I. Note on the synthesis of formic aldehyde

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 1874
• Subjects: Carbonic acid
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspl.1873.0023; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspl.1873.0023

In a former note I communicated to the Society the result of an experiment in which a mixture of equal (or nearly equal) volumes of hydrogen and carbonic oxide had been submitted, in the induction-tube, to the electric action. My expectation in making the experiment had been that the synthesis of formic aldehyde would be thus effected according to the equation CO + H 2 = COH 2 . The only permanent gas, however, other than the gases originally present in the induction-tube, which appeared in the result of the experiment was marsh-gas. When a mixture of hydrogen and carbonic acid gas was similarly operated upon, the same hydrocarbon, together with carbonic oxide, was formed. I have now, however, succeeded, by a modification in the conditions of the latter experiment, in attaining the object which I originally had in view. Evidence of this is afforded by the following analysis:- The gas analyzed was the result of submitting to the electric action about equal a volumes of hydrogen and carbonic acid. After removal from the gas of carbonic acid and carbonic oxide, and also of a trace of oxygen, 191.2 volumes of gas remained, in which were found, at the conclusion of the analysis, 2.6 volumes of nitrogen. Deducting this amount of nitrogen, 188.6 volumes of gas remain, containing the residual hydrogen in the gas, together with any gases besides carbonic oxide formed in the experiment. This gas was analyzed by the addition of oxygen and subsequent detonation by the electric spark, the absorption of the carbonic acid by potash, and the removal of the oxygen over by pyrogallate of potash. The results of the analysis entirely concur with the assumption that the 188.6 volumes of gas were constituted of hydrogen, marsh-gas, and formic aldehyde in the proportions given below:— Hydrogen ....................................... 183.2 Marsh-gas ....................................... 0.2 Formic aldehyde............................... 5.2 188.6 The composition of 100 volumes of the gas being, Hydrogen ...