﻿358 
  Gooch 
  cmd 
  Baldwin 
  — 
  Action 
  of 
  Acetylene, 
  

  

  obtained 
  by 
  acting 
  upon 
  cupric 
  oxide 
  is 
  approximately 
  enough 
  

   to 
  correspond 
  to 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  cuprous 
  and 
  cupric 
  oxides 
  in 
  

   equal 
  proportions. 
  This 
  fact, 
  taken 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  

   great 
  range 
  of 
  variation 
  in 
  proportion 
  and 
  the 
  minimum 
  to 
  

   which 
  the 
  copper 
  falls 
  in 
  the 
  product, 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  least 
  

   likely 
  to 
  include 
  contaminating 
  metal 
  or 
  oxide, 
  suggests 
  very 
  

   strongly 
  the 
  probability 
  that 
  the 
  oxygen 
  present 
  is 
  in 
  union 
  

   with 
  copper 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  copper 
  is 
  held 
  mechanically 
  as 
  metal 
  

   or 
  oxide 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  essential 
  constituent 
  of 
  an 
  organic 
  com- 
  

   pound. 
  Leaving 
  out 
  of 
  consideration, 
  therefore, 
  the 
  copper 
  

   and 
  copper 
  oxides, 
  and 
  calculating 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  the 
  

   products 
  assumed 
  to 
  consist 
  essentially 
  of 
  carbon 
  and 
  hydrogen, 
  

   we 
  derive 
  the 
  followiner 
  statement 
  : 
  

  

  Per 
  cent 
  of 
  carbon 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   Per 
  cent 
  of 
  hydrogen. 
  

  

  (1) 
  

  

  (2) 
  

  

  (3)- 
  

  

  (4) 
  

  

  (5) 
  

  

  93-54 
  

  

  94-93 
  

  

  94-88 
  

  

  94-60 
  

  

  94-31 
  

  

  . 
  6-46 
  

  

  5-07 
  

  

  5-12 
  

  

  5-40 
  

  

  5-69 
  

  

  100-00 
  100-00 
  10000 
  100-00 
  100-00 
  

  

  These 
  figures 
  correspond 
  to 
  symbols 
  varying 
  from 
  C,.,H,o 
  to 
  

   nearly 
  C^gHjo, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  approximating 
  Cj^Hi^, 
  the 
  sym- 
  

   bol 
  of 
  anthracene 
  or 
  paranthracene. 
  The 
  analytical 
  data 
  of 
  

   Erdmann 
  and 
  Kothner 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  average 
  to 
  a 
  product 
  corre- 
  

   sponding 
  more 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  symbols 
  than 
  to 
  

   either 
  of 
  the 
  others. 
  The 
  product 
  is 
  doubtless 
  variable 
  with 
  

   the 
  temperature 
  and 
  the 
  activity 
  of 
  oxidation. 
  Thus, 
  in 
  one 
  

   experiment 
  in 
  which 
  acetylene 
  was 
  passed 
  over 
  ferric 
  oxide 
  the 
  

   action 
  began 
  at 
  365° 
  with 
  incandescence, 
  as 
  described 
  by 
  Moissan 
  

   and 
  Moureu,* 
  and 
  the 
  analysis 
  of 
  the 
  product 
  (carbon 
  = 
  91-53, 
  

   hydrogen 
  = 
  1'36, 
  Fe 
  = 
  5-85, 
  O 
  = 
  1-26) 
  indicates 
  a 
  propor- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  carbon 
  to 
  hydrogen 
  about 
  four 
  times 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  average 
  product 
  of 
  action 
  at 
  225° 
  on 
  the 
  oxides 
  of 
  

   copper. 
  

  

  Finally, 
  we 
  find 
  no 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  action 
  

   of 
  acetylene 
  on 
  the 
  oxides 
  of 
  copper 
  under 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  

   our 
  experimentation 
  is 
  other 
  than 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  a 
  hydrocarbon 
  

   or 
  hydrocarbons 
  with 
  metallic 
  copper 
  or 
  an 
  oxide 
  of 
  copper, 
  

   and, 
  probably, 
  in 
  the 
  darker 
  preparations, 
  some 
  free 
  carbon. 
  

  

  *Loc. 
  cit. 
  

  

  