1868.] 



of the Series C.^ H2;i+2. 



373 



used consisted of a glass flask of about one litre capacity, the narrow neck 

 of which was several feet in length, and surrounded by a wider tube through 

 which cold water flowed. The hydrocarbons treated in this way were 

 hexylhydride and octylhydride (from petroleum), and diamyl. They were 

 heated with the acid as long as red fumes were evolved ; the liquid left in 

 the flask was then distilled in a retort, until the unaltered hydrocarbon 

 together with the greater part of the diluted nitric acid had passed over. 

 The syrupy residue was heated in a steam-bath as long as nitric acid va- 

 pours escaped. A thick syrupy mass was left, from which, on cooling, a 

 crystallized acid was deposited ; on adding water these crystals dissolved, 

 whilst a thick yellowish oil separated. This oil is insoluble in water, but 

 somewhat soluble in the aqueous solution of the crystalline acid, which 

 therefore cannot be obtained quite free from the oily substance by recrystal- 

 lization only ; but this may be effected by washing the crystals with cold 

 ether, which dissolves very little of them, whilst the oil itself is very soluble. 

 The acid obtained from octjdhydride and that from diamyl melted at 180° 

 C, and showed ail the characteristic reactions of succinic acid ; that from 

 hexylhydride, from which I obtained only a very small quantity, could not 

 be completely freed from the yellow oil, and therefore did not show a defi- 

 nite melting-point; it began to fuse at about 120°, and became perfectly 

 liquid at 150°; it exhibited, however, all the reactions of succinic acid; 

 and the following analyses, alchough they do not agree very well, yet show 

 that it was this compound. From the acids the calcium and the silver-salt 

 were prepared by neutralizing the aqueous solution with calcium carbonate 

 and concentrating the filtered solution by boiling, when the salt separated 

 in microscopic needles. Calcium succinate obtained in this way has the 

 formula 11^ CaO^ + H, O ; the quantities of water and calcium found 

 agree with this composition. The water was determined by drying the salt 

 at 180° C, and the calcium by heating the dried, salt over the blowpipe 

 until the residue had a constant weight. 



Found 



Calculated for Acid from hexyl- ^ ^.^^^ 

 Cj^ H t CaO^ 4- 0. hydride. 



H^O 10*3 per cent. 9*4 per cent. 9*8 per cent. 



CaO 32*2 „ 33-3 „ 32*6 



To obtain the silver-salts, the solution of the calcium-salt w^as precipitated 

 by silver-nitrate and the washed precipitate dried at 120°, and the silver de- 

 termined by igniting. 



Found 



From diamvl. 



From hexylhydride. 



Calculated for ^ — — --^ From octvl- 



C.H.Ag.O,,. ^ T. II. hydride. 



Ag = 65-06 per cent. 62-3 p. c. 04' 1 p. c. 64*6 p. c. 64-7 p. c. 



The yellow oil which is formed besides succinic acid contains nitrogen ; 

 t is not volatile, and decomposes on heating ; caustic potash converts it 



2 M 2 



