316 
iodide of methyl and zinc enclosed in small glass tubes. Owing to 
the high temperature at which reaction takes place, much gas is 
formed ; hence the operation must be confined to very small quan- 
tities of materials. 
No determination of the boiling-point, specific gravity, nor yet of 
the vapour density of zinc-methyl, was made by its discoverer ; from 
which fact may be inferred how small was the product available for 
investigation. 
Frankland* has recently endeavoured to improve the process of 
preparation. He has tried a modification similar to that which he 
had introduced for zinc-ethyl. He mixed ether with the iodide of 
methyl, and heated with zinc in his copper digester. By this means 
jteady decomposition of the organic iodide was obtained, and very 
little gas was evolved ; but subsequently it was found impossible to 
separate the ether from the zinc-methyl. By this process Frank- 
land did not succeed in obtaining any pure zinc-methyl. 
To meet this difficulty is the object aimed at by the author of 
the paper. 
Instead of using ether to mix with iodide of methyl, the author 
uses either a strong solution of zinc-methyl in ether, or pure zinc- 
methyl; either of which he has found capable of rendering the action 
of zinc upon the organic iodide easy, and unaccompanied by much 
gaseous products. All his digestions he makes in glass tubes heated 
in the water-bath to 100° C. The strong solution of zinc-methyl was 
obtained, in the first instance, by digesting together ether, iodide of 
methyl, and zinc, and afterwards distilling. The distillate was then 
employed in a second operation in place of ether, and so a still 
stronger solution of zinc-methyl resulted. 
By repeating the process zinc-methyl was finally obtained in a 
state of tolerable purity. A single tube, which had undergone four 
digestions, furnished about half an ounce of product, which analysis 
showed to consist of zinc-methyl nearly pure. 
A determination of the vapour density of zinc-methyl made by 
Gay Lussac’s method gave 3*291. The calculated theoretical num- 
ber is 3*299. Accordingly, the condensation of zinc-methyl corre- 
sponds to that of ether, and not to that of hydride of methyl — in 
this respect resembling zinc-ethyl. 
In addition to the properties of zinc-methyl mentioned by Frank- 
* Aunalen der Chemie u Pharmacie von Liebig, cxi. p. 62. Frankland. 
