THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
FEBRUJRT,  1879. 


NITRITE    OF  AMYL. 
By  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Greene. 
A  paper  on  nitrite  of  amyl  by  D.  B.  Dott,  read  before  the  B  itish 
Pharmaceutical  Conference  and  published  in  the  "  American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy,"  1878,  p.  499,  may  give  some  erroneous  ideas  on  the  proper- 
ties of  amylic  alcohol  obtained  from  fusel  oil,  and  the  nitrite  derived 
from  it. 
Theory  indicates  the  existence  of  eight  isomeric  amylic  alcohols,  six 
of  which  are  actually  known.    They  are  : 
(1)  Normal  primary  amylic  alcohol :  CH3-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2.OH 
(2)  Two  normal  secondary  alcohols:  CH.,-CH2-CH2-CH.OH-CH3  methylpropyl- 
carbinol. 
(3)  CH3-CH2-CH.OH-CH2-CH,  diethylcarbinol 
CH 
(4)  Two  primary  isoamylic  alcohols  :  qjj3^  CH-CH2-CH2.OH  the  ordinary  alco- 
hol of  fusel  oil. 
(5)  £^j3  Qjj^>  CH-CH2-CH3  unknown. 
CH 
(6)  One  secondary  isoamylic  alcohol  :  qj|3^>  CH-CH.OH-CH3  methylisopropyl- 
carbinol. 
(7)  One  tertiary  alcohol  :  CH^  C.OH-CH2-GH3  ethyldimethyl-car- 
binol. 
CH  C  H 
(8)  One  primary  alcohol :  CH3-^^  ^CR  OH  un^nown« 
(4)  represents  the  constitution  of  the  amylic  alcohol  of  fermentation. 
This  compound  is  definite,  and  when  carefully  separated  from  fusel  oil 
by  fractional  distillation,  boils  constantly  at  I32°C.  Portions  may  be 
obtained  which  when  fractionated  in  an  imperfect  apparatus  may  pass 
entirely  at  128  to  I29°C,  but  if  these  be  subjected  to  several  careful 
rectifications  in  a  suitable  fractionating  apparatus,  they  may  be  entirely 
resolved  into  the  alcohol,  boiling  at  1320  and  into  isobutylic  alcohol 
boiling  at  1090. 
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