C.Mellisic Acid and Derivatives.

The melting-point of melissic acid obtained from montan wax was shown in Part I to be 88°5°. Schwalb^* and Brodie^‡ also give the melting-point of melissic acid prepared from beeswax as 88°5°. On account of the difficulty in obtaining melissic acid, only three derivatives could be prepared.

Melissone.—This ketone^‡ was prepared from melissic acid obtained from both beeswax and montan wax. 0°5 grams melissic acid obtained from beeswax, and melting at 88°5°, was kindly placed at my disposal from laboratory stock.

Melissone was prepared in a similar way to cerotone and montanone. The ketone, after repeated crystallization, melted at 99°5–100°, and the melting-point was not changed by further crystallization. Melissone is a white solid, insoluble in the usual solvents, slightly soluble in hot ethyl acetate, and fairly soluble in amyl alcohol.

A 40-per-cent. yield was obtained by this method of preparation.

Melissone Oxime.—The small quantity of ketone remaining from the preceding preparation was utilized for the preparation of the oxime by a similar method to that employed in the case of cerotone and montanone oximes.

The oxime, after repeated crystallization from ethyl acetate, melted at 84°. The sample was too small for analysis.

Melissanilide.—This compound was prepared from melissic acid, derived from montan wax, in a similar way to the anilides of cerotic and montanic acids. The anilide, after crystallization from acetic acid and ethyl acetate, melted at 103°, and the melting-point was unchanged by further crystallization.

Melissanilide is a white compound easily soluble in ethyl acetate and motor spirit, and fairly soluble in alcohol.