Abstract
Annalen der Chemieund Pharmacies, December 1871. A considerable part of this number is occupied by a valuable paper “On valeric acids from different sources,”by Erlenmeyer and Hell. They prepared isobutyl iodic acid, and from this the corresponding iodide, which they treated with alcoholic potash to convert it into potassic valerate; the valeric acid from these reactions had no action on polarised light. They prepared valeric acid from valerian root, and this also had no rotating action on a polarised ray. A series of experiments was made on the valeric acids obtained from active and inactive amylic alcohols, and also on the acid obtained from leucin; this latter is found to rotate a ray of polarised light to the right, but not to so great an extent as the acid which is obtained from the left-handed amylic alcohol. The acids from isobutyl cyan'de, from valerian root, and from inactive amylic alcohol, show very great similarity; whilst the acids from the active alcohol and from leucin agree in most of their properties. The valeric acid made from inactive amylic alcohol is almost certainly isopropacetic acid, and that from the active alcohol is probably methethacetic acid, although the authors consider that the latter acid might possibly be a molecular compound of two isomeric acids, such as isobutylformic and methethacetic acids. Besides this communication, there are several important physiologico-chemical papers, together with translations of two others from foreign periodicals.
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Scientific Serials . Nature 5, 472–473 (1872). https://doi.org/10.1038/005472a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/005472a0