Oxide of methyl, like oxide of ethyl, combines with acids to form a class of ethereal salts, much resembling those described under ETHYL.
They are also, for the most part, prepared in the same way. 'rho following are the formula of a few of the principal ones : details con cerning them will be found in the articles on the respective acids, under the name of methylie deriratires of the acid:— Butyrate of methyl has an odour resembling that of the rennet apple. Oxalate of methyl is solid at ordinary temperatures. Salicylate of methyl is identical with oil of wintergreen. [EssENTIAL 01LS.] Chlorine derivatives of oxide of methyl. Chlorine sets upon methylie ether, and successively removes and replaced one, two, and three equi valents of hydrogen ; mono-, bi-, sad per-chlorinated bodies being formed (C,11.01,0 : C,I1C1„0 : C,C1,,0).
Hydrated oxide of methyl (C,11,0,1I0). D!etlatlic alcohol ; Wood spirit ; Pyroxylie spirit. This liquid is n strict homologue of vinic alcohol. Its source is the aqueousportion of the volatile products of the destructive distillation of wood. [CHARCOAL ; ACY:TIO Am.] After rectification from lime it in sent into commerce under the name of wood naphtha. The latter liquid, however, In addition to inethylic alcohol, contains acetate of methyl and some oily hydrocarbons. To purify it from the acetate it is rectified from caustio soda, and the dis tillate having been digested with chloride of calcium (which combines with the rnethylic alcohol and forms n non-volatile salt), the hydro carbons aro got rid of by a second distillation, at a heat of 212°; water being now added to the salt, decomposition takes place, and the aqueous methylie alcohol separated by distillation is finally obtained pure and anhydrous on being re-rectified from lime.
Hydrate of methyl is a colourless liquid, of specific gravity at 60' Fehr. It Hs an unpleasant burniug taste, and an empyreumatic odour. When absolutely pure, however, its odour is rather agreeable than otherwise. It in readily soluble in writer, alcohol, or ether. It burns with a pale flame, resembling that of alcohol. Its boiling point in 142' Fahr. When pure It gives no cloudiness on mixing with water, nor does it give a black precipitate of metallic mercury when added to a solution of mercurous nitrate. It dissolves the solid alkalies, but is linmedistely coloured brown by them, a reaction that distinguishes it from ethylic alcohol, which is not so coloured until after the lapse of considerable timo.
The chief use of crude woodepirit In the arts is for dissolving shellac, and other resins, the solutions thus formed being largely used in I IAT MANUFACTURE. For tide rind other purposes, however, no spirit in now commonly used ; it is a mixture of spirit of wino of fifty per cent. over-proof, with one-ninth of its bulk of woodepirit The strength of wood.spirit may be conveniently estimated by a hydrometer. The annexed table, by Deville, shows what per-centagc of anhydrous methylic alcohol is contained in woodspirit of given specific gravity, at a temperature of 48'2° Fahr.:— Heated with potash-lime, methylic alcohol is converted into formiate of potash, with disengagement of hydrogen. Oxidising agents also give formic acid, and sometimes an intermediate body resembling an aldehyde. Malaguti calls this body methylal (C,1-1.0„), and shows that the formo-methylal of 31. Dumas is a mixture of methylal and formiate of methyl. When potassium is added to methylic alcohol, hydrogen is evolved, and tnethylate of potash corresponding to the ethylate of the same base, is formed.
Sulphides of methyl. la composition, properties, and mode of for mation, these bodies closely resemble the corresponding ETHYL com• pounds. Methyl-mercaptan (C,11,S,HS) boils at Fahr.; sulphide of methyl (C,H,S,C,H,S) at • and bisulphide of methyl (C,H,S,, C,F1„8,) at about 242°. There also appears to exist a tersulphide of methyl (C,H,S,C,H,S).
Chloride of methyl (0,11,C1).—This is produced from wood spirit in the same way tliat chloride of ethyl is obtained from spirit of wine. At ordinary temperature it is a colourless gas, of ethereal odour and sweet taste, specific gravity 1136. When cooled to-33° Fahr., it condenses to a liquid, the boiling point of which is about —6° Fahr. By the prolonged action of a dilute solution of potash upon chloride of methyl BertholIct has obtained methylic alcohol, and as chloride of methyl results from the action of chlorine on hydride of methyl, and hydride of methyl may be directly obtained from its elements, it follows that wood spirit, like most of the other alcohols, may be produced artificially.