A NOTE OK SOME PROPERTI ES OF BENZALDEHYDE

BY JAMES R. POUND
It is of course well known that benzaldehyde oxidises rapidly in the air
and that finally crystals of benzoic acid separate. Many conditions of this
action have been studied recently,-see, for example, abstracts of papers by
0. M. Reiff and by M. Brunner (1927); and we have also observed that
oxidation occurs chiefly at the free surface of the liquid and on the surface of
the containing vessel above the liquid, and also that solutions containing
appreciable benzoic acid oxidise less readily than the pure benzaldehyde.
We have determined some properties of benzaldehyde and simultaneously
the benzoic acid content of the samples.
Commercial benzaldehyde was dried over calcium chloride, with which
i t possibly forms an unstable compound, and was then distilled in a stream
of carbon dioxide; the B. P. (corr.) was 179"-181~; and the product contained
some benzoic acid. Some of the distillate was washed with bicarbonate of
soda solution, dried over calcium chloride, and filtered off through a filter-
plate. Some of the solutions with benzoic acid were made up synthetically
and others obtained by oxidation from the original benzaldehyde. The per-
centage of benzoic acid was determined by titration by carbonate-free caustic
soda, using phenol-phthalein as indicator, in alcoholic or aqueous solution.
The densities and viscosities at 30' and the refractive index at 20' were found
in the usual manner. Typical results are given in the table in C.G.S units.
The density-concentration curve is linear and indicates that D3$ for
the pure benzaldehyde is 1.0365. The densities of solutions containing xY0
weight of benzoic acid are,-
D3$ = 1.0365 + o.oorzj.x,
and D'$ = 1.0567 + 0.00113.x
The viscosity-concentration is slightly convex to the concentration-axis
and indicates that q300 for the pure benzaldehyde is 0.01296.
The refractive index of benzaldehyde varies little as benzoic acid is dis-
solved in i t; probably qzgo for pure benzaldehyde is 1.5460, decreases linearly
with increasing concentration of benzoic acid, and the qzgo for the solution
containing 1 4 7 ~ acid is 1.5456; however our refractometer only gives n
within =~O.OOOI .
At 7' the solution of benzaldehyde saturated with benzoic acid contains
1 2 . 8 5 7 ~ acid, and at 13Osuch contains 14.0% acid.
SOME PROPERTIES OF BENZALDEHYDE
1497
TABLE I
Properties of Solutions of Benzoic Acid
in Benzaldehyde
%wt. ~ 3 0 ' ,,30' 2 00
Benzoic acid 40 D
0.23* 1.0371 .OI309 I . 5460
-
5 . so* 1,04375 .01449
1.10 1.0379 .or316 1.5457
8.60 I .0470 . OI j I 2 -
13.0 I . 052s .01642 1.5459
,01674 -
14.01 I . 05385
Note * These samples were frombenzsldehyde1after lJaHCOs treatment.
The School of Mi nes .
Ballarat, Australia.