The method of electrolytic synthesis of dibasic acids described by Crum Brown and Walker has hitherto been found to be applicable to dibasic acids of the formula CnH2n (COOH)2 whether normal or with side chains, and to camphoric acid, which is no doubt a saturated cyclic compound. In all other cases which have been tried the anion is oxidised and broken up.

One of us long ago found that this was the case with tartaric acid, and in 1894 v. Miller and Hofer showed that when the salts of monobasic hydroxy-acids are electrolysed the anion is oxidised and broken up. They showed that this is the case also with methoxyacetic acid, so that it would appear that the replacement of H by ORʹ, where Rʹ is an alkyl, leads to the same destruction of the anion as does the replacement of H by OH. We examined ethoxysuccinic acid, and found that here also no ethereal layer is formed on the electrolysis of the ethyl potassium salt.