380 Constitution of Capryl Alcohol from Castor-oiL [May 14_, 



By distilling sebacic acid with caustic baryta, Riche* obtained the 

 hydrocarbon Cg H^^, which boiled at 127°. Riche, however, did not 

 obtain this compound m a pure state. I prepared this hydrocarbon in the 

 same way, and found that the distillate is a mixture of different compounds, 

 just as.is the case when suberic and azelaic acids are distilled with 

 baryta t. The pure hydrocarbon, isolated from this mixture by means of 

 strong acids and so on, boils at I23°-125°, and has the same specific gravity 

 as that from isotyl alcohol, viz. 0*7083 at 12° o. These two hydrocarbons 

 appear, therefore, to be identical, and the carbon atoms in sebacic acid must 

 also be arranged in a similar manner as in isoctyl alcohol. 



The secondary amyl and octyl alcohols may be considered to be derived 

 from the tertiary butyl alcohol, in a similar manner as the butyl and amyl 

 alcohols formed by fermentation from the secondary propyl alcohol, viz. — 



Boiling- Differ- 

 point, ence. 



Secondary propyl alcohol, 84^ 



I 



OH 



CH3 CH3 



\ / 



\/ 



Fermentation butyl alcohol, 108' 



I 



OH 



CH3 CH3 



\ / 

 \/ 

 CH 



Fermentation amyl alcohol, 



I 



CH, 

 I 



OH 



CH3 CH3 



Tertiary butyl alcohol, qqH ^'^'^ 



. I 

 CH, 



24° 



26° 



* Ann. der Chem. und Pharm. vol. csv. p. 111. 

 t Dale, Journ. Chem. Soc New Ser. vol. ii. p. 258. 



