﻿AND 
  SOME 
  OF 
  ITS 
  DEEIVATIVES. 
  413 
  

  

  A 
  substance 
  of 
  such 
  constitution 
  may 
  be 
  easily 
  imagined 
  to 
  occur, 
  when 
  an 
  insuf- 
  

   ficient 
  quantity 
  of 
  acid 
  gas 
  had 
  been 
  employed 
  to 
  remove 
  all 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  

   meconic 
  acid, 
  or 
  its 
  power 
  had 
  been 
  diminished 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  by 
  the 
  ready 
  formed 
  

   water 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  fluids. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  substance 
  is 
  something 
  more 
  than 
  an 
  accidental 
  mixture, 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   inferred 
  from 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  ammonia. 
  When 
  its 
  warm 
  aqueous 
  solution 
  is 
  super- 
  

   saturated 
  by 
  strong 
  ammonia, 
  the 
  fluid 
  becomes 
  yellow, 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  yellow 
  

   amidic 
  salt 
  is 
  deposited, 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  in 
  a 
  mixture 
  containing 
  ethylo- 
  

   meconic 
  acid. 
  If, 
  however, 
  to 
  a 
  concentrated 
  aqueous 
  ammoniacal 
  solution 
  strong 
  

   alcohol 
  be 
  added, 
  a 
  deposit 
  in 
  small 
  radiated 
  yellow 
  silky 
  tufts 
  appears 
  ; 
  and 
  

   when 
  such 
  an 
  aqueous 
  solution 
  is 
  evaporated 
  to 
  dryness 
  at 
  212°, 
  a 
  crystalline 
  

   residue 
  remains, 
  part 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  extremely 
  sparingly 
  soluble 
  in 
  boiling 
  water 
  ; 
  

   the 
  more 
  soluble 
  portion 
  gives, 
  with 
  hydrochloric 
  acid, 
  a 
  crystalline 
  precipitate 
  

   in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  needles. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  followed 
  out 
  the 
  changes 
  which 
  these 
  few 
  

   experiments 
  seem 
  to 
  indicate, 
  for 
  my 
  material 
  was 
  small 
  in 
  quantity, 
  and 
  I 
  had 
  

   no 
  means 
  of 
  readily 
  preparing 
  it 
  tolerably 
  pure 
  at 
  will. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  called 
  this 
  substance 
  Meconoethylomeconic 
  Acid, 
  as 
  the 
  name 
  expresses 
  

   most 
  distinctly 
  the 
  constitution 
  deduced 
  from 
  analysis, 
  and 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  

   formula 
  given. 
  I 
  was 
  anxious 
  to 
  have 
  substantiated 
  its 
  constitution 
  as 
  such 
  by 
  

   a 
  determination 
  of 
  its 
  saturating 
  capacity, 
  but 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  effect 
  my 
  purpose, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  impossibility 
  I 
  experienced 
  of 
  obtaining 
  its 
  salts. 
  When 
  it 
  is 
  treated 
  

   with 
  bases, 
  the 
  salts 
  produced 
  decompose 
  into 
  meconates 
  with 
  greater 
  facility 
  

   than 
  those 
  of 
  ethylomeconic 
  acid. 
  

  

  Meconic 
  Ether 
  containing 
  two 
  Equivalents 
  of 
  Ether. 
  

  

  Biethylomeconic 
  Acid. 
  — 
  This 
  substance 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  in 
  

   the 
  acid 
  mother 
  liquors 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  bodies 
  before 
  described 
  have 
  deposited, 
  

   especially 
  when 
  absolute 
  alcohol 
  has 
  been 
  emploj^ed 
  ; 
  its 
  proportionate 
  amount 
  

   appearing 
  to 
  depend 
  on 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  hydrochloric 
  acid 
  gas 
  employed. 
  It 
  remains, 
  

   on 
  evaporation 
  of 
  the 
  liquid, 
  till 
  acid 
  ceases 
  to 
  be 
  evolved 
  at 
  212° 
  Fahr., 
  as 
  a 
  thick 
  

   oil 
  or 
  viscid 
  mass, 
  becoming 
  a 
  solid 
  crystalline 
  mass 
  on 
  cooling. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  ren- 
  

   dered 
  pure 
  by 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  crystallisations, 
  these 
  serving 
  to 
  remove 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  

   former-mentioned 
  bodies, 
  of 
  which 
  small 
  quantities 
  are 
  generally 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  

   residue 
  left 
  on 
  evaporation. 
  It 
  is 
  thus 
  obtained 
  in 
  colourless 
  flattened 
  prisms 
  : 
  

   the 
  analysis 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  {4*745 
  grains, 
  dried 
  in 
  vacuo, 
  gave 
  

   8-932 
  ... 
  carbonic 
  acid, 
  and 
  

   2-055 
  ... 
  water. 
  

  

  {4-865 
  grains, 
  dried 
  in 
  vacuo, 
  gave 
  

   9-160 
  ... 
  carbonic 
  acid, 
  and 
  

   2-120 
  ... 
  water. 
  

  

  VOL. 
  XX. 
  PART 
  III. 
  5 
  T 
  

  

  