By PIETER VAN ROM~URGH and GEORGE BARGER. WHILE working in the Botanic Gardens at Buitenzorg, in Java, the late Dr. M. Greshoff (Mededeelingen uit 's Lands Plantentuin, 1890, 7, 29) discovered a crystalline base in the seeds of Erythrina Hypaphorzls, Boerl., a tree grown for the sake of it9 shade in the coffee plantations of Emtern Java. The base occurs in the seeds to the extent of about 3 per cent., and to thia " alkaloid," for which the name " hypaphorine " was suggested, the formula CI4H,,O2N, waa amigned in the "Index Phytochemicus," a list of plant substances published in 1905 by Ritsema and Sack, under the auspices of the Colonial Museum at Haarlem. In 1891, while still at Buitenzorg, one of us (P. v. R.), at Dr. Greshoff's request, had already joined him in the investigation of the constitution of the new base, and deduced the formula Cl,H180,N, for it, and had further, after Dr. Greshoff's return to Holland in 1892, shown that on heating with aqueous potassium hydroxide it yielded trimethylamine and indole. The work, subsequently interrupted for many years, wa8 resumed after Dr. Greshoff's death. The resulb already referred to suggested that and its Identity with the Alkaloid Hypaphorine.

The investigation of this essential oil showed that it contains 2decene-La1 l ) as its principal ccmstituent. Further 2-octene-1-a1 was encountered in the lower boiling fractions, as well as a small amount of a laevorotatory terpene boiling at 165" and finally some acids, probably already partially produced by the oxidation o f the aldehydes in air in the steam distillation and further on storage in incompletely filled or incompletely closed bottles.2dodecene-1-a1 was detected in the highest boiling fraction.Many years ago after one of my visits to Java, I received through the kindness of Mr. H. L. W e 1 t e r, then Chief of the Division of Industry, Government Department of Agriculture and Commerce at Buitenzorg, a quantity of the essential oil from the leaves, the stems and the rhizomes of A c h a s m a W a 1 a n g V a 1. The unpleasant smell of these oils strongly recalls that of "Walang sangit" (Leptocorisa uaricornis), a bug which lives on rice plants in Java.According to d e J o n g 2 ) these oils, which show a weak laevo-

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The introduction of an acetyl group into the benzene n'ucleus of atniline by heating the latter with acetic anhydride and zinc chloride takes place v e q e d y . With mano-and b a t h y l n i b , howleyer, the method is not a success.Some years ago, while working in this laboratory, Mr. Hoejenbos, chem. docts., treated 3 : 6-dinitrodiethylaniline, mp. 7 6 O , in the same mamar, and alrtaimdi a beautifully a r y s t a b p&ct (ntp. 1 2 7 O ) , with the study of which, however, he could, not pmceed.Some time ago we agoin took up the investigation of this substance and at the same time studied the action of acetic anhydride and zinc chloride on other nitro-derivatives of didkyladlines.It was found, that not only the nitro-compound, mentioned above, but also 2 : 4-dinitrodiethylaniline, as well as 3 : 6and 2 : 4-dinitroand 3 : 4 : 6-t~iniltro-dim~ebhylaniline gave easily crystallisabk reaction products.The analyses of all these compounds, which were obtained as principal products in the reaction, indicated that only one acetyl group had been introduced into the molecule, and that at the same time one mol of waiter had been: removed.We thought at first that @he entering acetyl group had replaced one atom of hydrogen in the benzene nucleus, but we had to give up this opinion, because a prolonged investigation proved that this acetyl group could easily be diminated by heating with 10 $% caustic potash solution, and could (easily be reintroduced into some of the compounds, which rn bnrger containled an aueityl! group. Tb d m of potash did not produce amines, as i s the case with the unsubstituted nitro-products.The analyses of the deacetylated c o m p o d s pointed to substances, which had been formed from the original substance by the removal of the elemmnibs of a m mol. of water.'The question to be solved was: what groups in the molecule had taken p r t in rhe fiormation of water. It was obvious to assume that