— 86 — 



methyl sulphone (m. p. 44°; m. p. of the hydrochloride 146°; m. p. of the 

 picrate 190 to 192°) which yields a quaternary iodo methylate, m. p. 150 

 to 152°; a proof of the primary character of the nitrogen in the /-amino- 

 propylmethyl sulphone. When benzoylated, the /-amino propylmethyl 

 sulphone yields an N-benzoyl compound melting at 102°, and when oxid- 

 ised with permanganate of potassium it gives the as yet unknown methyl 

 sulphone propionic acid, m. p. about 105°. Oxidation with fuming nitric 

 acid yields methylsulphonic acid. When cheirolin is treated with oxide 

 of mercury the action of V 2 m ol- of that reagent results in di- (/-methyl 

 sulphone propyl) thio-urea (m. p. about 125°); and when the oxide of 

 mercury treatment is repeated the result is di- (/-methyl sulphone propyl) 

 urea (m. p. 172°). The author also prepared some thio-urea compounds 

 of cheirolin. Thus, by treating cheirolin with alcoholic ammonia he 

 obtained /-methyl sulphone propyl thio-urea (m. p. 166°) by which the 

 presence of an tsothiocyanate group in the cheirolin molecule (a result 

 which had already been indicated by the saponification) was rendered toler- 

 ably certain. All the reactions described above go to show that cheirolin 

 possesses the structure mentioned at the commencement of this paragraph, 

 and the accuracy of this assumption was confirmed by the synthesis. To 

 achieve the latter, Schneider started from methyl mercaptan, upon which 

 he reacted with /-propylphthalimide bromide, leading to the formation of 

 /-phthalimido propylmethyl sulphide. This was saponified, giving rise to 

 /-aminopropyl methyl sulphide, of which the author describes a series of 

 derivatives. Oxidation of /-aminopropyl methyl sulphide with perman- 

 ganate of potassium yields /-aminopropyl sulphone, which was converted 

 by the aid of Hofmann's reaction into /-thiocarbimido propyl methyl 

 sulphone, a body which proved to be identical with natural cheirolin. 



x°\ 



CH 3 SCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 N< >C 6 H 4 CH 3 S-CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 NH, 



X CCK (S0 2 ) 



/-Phthalimidopropylmethylsulphide /-Aminopropylmethylsulphide (sulphone). 



Neroli Oil. This year's crop of orange flowers was concluded at 

 the end of May, and can only be described as below an average one. 

 The Societe Cooperative held its flowers at fr. 1,10 per kilo, or in quanti- 

 ties of 50,000 kilos at fr. 1 per kilo, these prices being less than those 

 of 1909, when fr. 1,50 and fr. 1,35 respectively was asked. Notwithstand- 

 ing this, the Societe has on this occasion been left with a considerable 

 quantity of flowers, and was finally compelled to commence distilling 

 them itself on a large scale, in order to save the material from perishing. 

 Next year this experience may probably have as a result that the Societe' 

 will be more disposed to give way in the flower -prices, for it is now 

 probably recognised that at the above quotations there is no longer any 

 great attraction in the neroli oil trade. 



