424  Varieties.  {^"^-^ilu'JrT"^' 
Creasote  from  Beechwood. — By  A  W.  Hofmann. — In  a  former  communica- 
tion it  was  shown  that  the  high  boiling  portion  of  creasote  from  beechwood  contains 
a  liquid  boiling  at  270°.  On  treating  it  with  potassium  dichromate  it  yielded 
casrolignone  and  a  compound  crystallizing  in  long  yellow  needles.  The  latter  body 
is  the  oxidation-product  of  an  oily  liquid  boiling  at  285°,  which  was  obtained  pure 
by  fractional  distillation  and  repeated  recrystallization  of  its  sodium-salts.  It  has  the 
composition  C11H16O3,  and  the  yellow  body  is  a  quinone  consisting  of  C8H8O4. 
Reducing  agents  convert  it  into  the  phenol,  CgHjoO^,  crystallizing  in  white  needles. 
Bromine  changes  the  quinone  into  C8H6Br204,  forming  brilliant  red  crystals  melt- 
ing at  175°. 
Liebermann's  casrolignone  is  identical  with  Reichenbach's  cedriret. 
Liebermann  [ibid.,  66)  has  also  found  that  these  bodies  are  identical,  and  explains 
the  reasons  why  he  formerly  believed  them  to  be  different  bodies. — Jour.  Chem.  Soc, 
June,  1875,  fi'oiTi  Deut.  Chem.  Ges.  Ber.,  viii,  66 — 68. 
Purple  Coloring  Matter  Derived  from  Cyanogen.  By  G.  Bong. — Sev- 
eral chemists  have  observed  that  when  potassium  cyanide  is  added  to  the  acid  solu- 
tion of  a  copper  salt,  a  fugitive  rose-red  coloration  is  produced.  Bong  finds  that  if 
an  iron  salt  be  added  to  the  copper  solution  after  the  cyanide,  a  fine  red  permanent 
tint  is  formed,  and  on  addition  of  excess  of  iron  salt,  the  red  coloring  matter  is  pre- 
cipitated together  with  prussian  blue.  The  mixed  precipitate  is  treated  with  am- 
monium carbonate,  which  dissolves  copper  cyanide  and  the  new  coloring  matter. 
The  ammoniacal  solution  is  acidified,  and  the  resulting  precipitate  is  treated  with 
sulphydric  acid.  After  filtering  off  the  copper  sulphide,  the  filtrate  is  digested  with 
lead  carbonate  to  remove  the  excess  of  sulphydric  acid.  A  pure  purple-colored 
aqueous  solution  of  the  new  substance  is  thus  obtained.  The  coloring  matter  is 
precipitated  therefrom  by  salts  of  zinc,  copper,  mercury  or  silver.  The  copper  pre- 
cipitate has  the  following  composition  :  Carbon,  24-31  j  nitrogen,  a8  04  5  hydrogen, 
I'SS  j  iron,  13*66 ;  copper,  ly'Sj oxygen,  14*44,  which  approaches  nearly  the 
formula,  C8N3H804FeCu,  The  aqueous  solution  of  the  coloring  matter  decom- 
poses carbonates.  The  coloring  matter  combines  with  ferrocyanides.  It  resists  the 
action  of  boiling  alkalies,  and  of  sulphurous  and  sulphydric  acids.  Concentrated 
sulphuric  acid  turns  it  yellow,  but  the  original  tint  is  restored  on  adding  water.  It 
is  destroyed  by  oxidizing  substances.  Mordanted  fabrics  fix  the  coloring  matter. — 
Jour.  CJiem  Soc,  June,  1875,  from  Compt.  rend.,  Ixxx,  559 — 561. 
Reciprocal  Displacememt  of  Volatile  Fatty  Acids.  By  H.  Lescoeur. — 
Berthelot  states  that  formic  acid  will  drive  out  all  the  other  volatile  fatty  acids  if 
the  acids  are  present  in  equivalent  quantities.  Duclaux  has,  however,  remarked 
that  this  displacement  is  not  quite  complete,  but  that  an  equilibrium  is  established. 
The  author  also  finds  that  formates  are  notably  decomposed  by  acetic  acid,  when 
the  latter  is  in  excess.  When  one  part  of  dry  neutral  sodium  formate  and  two  parts 
of  monohydrated  acetic  acid  are  submitted  to  distillation,  nearly  three-fourths  of  the 
formic  acid  present  passes  over.  Heat  is  not  the  cause  of  this  decomposition,  since 
potassium  formate  solution  spontaneously'  evaporated  with  excess  of  acetic  acid, 
loses  much  of  its  formic  acid.  The  quantity  of  formate  decomposed  varies  with 
the  excess  of  acetic  acid,  but  not  proportionally.  Water  has  but  little  influence  on 
he  reaction. — Jour.  Chem.  SoCj  June,  1875,  from  Compt.  rend.,  Ixxx,  563 — 565. 
