1892 - 93 .] Prof. C. Brown and Dr J. Walker on Synthesis. 
Calculated for 
Found. 
C 12 B 20 O 3 . 
I. 
II. 
III. 
c 
. 
67*92 
67*90 
67*75 
67*76 
H 
9*43 
9*49 
9*48 
9*51 
0*542 gramme dissolved in 7*90 gramme alcokol raised the 
boiling point of the latter by 0°*360, corresponding to molecular 
weight 219. 0*540 gramme dissolved in 18*16 grammes of glacial 
acetic acid lowered the freezing point of the latter by 0*530 corre- 
sponding to molecular weight 214. C12H20O3 has molecular weight 
212 . 
The substance obstinately resisted the action of acids and bases. 
It is obvious that it is not tetraethylsuccinic anhydride, but an 
isomeric substance, with perhaps such a formula as 
C,H,— C C-C2H5 
II II or furfuran to which the replace- 
C2H5— 0— C— 0— C— 0— C2H5 
ment of all the hydrogen may have given extra stability. 
Dr Hugh Marshall examined the substance crystallographically. 
His report is given in full in the paper. 
Secondary Reactions. 
Besides the ethers C2H500C*K"*E"*C00C2H5 there are produced 
by the electrolysis of the salts C2H500C*R"*C00K other sub- 
stances which may be called secondary products. There is always 
some oxidation, which does not, however, lead to any complication, 
but only to loss, as the products are practically carbonic acid and 
water. In almost all cases unsaturated ethers are formed in accord- 
ance with equations such as — • 
*CHCH2 
+ C 2 H 500 C*R"*CH 2 *CH 2 *C 00 H + CO 2 . 
2 C 2 H 5 OOC *C(CH 3 ) *CH 2 = C 2 H 5 OOC *C(CH 3 ):CH 2 + C 2 H 5 OOC *C(CH 3 ) *CH 2 * 
COO- H COOH H 
These unsaturated ethers have a much lower boiling point than the 
synthetic ethers formed at the same time, and can therefore be easily 
separated from them. They are formed in considerable quantity 
from the higher terms of the normal series, and seem to be produced 
more readily from the acids with side chains. 
