— 147 — 



When q/dohexylhexanone is oxidised with chromic acid in glacial 

 acetic acid it yields a ketonic acid of the formula C12H20O3 (m. p. 58°). 

 This acid is probably a ^-hexahydrobenzoyl-w-valeric acid. Upon heating 

 its methyl ester with sodium in toluene, a compound Ci 2 Hi S 2 , b. p. 150° 

 (11 mm.), was obtained, which is probably a diketone. No semicarbazone 

 was obtained, but the methylated compound yielded a semicarbazone 

 melting at 203°. 



Menthone. A paper by A. Mailhe and M. Murat 1 ) on the reduction 

 of cyclic oximes by means of hydrogen in the presence of nickel, also 

 refers to /-menthone oxime, (m. p. 59°; [«] D — 42,51°). The reduction 

 of the oxime was accomplished at about 280°, the reaction-products being 

 menthylamine and dimenthylamine (Ci Hi 9 ) 2 NH, of which latter body the 

 hydrochloride melts, with decomposition, at 207°. 



Camphor. In our last Report 2 ), we referred to Komppa's rejoinder to 

 the attacks by Blanc and Thorpe 3 ) upon the synthesis of camphoric acid. 

 Komppa, in collaboration with O. Routala 4 ), has published a further note 

 on the same subject, in which he gives a total synthesis of ethylapocam- 

 phoric acid. This interesting paper, to which we are unable to refer in 

 detail for want of space, again shows that the statements of Blanc and 

 Thorpe are untenable. 



Komppa and Routala obtained a-ethylapocamphoric acid both in the 

 cis- and the frrms-modification. The former occurs in the form of small 

 prisms, m. p. 183,5 to 184°; the latter was only obtained in an oily state. 



H 2 C CHC0 2 H 



^>C(CH 3 ) 2 



H 2 C C(C 2 H 5 ) • C0 2 H 



a-Ethylapocamphoric acid. 



Methyllaurenone. von Baeyer and Villiger 5 ), in the course of a reac- 

 tion of Caro's sulphuric acid on camphor, had obtained, in addition to 

 «-campholide, a lactone Ci Hi 6 O 4 , m. p. 189 to 191°. R. Locquin 6 ) has 

 subjected this lactone to closer investigation. Upon heating it with dilute 

 sulphuric acid or phosphoric acid in a sealed tube, he obtained an inactive, 

 unsaturated ketone C 9 Hi 4 0, possessing the following characteristics: b. p. 82 

 to 86° (10 mm.), 95 to 96° (18 mm.), d|§ 1,062. With semicarbazide the lactone 

 yields a mixture of two semicarbazones, melting respectively at 198 and 150°. 



*) Bull. Soc. chim. IV. 9 (1911), 467. 

 2 ) Report April 1911, 182. 

 ? ') Report October 1910, 196. 

 *) Berl. Berichte 44 (1911), 858. 

 ') Berl. Berichte 32 (1899), 3625. 

 ( >) Compt. rend. 153 (1911), 284. 



10* 



