262 
Proceedings of Royal Society of Pdinhurgli. [sess. 
the sulphur ion is formed with difficulty, especially in considera- 
tion of the fact that even the first hydrogen atom shows no great 
tendency to dissociation. 
Sodium Compounds of Acetoacetic Ether ^ ^c. 
We find in chemical literature some diversity of opinion as to 
whether acetoacetic ether behaves as a stronger or a weaker acid 
than ethylacetoacetic ether. It seemed to me that this question 
might he settled by ascertaining the relation between the amounts 
of hydrolysis in equivalent solutions of the sodium compounds of 
the two ethers. If the sodium salts are dissolved in water, the 
solutions are found to he strongly alkaline, but the alkalinity 
disappears gradually owing to the saponification of the ethers them- 
selves. As, however, the two ethers which are thus saponified are 
different, a direct comparison of the hydrolysis could not he made 
in this way, and the sodium salts were consequently dissolved in 
water containing a large excess of acetic ether, which, according to 
the law of mass action, would therefore play the predominant part 
in the saponification. In order that the reaction might not proceed 
too rapidly, the saponification was conducted at 0°. 
The following tables contain the numbers obtained at this tempera- 
ture with -—-normal solutions of the sodium salts, 5 per cent, of 
pure ethyl acetate being added in each case. To make the numbers 
directly comparable, they have been brought to the same calculated 
original titre by means of a slight correction. 
Sodium Salt of Acetoacetic Ether. 
from beginniug. 
Titre. 
0 
[12-20] 
2 
10-93 
4 
10-66 
7 
10-38 
22 
9*32 
52 
8-02 
80 
6-98 
145 
5-37 
221 
3-69 
