A.x.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
April  1,  1873.  ) 
Behavior  of  Ether,  etc. 
173 
sjaaking  perfectly  pure  ether  ;  I  only  mention  here  that  it  is  best  to 
re-distil  the  ether  so  obtained  once  or  twice  over  sodium,  chloride  of 
calcium  tubes  being  fitted  to  the  distilling  apparatus  to  avoid  the  con- 
tact of  moist  air.  Ether  so  purified,  and  kept  in  well-stoppered  bot- 
tles, continues  good  for  several  months ;  even  after  fifteen  months  no 
iodoform  reaction  was  exhibited,  and  I  therefore  conclude  that  pure 
•ether  kept  as  stated  does  not  become  altered,  at  all  events  not  suffic- 
ient to  be  detected  by  the  iodoform  reaction. 
Ether  with  Water. — I  repeated  my  former  experiments  by  pouring 
ether  and  water  or  ether  and  dilute  sulphuric  acid  in  glass  tubes,  and 
after  sealing  I  heated  these  tubes  for  twenty-four  hours  to  100°  ;  on 
testing  the  water  afterwards  I  detected  a  strong  reaction  of  iodoform, 
«due  to  formation  of  alcohol,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  a  sealed  tube, 
also  containing  water  and  ether,  kept  during  the  same  period  of  time 
at  the  ordinary  temperature,  did  not  exhibit  this  reaction.  I  also 
found  by  separate  experiments  that  when  the  sealing  of  the  glass 
tubes  is  carefully  proceeded  with  there  is  no  chance  that  any  iodo- 
form-producing  substance  (aldehyde,  for  instance,  due  to  the  action 
of  the  red-hot  glass  on  the  vapor  of  ether)  can  be  generated  ;  it  is 
therefore  quite  certain  that  when  ether  and  water  are  heated  to  100° 
alcohol  is  in  a  short  time  formed.  The  same  action  between  ether 
and  water  obtains  at  the  ordinary  temperature,  but  only  after  the 
lapse  of  a  considerable  time  ;  ether  kept  with  water  in  well-stoppered 
bottles  exhibited  the  iodoform  reaction  after  some  three  or  four 
months,  but  in  some  instances  the  reaction  was  obtained  in  a  shorter 
time.    Both  the  ether  and  water  were  pure. 
Ether  and  Sodium. — Pure  ether  kept  in  contact  with  small  lumps 
of  sodium  in  a  well-stoppered  bottle  was  found  after  six  months  to 
exhibit  no  iodoform  reaction. 
Ether  and  Chloride  of  Calcium. — Pure  ether  kept  with  lumps  of 
freshly-ignited  chloride  of  calcium  in  a  well-stoppered  bottle  for  a 
period  of  six  months  was  found,  on  being  tested,  to  distinctly  exhibit 
the  iodoform  reaction,  and  consequently  the  ether  had  undergone 
alteration. 
Ether  and  Caustic  Potassa. — Pure  ether  and  freshly-prepared  fused 
oaustic  potassa  kept  for  six  months  was  found  to  be  unaltered ;  and 
the  same  result  was  obtained  when  the  ether  was  kept  for  the  same 
lapse  of  time  with  recently  burnt  caustic  lime.  When  the  pure  ether 
was  kept  for  six  months  along  with  freshly-ignited  chloride  of  sodium 
