.18 
Chemical  Notes. 
j  Am.  Jour,  Pharm. 
t      Jan  ,  1881. 
Antimonoiis  liydmte     Tartrantimonous  acid.       Potassium  tartrantimo- 
or  acid.  nite  (tartar  emetic). 
— Am.  Chem.  Jour.,  vol.  2,  p.  319. 
Organic  CiiBMiSTRY.—Syrithesis  of  Salicylic  Acid. — Edgar  F. 
Smith  has  made  a  most  interesting  experiment  resulting  in  the  synthe- 
sis of  salicylic  acid.  One  part  of  copper  benzoate  was  heated  with 
about  3  parts  of  distilled  water,  in  a  sealed  tube,  at  a  temperature  of 
180°C.,  for  three  hours,  ^vhen  a  large  quantity  of  cuprous  oxide  sepa- 
rated. After  pouring  out  the  contents  of  the  tube,  acidulating  and 
removing  the  copper  by  hydrogen  sulphide,  the  solution  was  distilled, 
whereby  some  undecomposed  benzoic  acid  distilled  over  with  the  steam. 
The  residual  liquid,  evaporated  down,  yielded  a  crystallization  of 
needles,  fusing  at  156°C.,  and  giving  with  ferric  chloride  the  charac- 
teristic coloration  of  salicylic  acid.  Several  of  its  salts  were  also  formed 
and  identified.    The  reaction  is  as  follows :  . 
2(CeH,.COO)2Cu^2H20=Cii20+3CeH5.COOH+C6H,OH.COOH 
Copper  benzoate.  Benzoic  acid.        Salicylic  acid. 
— ylm.  Chem.  Jour.,  vol.  2,  p.  338. 
Synthesis  of  Tropic  Acid. — Ladenburg's  preparation  of  homatropin 
and  other  artificial  alkaloids  from  tropic  acid,  one  of  the  decomposition 
products  of  atropin,  has  already  been  noticed  (this  journal,  1880,  p. 
402,  450).  He  has  now,  after  some  trials,  succeeded  in  making  a  syn- 
thesis of  tropic  acid  itself,  building  it  up  from  simple  benzol  deriva- 
tives. Dichlor-ethyl  benzol,  CeHg.CClgOHg,  served  as  the  starting- 
point.    This  was  converted,  bv  treatment  with  potassium  cyanide  in 
alcoholic  solution,  into  CgHg.C — OCgH^,    and    this    with  barium 
hydrate  and  water  into  (  CgH-.C — OCgH^ )  Ba,  giving  the  free  acid, 
^  ^CO.O  ^2 
CH3 
CgHg.C — OCgHg,   which,  on    treatment   with    hydrochloric,  yields 
^COOH 
atropic  acid.  Atropic  acid,  however,  Ladenburg  had  previously 
changed  into  tropic  acid,  so  that  the  synthesis  is  complete. — Ber.  der 
Chem.  Ges.,  xiii,  p.  2041. 
A  New  Synthesis  of  Chinolin.  Skraup  finds  that  chinolin  results 
when  either  nitro-benzol  or  anilin  are  heated  with  glycerin  and  sul- 
