134 Mr. Schorlemmer on a New Series of Hydrocarhons [May 3, 



These hydrocarbons are colourless, oily, strongly refracting liquids, 

 lighter than water, and possessing a faint peculiar smell, resembling that of 

 the roots of JDaucus carota or Pastinaca sativa, I have obtained them 

 in small quantities only, and could study their reactions therefore only 

 incompletely. They combine with bromine with a hissing noise, and if 

 the reaction is not moderated, the liquid blackens and hydrobromic acid 

 is evolved ; but by keeping the substance well cooled, and by adding 

 the bromine very carefully, nearly colourless, heav}^, oily, sweet-smelhng 

 bromine- compounds are obtained, without the formation of hydrobromic 

 acid. These are very easily decomposed by heating ; charry matter sepa- 

 rates out, and hydrobromic acid is given otf even below the boiling-point 

 of water. From the hydrocarbon H^^ alone I obtained a sufficient 

 quantity of the bromide for analysis. 



0*3715 substance gave 0*3605 bromide of silver and 0*0123 metallic silver. 

 Calculated for Found. 

 Cj^4 H24 Br2. 



45*45 per cent. Br. 43*7 per cent. Br. 



As it was impossible to purify the small quantity of bromide, the dif- 

 erence between the found and calculated quantities is easily accounted for. 



Concentrated nitric acid dissolves these hydrocarbons, much heat being 

 evolved ; on diluting the acid solution with water, yellow, heavy, thick 

 oily nitro-compounds separate, which have a faint but peculiarly unpleasant 

 smell. By heating these nitro-compounds with tin and hydrochloric acid, 

 a portion is converted into a black tarry mass, and the solution contains a 

 considerable quantity of chloride of ammonium, and a small quantity of a 

 hydrochlorate, which can be obtained as a crystalline deliquescent mass 

 by evaporating in vacuo. On concentrating the solution in the air, decom- 

 position takes place, a violet substance being formed. By adding caustic 

 potash to the solution of the hydrochlorate, a dark oily base separates, 

 which quickly oxidizes into a black tarry mass. Platinic chloride produces 

 at first no precipitate in the concentrated solution of the hydrochlorate, 

 but after a few minutes a dark violet tar separates. 



I could not succeed in obtaining crystaUized double chlorides of tin or 

 zinc. 



If these hydrocarbons are heated with a concentrated solution of bichro- 

 mate of potassium and sulphuric acid, carbonic acid is evolved, a strongly 

 acid hquid, on which an oily layer swims, distils over, a resinous sub- 

 stance remaining in the retort. As I did not obtain any of the pure 

 hydrocarbons in sufficient quantity to study their separate products of oxi- 

 dation, I took all that remained, together with the intermediate distillates, 

 and the oil boiling above 280° C, which had been previously well purified 

 by rectification over sodium. After oxidation, the distillate was neutralized 

 with carbonate of sodium, the oil being left undissolved. This neutral 

 oil, which has an ethereal smell, and boils between 200° and 300° C, gave 

 on analysis 84-9 per cent. C and 11-8 per cent. II j it consists, therefore, 



