316 
ON CHLOROFORM. 
There are therefore not two kinds of chloroform; but the 
presence of a peculiar oil, produced in the action of chlo- 
ride of lime upon pyroxylic spirit, is the cause of the differ- 
ences which they present at first sight. Having established 
this fact, we now enquired whether during the preparation 
of chloroform from alcohol a substance analogous to that 
just described was not produced. Our suppositions were 
confirmed by experiment. The crude chloroform was first 
washed with water, then with carbonate of soda, left for a 
long time with chloride of calcium to remove the water; 
and lastly, filtered and distilled in a glass retort in a water- 
bath. There remained in the retort an aromatic liquid, but 
of an odor different from that of chloroform; but the 
amount was very small, being not 40 grms. from 20 kilo- 
grammes of chloroform. 
This oil differs essentially from that obtained from the 
chloroform prepared with pyroxylic spirit; it is heavier 
than water, and has a peculiar acrid penetrating odor, 
totally different from that of the other. On attempting to 
determine its boiling-point, we found that, like the former, 
it consisted of a mixture of different compounds; for the 
thermometer, which stood at 154° at the commencement of 
the ebullition, rose to 243°, and the temperature would 
undoubtedly have risen still higher had a larger amount 
been at our disposal. All these compounds contain chlo- 
rine, as was evident from an examination of the products 
of their combustion. Although these different substances 
were not submitted to analysis, everything leads us to be- 
lieve that they are intermediate in composition between 
chloroform and one of the known chlorides of carbon. 
It is scarcely possible to decide by what reaction these 
chlorinated oils are produced, no organic analysis having 
been made ; we may however observe, that in the prepara- 
tion of chloroform from ordinary alcohol, the more chlo- 
rinated oil is formed the less chloride of lime is added to 
