CHEMICAL NEWS, Nov. 10, 1911

227

between sodium and chlorine and sodium and bromine. The accepted value for the atomic weight of sodium, 23 00, is based on oxygen through either silver or chlorine, or bromine, and hence, as a piece of atomic weight work, the value of sodium is to be calculated. This was accordingly done, and with the results given in the last column of the table. The value of chlorine was taken as 35 458, of bromine 79.920 (F. W. Clarke, loc. cit.).

SPECIAL MACHINE FOR QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY COMPUTING THE PERCENTAGES OF MATERIALS COMPRISING A MIXTURE.

End of

electrolysis.

3'5 0.038 10'46

The barrow or container is placed on the platform, and is tared by the poise on the larger steelyard.

The bucket or whatever it is desired shall contain the second mixture is then tared on the smaller steelyard, and the runner is moved along until it rests on the percentage graduation which it is desired the second ingredient shall

061103 grm. Cl found on anode. +000038 grm. Cl determined as nephelometer.

0.61141 grm. total chlorine found. 1'00793 grms. NaCl taken.

100793: 0.61141=23'00 +X: X. X-atomic weight of chlorine.

X = (2300) (0.61141)/100793-061141.
X=35'465.

Determinations 10, 12, and 24 were carried out in dark. ness as mentioned above. After drying and weighing as usual, the halides on anodes in determinations 9, 11, and 20 were fused as previously described. No significant change of weight was observed. In determinations 17, 18, 19, and 27 the pure silver disc anode was used.

Since the above article was published in separate form as a thesis, Dr. W. A. Noyes has called attention to the

bear to the unknown quantity which has been placed o the platform.

When the amount placed in the smaller skip balances the steelyard, the desired percentage can be added to the bulk without any fear that it does not bear its correct proportion, thus avoiding all possibility of errors in calculating.

The machine is arranged with a platform measuring 48 in. by 30 in., and is capable of weighing up to a maximum capacity of 3 cwt.

It will readily be understood that machines of this character, which have been designed and manufactured by W. and T. Avery, Limited, of London and Birmingham, can be readily adapted to any ordinary requirement in various trades.

Physical Society's Annual Exhibition.-This Exhibition will be held on Tuesday, December 19th, and will be open both in the afternoon and evening.

PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES.

CHEMICAL SOCIETY.

THE following are abstracts of papers received during the vacation, and published, or passed for publication, in the Transactions.

192. "Indicators of the Methyl-red Type. By HUBERT HOWARD and FRANK GEO. POPE. (Trans., 1911, 1333). Azo-compounds of the methyl-red type were prepared by combining diazotised anthranilic acid with a-naphthylamine, dimethyl a-naphthylamine, diphenylamine, and phenyl-a-naphthylamine. Contrary to the statement of Tizard (Trans., 1910, xcvii., 2485), the potassium salt of methyl-red can be obtained in a crystalline form, and is not deliquescent.

"Dihydrocinnamenylcarbimide (8-Phenylethyl iso193. Cyanate)." BY MARTIN ONSLOW FORSTER and HERMANN STÖTTER. (Trans., 1911, 1337).

Dihydrocinnamenylcarbimide, C6H5 CH2 CH2 N: C: O, and some of its derivatives were studied, and in the course of their examination it was noticed that whilst this isocyanate converts menthol into the corresponding carba mate, cinnamenylcarbim.ide transforms that alcohol into menthyl carbamate, a change which involves the dis appearance of phenylacetylene.

194. "The Synthesis of Histidine." By FRANK LEE PYMAN. (Trans., 1911, 1386).

A preliminary account of the synthesis of y-histidine has already appeared (Proc., xxvii., p. 92). The synthesis of histidine itself, that is, the naturally-occurring lævo-modification of this base, has now been completed by the

resolution of r-histidine.

195. "The Action of Benzylamine on s-Dibromosuccinic Acid." By EDWARD PERCY FRANKLAND. (Trans., 1911, 1775).

When benzylamine reacts with s-dibromosuccinic acid in alcoholic solution it gives rise successively to the following compounds:-(I.) The dibenzylamine salt of dibromosuccinic acid; (II.) the monobenzylamine salt of bromomaleic acid; (III.) the monobenzylamine salt of benzylaminobromosuccinic acid,

CO2H-CH(NHC-H-)-CHBr CO,H,

and (IV.) the monobenzylamine salt of dibenzylaminosuccinic acid, CO2H CH(NH C2H2) CH(NH C2H7)·CO2H, from which the free acid can be obtained by dissolving in hydrochloric acid and precipitating with water.

The process can be carried out in less time than is required by the ordinary carbon-hydrogen combustion method, and the figures obtained both for nitrogen and carbon in a variety of organic compounds are in good agreement with theory. The presence of bromine in the molecule, even up to 80 per cent, has not been found to affect the accuracy of the results, hence this method appears to be of especial advantage in connection with organic substances containing both nitrogen and halogen.

197. "The Synthesis of Derivatives of Thioxanthone from Aromatic Disulphides." By EFFIE GWENDOLINE MARSDEN and SAMUEL SMILES. (Trans., 1911, 1353). The synthesis of thioxanthones may be accomplished by heating di-o-thiobenzoic acid or its derivatives with a suitable aromatic compound in presence of concentrated sulphuric acid, the interaction which takes place being summed up as follows:

(CO2H C6H4 S)2 + H2SO4 = 2CO2H C6H, S OH + SO2. CO2H C6H

S.OH+C6H4R2 = C6H4<S>C6H2R2+2H2O. The method may be modified by arranging that the carboxyl group is present in the simple aromatic compound instead of in the disulphide; thus on heating p-dithiodimethylaniline with -hydroxybenzoic acid and sulphuric acid, the corresponding thioxanthone is formed.

198. "Trialkylammonium Nitrites and Nitrites of the BY PANCHANAN NEOGI. (Trans., 1911, 1598). Bases of the Pyridine and Quinoline Series." Part II.

cator.

Picolinium nitrite is obtained, together with the nitrate, by concentrating an ice-cold solution in a vacuum desicthe solid condition. Quinolinium nitrite exists in solution, but not in tained in colourless plates. Pyridine methonitrite is a Piperidinium nitrite has been obreddish yellow liquid. Piperidine methonitrite crystallises crystals, and quinoline methonitrite dark red crystals. in colourless plates. Picoline methonitrite forms red

199. "The Density of Liquid Sucrose and of its Solutions in Water." By FREDERIK SCHWERS. (Trans., 1911, 1478).

By melting sucrose under paraffin the author has succeeded in determining the density of liquid sucrose at temperatures between -15° and 1150.

The densities of aqueous solutions of sucrose containing 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 per cent of sucrose have also

been determined.

200. "The Condensation of Crotonaldehyde." By IDA SMEDLEY. (Trans., 1911, 1627).

196. "A Method of Determining Carbon and Nitrogen in Organic Compounds." By EDWARD PERCY FRANKLAND. (Trans., 1911, 1783).

The Frankland-Armstrong vacuum combustion process (Fourn. Chem. Soc., 1868, xxi., 77) can be adapted for the estimation of carbon and nitrogen in organic compounds. The gases (carbon dioxide and nitrogen) evolved during the combustion of a known weight of substance, generally o'i grm. or less, are collected, and measured over mercury in a graduated vessel; the carbon dioxide is then absorbed with aqueous potassium hydroxide, and the residual nitrogen transferred to a narrower graduated tube and measured

Over water.

one crotonaldehyde molecule must therefore have reacted with the aldehyde group of a second molecule.

201. "Ionisation in Non-aqueous Solvents." Part I. By HARRY MEDFORTH DAWSON and MAY SYBIL LESLIE. (Trans., 1911, 1601).

Measurements of the electric conductivity of non-aqueous solutions of alkali metal iodides and the corresponding polyiodides have shown that, in general, the polyiodides are ionised to a greater extent than the simple iodides. In methyl and ethyl acetate solutions the observed conductivity differences are very large, and in the latter solvent the polyiodides of potassium conduct from twentyfive to fifty times as well as the simple iodide. Evidence has been obtained in favour of the formation of definite polyiodides in such solutions, and the conductivity differences must be ascribed to differences in the degree of ionisation of the dissolved electrolyte. The simple alkali iodides would appear to be abnormally weak electrolytes when dissolved in methyl and ethyl acetates.

apparently has the formula C9H1602.

high temperature with phthalic anhydride this compound yields a crystalline ester, from which, by hydrolysis, an alcohol of the formula C,H160 is obtained.

207. "Synthesis of Derivatives of Thioxanthone. Part III. 1:4-Dihydroxythioxanthone." By HANS THACHER CLARKE and SAMUEL SMILES. (Trans., 1911, 1535). When p-benzoquinone is allowed to react with o-thiolbenzoic acid, 2'-carboxy-2: 5-dihydroxydiphenyl sulphide is produced :

C6H4O2+HS C6H4•CO2H = C6H3(OH)2 ́S·C6H ̧·CO2H,

The solubility of crystalline cuprous oxide in solutions of ammonia of different concentrations has been determined at 25. It is found that for a certain range of ammonia concentrations the concentration of total copper is approximately proportional to the square root of the "free ammonia. From this result the conclusion is drawn that in these solutions the cuprous-ammonia hydroxide present is mainly of the type (Cu NH3)OH.

211. "The Acid Character of Gallotannic Acid." By

This substance and its salts are strongly coloured, but do not appear to be of practical value as dye-stuffs.

208. " Optically Active Derivatives of 1-Methylcyclohexylidene-4-acetic Acid." By WILLIAM HENRY PERKIN, jun., and WILLIAM JACKSON POPE. (Trans., 1911, 1510). The optical activity of d- and 1-1-methylcyclohexylidene4-acetic acid is due to the configuration of the molecule exhibiting a particular type of enantiomorphism unassociated with asymmetry of any particular atom present; the authors give the name 66 centroasymmetric to this type of enantiomorphism. They now describe the conversion of optically active centroasymmetric compounds into substances containing an asymmetric carbon atom, and also the reverse change; they show that the optical activity of the original substance is preserved during the change in either direction. The change from the one to the other type of enantiomorphous configuration is thus unaccom panied by optical inversion.

1819).

The authors have applied Bredig and Fraenkel's wethod to the determination of the hydrion concentration of gallotannic acid. This method is based on the dissociation of diazoacetic ester by the catalytical action of hydrions, the concentration of which determines the speed gallotannic acid, prepared by different and partly newof the development of nitrogen. Different samples of methods of purification, were used, and their acid character was found distinctly greater than could be explained by the presence of phenolic groups only, thus leading to the conclusion that free carboxylic groups are present. This confirms the views of Schiff and Nierenstein, but does not agree with those of Böttinger (Ber., 1884, xvii., 1503, Walden (Ber., 1898, xxxi., 3170), and Dekker (Ber., 1906, xxxix., 2497). The authors are of the opinion that even the purest gallotannic acid obtainable is no single substance, but a mixture of at least two components of allied character.

212. "Synthesis of Polypeptides of a-Amino-n-nonoic Acid with Glycine, Alanine, Valine, Leucine, Asparagine, and Aspartic Acid." By ARTHUR HOPWOOD and CHARLES WEIZMANN. (Trans., 1911, 1577).

As polypeptides of a-amino-n-nonoic acid with glycine and other amino-acids probably occur in the degradation products of the proteins contained in beetroot, the leaves of Pelargonium roseum, and other plants, the authors have prepared the following derivatives of a-amino-n-nonoic acid :

a-Bromo-n-nonoyl chloride, C8H16Br COCI, prepared by heating a-bromo-n-nonoic acid with phosphorus pentachloride, is a colourless liquid boiling at 108-110°/9 mm. When condensed with glycine in the presence of sodium hydroxide it gives a bromo-n-nonoylglycine, C8H16Br CO NH·CH2·CÔ2H, which forms a mixture of colourless rhombic plates and rhombic prisms, melting at 1155-117. The crystals are only sparingly soluble in cold water or benzene, but readily so in alcohol, ether, or alkalis.

a-Amino-n-nonoylglycine,—

NH2 CsH:6'CO NHÍCH, CO,H,

centrated aqueous ammonia. It forms a mixture of colourless monoclinic needles and rhombic plates, which sinters at 2050, and melts and decomposes at 215-216. It is fairly soluble in water, almost insoluble in alcohol or benzene, but readily soluble in alkalis or mineral acids. Like the proteins, it yields a white amorphous precipitate with phosphotungstic acid, but unlike the corresponding dipeptide, a-aminolaurylglycine, it is not hydrolysed by enzymes or bacteria.

by the amino-group through the action of ammonia.