﻿356 
  Gooch 
  and 
  Baldwin 
  — 
  Action 
  of 
  Acetylene. 
  

  

  preliminary 
  experiments 
  no 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  purify 
  the 
  

   acetylene 
  employed 
  other 
  than 
  to 
  keep 
  it 
  over 
  water, 
  or, 
  since 
  

   water 
  is 
  a 
  product 
  of 
  its 
  action 
  upon 
  oxides, 
  to 
  dry 
  it 
  : 
  in 
  later 
  

   experiments 
  to 
  secure 
  products 
  for 
  careful 
  analysis 
  it 
  was 
  dried 
  

   and 
  purified 
  with 
  care. 
  

  

  We 
  found 
  that 
  225° 
  C. 
  is 
  the 
  temperature 
  most 
  favorable 
  

   for 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  voluminous 
  product 
  obtained 
  by 
  act- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  acetylene 
  upon 
  cuprous 
  oxide 
  as 
  described 
  by 
  Erd- 
  

   mann 
  and 
  Kothner. 
  At 
  this 
  temperature 
  the 
  tube 
  is 
  choked 
  

   rapidly 
  with 
  the 
  fluffy 
  product 
  and 
  water 
  forms, 
  but, 
  as 
  Camp- 
  

   bell 
  found 
  in 
  his 
  experiments 
  upon 
  palladinized 
  copper 
  oxide, 
  

   no 
  appreciable 
  amount 
  of 
  carbon 
  dioxide 
  is 
  produced. 
  The 
  

   content 
  of 
  the 
  product 
  in 
  copper 
  varies 
  in 
  the 
  sample 
  and 
  in 
  

   different 
  experiments, 
  our 
  results 
  lying 
  between 
  1*54: 
  per 
  cent 
  

   and 
  24*21 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  substance 
  taken 
  for 
  ignition. 
  

  

  It 
  appeared, 
  also, 
  that 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  acetylene 
  upon 
  cupric 
  

   oxide 
  is 
  precisely 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  upon 
  cuprous 
  oxide 
  excepting 
  

   the 
  evident 
  reduction 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  oxide 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  action. 
  

   The 
  amount 
  of 
  copper 
  in 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  such 
  action 
  varied 
  in 
  

   our 
  experiments 
  from 
  6'53 
  per 
  cent 
  to 
  21*30 
  per 
  cent. 
  In 
  one 
  

   case 
  the 
  experiment 
  of 
  re-submitting 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  acetylene 
  

   a 
  product 
  containing 
  9*34 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  copper 
  was 
  made 
  with 
  

   the 
  result 
  that 
  a 
  new 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  substance 
  formed 
  which 
  on 
  

   analysis 
  yielded 
  3*87 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  copper. 
  

  

  A 
  roll 
  of 
  copper 
  gauze 
  carefully 
  reduced 
  in 
  hydrogen 
  and 
  

   then 
  oxidized 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  in 
  the 
  outer 
  flame 
  of 
  a 
  Bnnsen 
  

   burner 
  gave, 
  when 
  acted 
  upon 
  by 
  acetylene 
  at 
  225°-250° 
  C, 
  

   the 
  characteristic 
  deposit- 
  upon 
  the 
  oxidized 
  end 
  only, 
  the 
  

   unoxidized 
  end 
  being 
  merely 
  discolored. 
  

  

  These 
  residts 
  go 
  to 
  show 
  that, 
  while 
  metallic 
  copper 
  may 
  at 
  

   comparatively 
  high 
  temperatures 
  induce 
  the 
  polymerization 
  of 
  

   acetylene, 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  oxidizing 
  action 
  which 
  starts 
  at 
  moderately 
  

   low 
  temperatures 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  peculiar 
  derivatives 
  

   under 
  consideration. 
  Thus 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  ferric 
  oxide 
  heated 
  in 
  

   acetylene 
  at 
  temperatures 
  varying 
  from 
  150° 
  to 
  360°, 
  accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  circumstances, 
  darkens, 
  glows, 
  and 
  gathers 
  with 
  evolution 
  

   of 
  heat 
  a 
  dark 
  carbonaceous 
  deposit. 
  In 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  such 
  

   action 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  content 
  of 
  iron 
  varying 
  from 
  2*80 
  

   per 
  cent 
  to 
  5*86 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Silver 
  oxide, 
  too, 
  acts 
  upon 
  acetylene: 
  thus, 
  in 
  one 
  experi- 
  

   ment, 
  action 
  was 
  evident 
  at 
  the 
  ordinary 
  atmospheric 
  tempera- 
  

   ture, 
  a 
  violent 
  explosion, 
  which 
  completely 
  shattered 
  the 
  boat 
  

   and 
  scattered 
  metallic 
  silver 
  upon 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  glass 
  tube, 
  

   following 
  before 
  the 
  temperature 
  reached 
  100°. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  locally 
  violent 
  explosion 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  experiment 
  we 
  

   have 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  stage 
  of 
  an 
  acety- 
  

   lide 
  which 
  is 
  decomposed 
  later 
  when 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  disso- 
  

  

  