Use of mercuric acetate in organic preparations. Part II. Some experiments on its use as an oxidising agent

Abstract

Experiments have been conducted with a view to test if the progress of oxidation by mercuric acetate could be followed by weighing the amount of mercurous acetate precipitated from time to time. This procedure has been found to be not feasible since complications set in owing to the solvent also undergoing oxidation induced by the presence of other substances. It has been found that most compounds containing -CHOH group produce mercurous acetate in methyl alcoholic solution and the oxidation products could be identified. Convenient methods for the preparation of benzil, quinhydrone, quinone and mercurous acetate in a pure condition in the laboratory are described.