HYDRIDE  OF  AMYLE. 
417 
HYDRIDE  OF  AMYLE. 
By  T.  and  H.  Smith,  Edinburgh. 
In  presenting  a  specimen  of  the  new  anaesthetic  discovered  by 
Professor  Simpson,  the  hydride  of  amyle,  and  which  we  had  the 
pleasure  of  preparing  for  him,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  make 
a  few  remarks  regarding  its  history,  chemical  characters,  and 
physical  properties. 
Dr.  Frankland,  Professor  of  Chemistry,  Owen's  College,  Man- 
chester, discovered  it  in  the  course  of  an  investigation  undertaken 
for  another  object.  It  had  long  been  disputed  whether  ether  and 
alcohol  were  merely  hydrates  of  olefiant  gas, 
Olef.  gas.  Water.  Ether. 
(04  H4)     +     HO    =     (C*  H5  0) 
Alcohol. 
(C*H4)     +    2H0    =    (C4H6  02) 
or  whether  they  were  constituted  by  the  union  of  a  compound 
radical  ethyle  (C4  H5)  with  oxygen  (C4  H5)  +  0  =  (C4  H5  0) 
in  the  case  of  ether  ;  alcohol  being  merely  its  hydrate  (C4  H5  0) 
+  HO  =  C4  H6  O2). 
This  last  view  had  been  advocated  strongly  by  Liebig,  although 
the  very  existence  of  organic  radicals  remained  at  that  time 
entirely  hypothetical ;  yet  Liebig  expressed  his  conviction  that 
the  ethyle  radical  (C4  H5)  would  be  obtained  in  a  separate  state. 
Dr.  Frankland,  in  entering  on  the  interesting  and  able  investi- 
gation of  which  the  hydride  of  amyle  was  one  of  the  fruits,  was 
influenced  by  the  desire  of  deciding  this  question  by  separating 
the  radicals  themselves,  and  more  especially  those  of  the  different 
alcohols  and  their  derivative  ethers.  The  subject  was  undoubtedly 
a  most  difficult  one,  and  required  a  clear  head,  profound  chemi- 
cal knowledge,  and  nice  accuracy  of  manipulation. 
Dr.  Frankland  began  with  wine  alcohol,  and  unquestionably 
separated  the  radical  (C4  H5)  ethyle,  but  which  existed  as  a  vapor 
even  below  the  zero  of  F.  He  concluded,  from  the  much  higher 
equivalent  of  amylic  alcohol  (C10  H12  O2)  and  the  higher  density 
of  its  vapor,  that  the  radical  amyle,  if  he  should  succeed  in 
obtaining  it,  would  exist  as  a  liquid  at  ordinary  temperatures, 
and  thus  give  the  means  of  ascertaining  its  nature  more  certainly, 
and  also  give  a  clue  to  a  correct  understanding  of  the  character 
and  functions  of  the  compound  radicals  in  general,  and  more 
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