
  naphthalene 
  and 
  a 
  kresol 
  were 
  indicated. 
  Erdmann 
  and 
  

   Kothner 
  classify 
  this 
  body 
  as 
  a 
  very 
  complex 
  but 
  non-explo- 
  

   sive 
  copper 
  acetylene 
  (acetylen-kupfer), 
  and 
  from 
  their 
  analyses 
  

   deduce 
  the 
  formula 
  C^^H^^Cug. 
  Apart 
  from 
  the 
  unusual 
  con- 
  

   stitution 
  of 
  this 
  symbol, 
  its 
  most 
  striking 
  peculiarity 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  

   implies 
  a 
  loss 
  of 
  carbon, 
  rather 
  than 
  hydrogen, 
  from 
  the 
  acety- 
  

   lene 
  in 
  the 
  reaction 
  with 
  cuprous 
  oxide 
  — 
  a 
  condition 
  of 
  affairs 
  

   which 
  would 
  be 
  most 
  remarkable 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  CampbelPs 
  

   experience,t 
  according 
  to 
  which 
  acetylene 
  passed 
  over 
  palladi- 
  

   nized 
  copper 
  oxide 
  yielded 
  water 
  at 
  225°-230° 
  and 
  carbon 
  

   dioxide 
  only 
  when 
  the 
  temperature 
  rose 
  to 
  315°-320° 
  with 
  the 
  

   formation 
  of 
  a 
  black 
  deposit. 
  Upon 
  scrutinizing 
  the 
  figures 
  

   of 
  Erdmann 
  and 
  Kothner 
  with 
  care, 
  however, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  

   the 
  formula 
  given 
  by 
  these 
  investigators 
  rests 
  upon 
  some 
  over- 
  

   sight 
  in 
  calculation 
  : 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  carbon 
  atoms 
  to 
  hydrogen 
  

   atoms 
  proves 
  to 
  be 
  actually, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  data 
  given, 
  645 
  : 
  

   5'70 
  ; 
  which 
  means, 
  of 
  course, 
  that 
  the 
  new 
  product 
  is 
  deficient, 
  

   as 
  would 
  be 
  expected, 
  in 
  hydrogen 
  (not 
  in 
  carbon) 
  as 
  compared 
  

   with 
  acetylene. 
  

  

  As 
  to 
  the 
  content 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  substance 
  in 
  copper, 
  the 
  ana- 
  

   lytical 
  data 
  are 
  unfortunately 
  ambiguous; 
  for 
  we 
  note 
  the 
  

   weights 
  found 
  of 
  copper 
  oxide 
  converted 
  into 
  percentages 
  of 
  

   copper 
  without 
  preliminary 
  reduction. 
  If 
  the 
  fault 
  is 
  typo- 
  

   graphical 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  analytical 
  data, 
  the 
  calculated 
  percentages 
  

   of 
  copper 
  being 
  correct, 
  the 
  average 
  percentage 
  of 
  copper 
  

   amounts 
  to 
  15-43 
  : 
  if, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  analytical 
  data 
  

  

  •'^Zeitschr. 
  fiir 
  anorg. 
  Chem., 
  xviii, 
  49. 
  f 
  Amer. 
  Chem. 
  Jour., 
  xvii, 
  690. 
  

  

  