A Manual of the Chemistry of the Carbon Compounds

236 THE 0HEMI8TRY OF
It crystallizes in shining prisms, melting at 148°, and is readily
soluble in boiling water, but only sparingly in cold water.
When one molecule of adipic acid is heated with two molecules of
bromine to 160°, monobromadipic add C^H^BrO- is formed, which by
the action of caustic potash is transformed into adipomalie add
C,Hj(OH)(CO.OH)2, a body resembling malic acid. By heating
adipic acid with four molecules of bromine, dibromadipie add is produced,
a very unstable compound, which, when heated with water to
150°, yields adijpotarttmc add 0,He(OH)fl(CO.0H)2> crystallizing in
thin monoclinic plates. It resembles tartaric acid, forming aa acid
potassium salt, which is but sparingly soluble in water.
Dimcthylswcinic Add C6HJ0O4 has been obtained by the action
of silver-dust on a bromopropionic acid :—
OO.OH Cff8 OO.OH
CHBr
CH^CO.OH
+ Aga Ag2 =
YH.
I |
OH,
+ 2AgBr
On evaporating its solution it is left behind as a colourless syrupy
liquid.
Pimelia Add CyB^O^.—TheTe are some doubts whether this acid
exists among the oxidation-products of fats, but it has been obtained
by fusing camphoric acid CoH14(COjH)3 with caustic potash. It is
crystalline, and melts at 114.
Suberic Acid C8HMO4 was first obtained by oxidizing cork with
nitric acid. It can be easily obtained in quantity by boiling castoroil
with nitric acid, fusing the resulting solid mass, and exhausting
it with cold ether, in which suberic acid is scarcely soluble. It crystallizes
from a boiling aqueous solution in long needles or plates,
melting at 140°. When heated with caustic baryta it yields liexane,
besides other products :—
By the same reactions by which sucoinio acid is converted into
malic acid and tertario acid, suberic aoid has been transformed
into suhcromalic add C6HU(OH)(CO.OH)S and snberotartaric add
C8H10(OH)g(0O.OH), which are both very soluble in water, and do
not crystallize.
Axelaic Add CLHKA is formed, together with suberic acid, by
oxidizing castor-oil. It is readily soluble in cold ether, sparingly in
cold water, and more freely in boiling water. It oiystallizea in large,
thin, shining plates or needles, melting at 106°. On heating with
caustic baryta it yields hptane CjB.w
Sebadc Add C10H1804 is obtained, together with metbyl-hexyl