314 
ON CHLOROFORM. 
them were masked by some foreign substance. On the 
first hypothesis, it might be imagined that the chloroform, 
which does not belong to the same chemical type as alcohol, 
and which is produced by the profound disturbance caused 
by the action of chloride of lime, might prove to be a dif- 
ferent substance according as it resulted from the action 
upon alcohol, which belongs to the ethylic series, or from 
the reaction on wood-spirit, which belongs to the methylic 
series. It might also happen that the difference was owing 
to a weaker or stronger condensation of the methyle, sup- 
posed to exist equally in the two chloroforms. To decide 
this, we undertook some analyses, the result of which will 
be given subsequently. The second hypothesis supposes 
the identity of the chloroform, whether it has been formed 
from alcohol or from pyroxylin spirit; the difference in this 
case would arise from the presence of a foreign substance. 
This opinion is better founded; in fact, on attempting to 
rectify methylic chloroform by successive distillations over 
chloride of calcium, we found that the salt forming the 
residue retained after each distillation a certain quantity of 
a peculiar oil, which was easily isolated by washing with 
water. By repeated rectification, we were able to obtain 
a considerable amount of this oil, the proportion of which 
rose to as much as 30 grms. in 500 in some commercial 
chloroforms. 
This new substance is liquid and of an oily consistence. 
At first yellowish, it is rendered colorless by a simple rec- 
tification; it has a very peculiar and very strong empy- 
reumatic odor, similar to that possessed by the methylic 
chloroform; it is lighter than water; it began to distil at 
185°, but gradually rose to 271°. This rise of temperature 
during the distillation evidently indicates a mixture of dif- 
ferent compounds. It readily took fire, and burnt with a 
very intensely smoky flame. The presence of chlorine 
among the products of its combustion, indicated that this 
body formed a constituent part. 
