NOTES ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. 89 
counteracted by a depolymerization. In order to examine this question, solutions of 
styrene and metastyrene in benzene were made, half being kept in the dark the 
other half being exposed to the sunlight for two months. The exposed solutions of 
styrene showed an increase of the index of refraction, which indicated the formation 
of metastyrene. The decrease of the values in the exposed metastyrene solutions 
pointed to the formation of styrene. The solutions kept in the dark had remained 
unchanged. It was easy to determine that these reactions had really taken place. When 
alcohol was added to the exposed solution of styrene, metastyrene was precipitated. 
The exposed solution of metastyrene, which had become very liquid, discoloured potas- 
sium permanganate solution, whereas the metastyrene solution, which had been kept 
in the dark, did not react on it. It follows that both solutions strive for an equilibrium: 
monomeride <_ polymeride. 
Alcohols. 
Basic properties of oxygen in alcohols. 
In a series of treatises on the high valencies of organic compounds, W. Tete 
linzew') reports on the basic properties of oxygen in aromatic alcohols as well as 
in alcohols of the terpene series and on the relationship between principal and acces- 
sory valencies in alcohols. As regards details, we must refer the reader to the original. 
We would mention only that some magnesium alcoholates are described: that of 
benzyl alcohol forms a solid, sticky mass, whereas that of cinnamyl alcohol is a 
crystalline powder. Menthol, terpineol and d-borneol form white, crystalline magnesium 
alcoholates. 
B. Mereschkowsky’) has something to report on the actions of anhydrous boric 
acid on alcohols of the terpene series, when acid esters are formed, which decompose 
later on into boric acid and unsaturated hydrocarbons. In this way, menthol afforded 
A?-menthene, in addition to small quantities of 4*-menthene and 4*®-menthene. The 
ozonization of A?-menthene led in the main to «,¢-methylisopropyladipic acid, «,«-methyl- 
isopropyladipic acid aldehyde, acetone, and a large number of polymerization products. 
Through the action of boron trioxide on dihydrocarveol, a mixture of two compounds 
is formed, perhaps limonene and isolimonene. Tetrahydrocarveol and boric acid 
anhydride chiefly yield 4?-menthene. 
Geraniol. Through the action of thionyl chloride on geraniol in the presence of 
pyridine, M. O. Forster and D. Cardwell obtained a chloride, which may be considered 
as geranyl chloride and is identical with the chloride which J. Dupont and L. Labaune 
found after having treated linalool or geraniol with hydrogen chloride*). As Dupont 
and Labaune*) now say, they tried the thionyl chloride method already at the beginning 
of their experiments and ascertained that it gave good results with linalool, whereas 
geraniol afforded derivatives which, when distilled, SONS, sulphur compounds in the 
last fractions. 
They have further been able to convince themselves again that the reaction of 
alkalis on geranyl chloride chiefly produces linalool. 
1) Journ. russ. phys. chem. Ges. 45 (1913), 1904, 1912, 1917; Chem. Zentralbl. 1914, I. 1823, 1826, 1827. — 
*) Journ. russ. phys. chem. Ges. 45 (1914), 1686; Chem. Zentralbl. 1914, 1. 1425. — %) Comp. Report October 
1913, 139. — *) Berichte von Roure-Bertrand Fils April 1914, 3. 
