﻿412 
  MR 
  HENRY 
  HOW 
  OX 
  MECONIC 
  ACID, 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  nothing 
  to 
  add 
  descriptive 
  of 
  the 
  acid 
  to 
  what 
  little 
  has 
  been 
  men- 
  

   tioned. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  white 
  powder 
  as 
  precipitated 
  by 
  acids 
  from 
  the 
  yellow 
  compound, 
  

   crystallising 
  from 
  concentrated 
  solution 
  in 
  hot 
  water 
  in 
  a 
  crystalline 
  crust. 
  

  

  The 
  yellow 
  salt 
  has 
  a 
  peculiar 
  appearance. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  present 
  the 
  least 
  crys- 
  

   talline 
  structure 
  even 
  under 
  the 
  microscope, 
  but 
  consists 
  of 
  round 
  translucent 
  

   granules 
  ; 
  when 
  deposited 
  slowly 
  from 
  dilute 
  fluids 
  these 
  have 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  

   small 
  yellow 
  vesicles 
  or 
  air-bubbles. 
  It 
  is 
  readily 
  soluble 
  in 
  hot 
  water 
  with 
  a 
  

   decided 
  smell 
  of 
  ammonia 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  sparingly 
  soluble 
  in 
  hot, 
  insoluble 
  in 
  cold, 
  

   alcohol. 
  It 
  gradually 
  loses 
  ammonia 
  when 
  heated 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  state 
  at 
  212° 
  Fahr. 
  ; 
  

   at 
  a 
  higher 
  temperature 
  it 
  blackens 
  and 
  fuses. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  adopted 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Meconamidic 
  Acid 
  for 
  the 
  acid 
  of 
  this 
  salt, 
  as 
  

   simply 
  expressive 
  of 
  its 
  constituents, 
  without 
  any 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  molecular 
  

   arrangement 
  of 
  its 
  elements. 
  

  

  Coupled 
  Acid 
  Ether 
  of 
  Meconic 
  Acid. 
  

  

  The 
  substance 
  I 
  have 
  described 
  as 
  occurring 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  making 
  the 
  ethers 
  

   of 
  meconic 
  acid, 
  when 
  rectified 
  spirit 
  is 
  employed, 
  is 
  deposited 
  generally 
  after 
  the 
  

   first 
  product 
  of 
  ethylomeconic 
  acid 
  is 
  filtered 
  off. 
  I 
  have 
  sometimes 
  observed 
  it 
  

   also 
  falling 
  from 
  the 
  mother 
  liquor, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  first 
  deposit 
  had 
  been 
  crys- 
  

   tallised, 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  purification 
  of 
  the 
  residue 
  left 
  on 
  evaporation 
  of 
  

   the 
  original 
  acid 
  mother 
  liquor. 
  Its 
  constant 
  occurrence 
  induced 
  me 
  to 
  examine 
  

   if 
  it 
  were 
  a 
  substance 
  of 
  determinate 
  composition 
  ; 
  I 
  accordingly 
  redissolved 
  some 
  

   of 
  it 
  in 
  hot 
  water, 
  it 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  extremely 
  soluble, 
  twice 
  or 
  thrice, 
  and 
  obtained, 
  

   on 
  cooling 
  of 
  the 
  liquid, 
  a 
  white 
  amorphous 
  powder. 
  I 
  select 
  the 
  analyses 
  of 
  two 
  

   specimens, 
  treated 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  {4-660 
  grains, 
  dried 
  at 
  212°, 
  gave 
  

   7"655 
  ... 
  carbonic 
  acid, 
  and 
  

   1-311 
  ... 
  water. 
  

  

  {5-335 
  grains, 
  dried 
  at 
  212°, 
  gave 
  

   8-712 
  ... 
  carbonic 
  acid, 
  and 
  

   1-315 
  ... 
  water. 
  

  

  Calculation. 
  

  

  I. 
  

  

  44-80 
  

   3-12 
  

  

  II. 
  

  

  44-53 
  

   2-73 
  

  

  44-85 
  

  

  2-80 
  

  

  52-35 
  

  

  C 
  32 
  

   H 
  12 
  

  

  o 
  28 
  

  

  192 
  

  

  12 
  

  

  224 
  

  

  Carbon, 
  . 
  

   Hydrogen, 
  

   Oxygen, 
  

  

  100-00 
  428 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  think 
  the 
  approximation 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  numbers 
  to 
  the 
  percent- 
  

   ages 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  formula 
  given, 
  in 
  a 
  substance 
  purified 
  from 
  different 
  

   preparations, 
  is 
  too 
  close 
  to 
  be 
  accidental, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  body 
  in 
  question 
  is 
  a 
  de- 
  

   terminate 
  compound. 
  The 
  formula 
  given 
  contains 
  the 
  elements 
  of 
  one 
  atom 
  of 
  

   meconic 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  ethylomeconic 
  acid, 
  

  

  C 
  32 
  H 
  12 
  28 
  = 
  3 
  HO, 
  C 
  u 
  HO 
  n 
  + 
  2 
  HO, 
  C,H 
  5 
  C 
  u 
  HO 
  u 
  . 
  

  

  