516 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences , Arts, and Letters. 
aqueous solution. The laevorotory alanin, thus obtained, was 
converted by means of nitrosyl bromide quantitatively into 
dextrorotatory d brompropionic acid according to the latest 
method of Fisher and Baske. The active brom acid, as pre¬ 
pared, contained 4.38% of optical antipode as against 3% 
usually found by Fisher. 
Inasmuch as nearly all of the experiments, where an inver¬ 
sion was observed, had been carried out in water solution, we 
attempted to ascertain whether the same inversion occurred 
in non-aqueous solution in order to establish, first of all, the 
influence of the solvent. To avoid also the presence of any 
possible trace of free base, Prof. !Nef proposed the idea of 
studying the action of silver acetate (1 mol) on d brompropi¬ 
onic acid in absolute ether solution. 
By hydrolysis of the crude (aeylated ?) gum thus obtained, 
and subsequent heating in water solution with zinc carbonate, a 
difficulty soluble crystalline zinc salt was obtained having all the 
properties of. zinc lactate. Most of this material was in¬ 
active—silver acetate seems to have, therefore, a pronounced ra- 
cemizing effect just as Marckwald and JSjplda have found in its 
action on optically active amyl haloids at higher temperatures. 
The mother liquor contained a considerable amount of zinc salt 
which was strongly dextrotatory, from this fact we may as¬ 
sume, as others have done, that there is formed here a little 1 lac¬ 
tic acid, mixed with a large amount of dl lactic i. e. an inver¬ 
sion has occurred with silver acetate in absolute ether as well 
as with silver salts in' water solution. The solvent undoubtedly 
causes a difference in the amount of racemation but does not 
alter the character of the action as far as inversion is con¬ 
cerned. 
By the action of silver acetate (1 mol.) in water solution, po¬ 
tassium acetate (1 mol.) in absolute alcohol solution, and so¬ 
dium hydroxide (1 mol.) in 0.1% water solution on d brom¬ 
propionic acid there was obtained after hydrolysis in every case, 
on treatment with zinc carbonate, a difficulty soluble crystalline 
zinc salt which was more strongly dextrorotatory than that 
obtained in the experiment with silver acetate in absolute ether. 
