﻿PRODUCTS 
  OF 
  DECOMPOSITION 
  OF 
  COMENIC 
  ACID. 
  239 
  

  

  rather 
  less 
  soluble 
  in 
  hot 
  water 
  and 
  in 
  alcohol 
  than 
  the 
  former 
  acid 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  de- 
  

   posited 
  from 
  alcohol 
  in 
  fine 
  rhombic 
  crystals. 
  It 
  is 
  decomposed 
  by 
  zinc. 
  With 
  

   nitric 
  acid 
  it 
  gives 
  hydrobromic, 
  hydrocyanic, 
  carbonic, 
  and 
  oxalic 
  acids. 
  

  

  The 
  acid 
  ammonia 
  salt 
  crystallizes 
  in 
  fine 
  long 
  needles 
  ; 
  the 
  acid 
  salts 
  of 
  potass 
  

   and 
  soda 
  also 
  crystallize. 
  I 
  could 
  obtain 
  no 
  neutral 
  alkaline 
  salts. 
  The 
  acid 
  salts 
  of 
  

   the 
  alkaline 
  earths 
  are 
  very 
  soluble 
  ; 
  the 
  neutral 
  salts 
  are 
  insoluble 
  and 
  amorphous. 
  

  

  The 
  acid 
  silver 
  salt 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  adding 
  warm 
  aqueous 
  solution 
  of 
  bromo- 
  

   comenic 
  acid 
  to 
  an 
  aqueous 
  solution 
  of 
  nitrate 
  of 
  silver; 
  the 
  flocky 
  precipitate 
  which 
  

   fell 
  was 
  well 
  washed 
  with 
  cold, 
  and 
  subsequently 
  dissolved 
  in 
  boiling 
  water. 
  This 
  

   fluid 
  deposited 
  the 
  salt, 
  on 
  cooling, 
  in 
  brilliant, 
  short, 
  prismatic 
  crystals. 
  The 
  

   silver 
  was 
  determined, 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  analysis, 
  by 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  salt 
  in 
  boiling 
  

   water, 
  and 
  the 
  subsequent 
  addition 
  of 
  hydrochloric 
  acid 
  — 
  

  

  f 
  6*435 
  grains 
  dried 
  at 
  212° 
  gave 
  

   { 
  2-678 
  ••• 
  chloride 
  of 
  silver. 
  

  

  which, 
  calculated 
  for 
  per-centage, 
  gives 
  3364 
  oxide 
  of 
  silver; 
  the 
  number 
  33'93 
  

   being 
  that 
  corresponding 
  with 
  the 
  formula 
  

  

  AgO,HO,C 
  12 
  {g 
  r 
  ]o 
  8 
  

  

  A 
  neutral 
  silver 
  salt 
  was 
  also 
  obtained 
  as 
  a 
  yellow 
  amorphous 
  precipitate, 
  by 
  

   adding 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  acid 
  in 
  slight 
  excess 
  of 
  ammonia 
  to 
  nitrate 
  of 
  silver 
  in 
  

   excess 
  ; 
  it 
  presented, 
  on 
  drying, 
  the 
  clayey 
  character 
  I 
  remarked 
  in 
  the 
  corre- 
  

   sponding 
  salt 
  of 
  chlorocomenic 
  acid. 
  As 
  there 
  could 
  exist 
  but 
  little 
  doubt 
  of 
  its 
  

   composition, 
  I 
  thought 
  it 
  useless 
  to 
  occupy 
  time 
  with 
  an 
  analysis 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  Iodine 
  appeared, 
  from 
  some 
  experiments 
  I 
  made, 
  to 
  be 
  without 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  

   decomposing 
  comenic 
  acid. 
  

  

  Acid 
  Comenic 
  Ether. 
  

  

  Comenovinic 
  Acid. 
  — 
  From 
  the 
  bibasic 
  nature 
  of 
  comenic 
  acid, 
  and 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   ation 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  Dr 
  Stenhouse* 
  failed 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  attempt 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  neutral 
  

   ether 
  of 
  this 
  acid, 
  I 
  was 
  led 
  to 
  seek 
  it 
  in 
  its 
  combination 
  with 
  ether, 
  a 
  compound 
  of 
  

   an 
  acid 
  nature 
  analogous 
  to 
  sulphovinic, 
  tartrovinic, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  acids 
  similarly 
  

   constituted. 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  succeed 
  in 
  my 
  endeavour 
  to 
  form 
  such 
  a 
  substance 
  by 
  

   action 
  of 
  sulphuric 
  acid 
  on 
  alcohol 
  and 
  comenic 
  acid 
  ; 
  but 
  was 
  more 
  successful 
  

   in 
  a 
  slight 
  modification 
  of 
  the 
  method 
  usually 
  adopted 
  for 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  

   organic 
  ethers. 
  Comenic 
  acid 
  in 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  fine 
  powder 
  was 
  suspended 
  in 
  abso- 
  

   lute 
  alcohol, 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  insoluble 
  per 
  se, 
  and 
  a 
  stream 
  of 
  dry 
  hydrochloric 
  acid 
  

   gas 
  was 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  fluid. 
  After 
  some 
  time 
  the 
  whole 
  or 
  the 
  greater 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  acid 
  was 
  taken 
  up, 
  the 
  last 
  portions 
  disappearing 
  very 
  slowly. 
  The 
  

   clear 
  solution 
  gave 
  no 
  deposit, 
  even 
  on 
  standing 
  at 
  rest 
  for 
  many 
  hours, 
  nor 
  was 
  

   any 
  precipitate 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  water, 
  but 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  evaporated 
  to 
  

  

  * 
  Mem. 
  and 
  Proc. 
  Chem. 
  Soc, 
  vol. 
  i. 
  

  

  