— 205 — 



mercuric compound by means of hydrogen generated from zinc and 

 soda liquor. By this process mixtures consisting of 5 g. of each of 

 the corresponding allyl- und propenyl-compounds were separated. From 

 anethol and methyl chavicol he recovered 71% of the anethol 

 and about 5O°/ of the methyl chavicol, from a similar mixture of iso-safrol 

 and safrol 70% and 56,4 °/ ; from myristicin and isomyristicin ioo°/ 

 and 72°/ and from apiol and isoapiol 77% and 52,8 °/ respectively. 



Anethol. On the action of light upon anethol see Physical Notes, p. 1 6 2 . 



Creosol. This phenol, which possesses the formula C 6 H 3 CH 3 (i) 

 OCH 3 (3)OH(4), and is well-known as occurring in ylang-ylang oil 1 ), 

 and as forming one of the principal constituents of the pine-tar phenols, 

 has been described in the form of a solid body for the first time in 

 a paper by O. de Vries 2 ). It was obtained from "Creosol synth. 

 cryst." supplied by Schuchardt, by submitting that material to repeated 

 fractionation until the sp. gravity of the principal fraction ceased to 

 show an increase. After being frozen-out from liquid air the body 

 solidified and showed the following constants: b. p. 113,5° ( 22 mm.), 

 m - P- + 5>5°> ^ I ^°95 I i d io 1,0919, n D25 ° i,5353, m °l. refr. found 

 39,39, calc. 38,84. Equal molecules of the phenol and of picric acid, 

 dissolved in alcohol, yielded a picrate melting at 112 . 



Acids. 



The researches of Wallach 3 ) on cyclic hydrocarbons with semi- 

 cyclic linkings, to which we have referred on several occasions, all 

 had started from the hydroxy-acids or the esters of hydroxy-acids (I), 

 which are readily accessible from cyclic ketones by bromoacetic-ester 

 synthesis. By splitting off water these hydroxy-acids yield a double 

 series of acids with isomeric linkings (II, III). But whereas up to 

 the present first the one and then the other of these modifications 

 have been regarded as the principal product, but Wallach 4 ) has recently 

 discovered that the occurence of the particular modification is deter- 

 mined by the selection of the dehydrating agent. For instance, 

 cyclohexanol-acetic acid, when treated with bisulphate of potash 

 or pentoxide of phosphorus as dehydrating agents, yields- principally 

 J 1 -cyclohexene- acetic acid; while, if it is treated with acetic 

 acid anhydride, the principal product is the isomeric J 1 ^) -cyclone - 

 xene-acetic acid. The esters do not lend themselves so readily 



*) Report April 1903, 78. 



2 ) Recueil des trav. chim. des P.-B. 28 (1909), 276. From a copy kindly 

 sent to us. 



3 ) Report April 1901, 60; October 1902, 87; April 1906, 113; October 1907, 

 173; April 1908, 166; November 1908, 166. 



4 ) Liebig's Annalen 365 (1909), 255. 



