13 TI.-% the Action of Carbodc Oxide on SodiumethyZ. By J. ALFRED WANKLYN. WHENthe compound containing sodium-ethyl and zinc-ethyl which I have described on a former occasion,* is placed in contact with carbonic oxide it becomes black. The darkening takes place slowly at ordinary temperatures but very quickly almost instan- taneously at temperatures approaching 100"C. The black deposit is not carbonaceous for it dissolves in hydro- chloric acid. It is metallic consisting of metallic zinc and most probably also of metallic sodium. Absorption of the gas and formation of an oily product accompany this deposit of metal. The moat convenient way of exhibiting the oil is to wash out with water the vessel in which the experiment has been performed and then to distil the wash-water.The oil distils over with the first portions of the distillate. In one experiment nearly 2grm. of oil were yielded by 1 grm. of sodium employed in the state of sodium-ethyl. The oil waa dried and rectified. The greater portion boiled at about 105"C. and gave the fol-lowing result on analysis :-I. 02076grm. gave *5218CO and 02800grm. H,O. In another experiment a quantity of oil having about the same boiling point waa obtained. 11. *lo29grm. gave *2597grm.CO, and ,1155grm.H,O. The numbers approximate to those required by a compound containing one atom of carbonic oxide and two atoms of ethyl co('gH5) 2' Celcniated. Found. C5 F 60 69-77 I. 68.55 11. 68.83 HI,0 10 16 - 11.63 18.60- 12.31 19@14 12.47 18-70- 86 100*00 100*00 100*00 Am.Ch. Pharm. (1868) cviii. 67. 14 WANKLYN ON THE ACTION OF CARBONIC OXIDE ETC. These details leave no doubt of the reaction which takes place between carbonic oxide afid the compound containing sodium- ethyl. We have :-(1) Disappearance of carbonic oxide. (2)Precipitation of metal. (3) Formation of an oil of pretty constant boiling-point and commensurate in quantity with tte sodium-ethyl taken and ap- proximating sufficiently in composition to CO(C,H,),. h~termore the wash-water from which the oil distilled over was ljtrongly alkaline. The reacliofi may therefore be repre-sented by the equation :-CO -t 2NaC2H5= Na2 + CO(C,H&. An experiment showed that zinc-ethyl alone is not attacked by carbonic oxide.The precipitation of zinc is obviously a secondary action. Sodium on being set free would instantly attack the zinc-ethyl liberating zinc and forming fresh sodium-ethyl. The oil CO(C,H,), is probably identical with yropione (ethyl- prupionyl). I am at present engaged in preparing a quantity suflEicient to admit of purification and of an examination of its physical properties and reactions. Among the latter I propose to study its oxidation products and to inquire whether it is capable of uniting with hydrogen so as to form a pseudo-amylic alcohol. It may be remarked that it is by no means impossible that on adding water to the black mass containing finely divided metal saturated with the oil CO(C,H,) addition of hydrogen may have taken place and indeed both the boiling point of the oil and the analyses point in this direction. Propione boils at 101"C. Amylene-hydrate boils at 108"C. ; whilst our oil boiled at 105OC. The analytical numbers given by the oil are also intermediate between those required bp pro- pione and amylene-hydrate.