— 157 — 



Shortly after a publication of Bodtker *) on Grignard's reaction, 

 a note by Barbier-), dealing with the same subject, made its appearance. 

 Both authors gave the following particulars of the origin of the reaction: 

 In the year 1899 Barbier attempted to obtain dimethyl heptenol by acting 

 upon methylheptenone with zinc and methyl iodide. But as in this case 

 zinc proved a failure, he replaced it by magnesium, and with this reagent 

 he has succeeded in carrying out a series of syntheses. At the suggestion 

 of Barbier, Grignard continued to work on this reaction, and the doctoral 

 dissertation published by him in 1901 was the outcome of these labours. 



Barbier gives it as his opinion that the credit of being the discoverer 

 of the reaction really belongs to him, and, in common with Bodtker, he 

 thinks that it would be better to call it by the name of Barbier-Grignard's 

 reaction. 



In his reply to Barbier's paper, Grignard 3 ) proposes to differentiate 

 between two reactions, viz.: — 



1. Barbier's reaction, in which the halogen alkyl and the substance 

 are made to react upon each other simultaneously in the presence 

 of magnesium. 



2. Grignard's reaction, in which a solution of magnesium halogen alkyl 

 must first be prepared. 



For the details of this rather polemical controversy we must refer to 

 the original paper. 



Bibliography. 



C. v. Rechenberg, in his book on the Theory of the Preparation and 

 Separation of the Essential Oils by Distillation (Outlines of a General 

 Theory of Distillation) 4 ) presents a comprehensive review of the theoretical 

 bases underlying the practice of essential oil distilling. The book was 

 originally planned as a chapter for the newly-prepared edition of Gilde- 

 meister and Hoffmann's work, (see below) and of which the first edition 

 contained a synopsis of the same subject by v. Rechenberg, which has now 

 become somewhat insufficient. The original contribution has, therefore, 

 now expanded into a separate work with an altogether different purpose, 

 in which the physical foundations upon which steam-distillation has been 

 reared are treated for the first time as a distinct subject, and in which 

 the far-reaching experiences gained in the course of our long practical 

 application of the art of distilling are placed upon solid theoretical ground. 

 The book, therefore, appeals not only to those who are specially engaged 



!) Chem. Ztg. 34 (1910), 150. 



2 ) Bull. Soc. chim. IV. 7 (1910), 206. 



3 ) Chem. Ztg. 34 (1910), 529. 



4 ) Theorie der Gewinnung und Trennung der cither ischen Ole durch Destination (Grundziige 

 einer allgemeinen Distillationslehre). Published by Schimmel 8j Co., Miltitz near Leipzig 1910, 

 and sold to the book-trade by L. Staackmann, Leipzig. 



