The  salts  of  kinic  acid  are  somewhat  anomalous.  Thus  there  is
a  salt  of  lead,  C?  H*  0*  2  Pb  0,  and  a  salt  of  copper,  Cr  H*  0* ,
Cu  0,  H  0,  while  the  crystals  of  kinic  acid  are  €7  He  Oe .  All
this  woiild  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  the  acid  was  a  bibasic  one,
C?  IU  0* ,  2  H  0.  But  the  kinate  of  lime,  and  the  kinate  of
silver,  both  quite  neutral  salts,  are  Ci*  Hn  On,  Ca  0,  and  Ci*  Hn
On  ,  Ag  0,  as  if  the  acid  were  monobasic,  Ci*  Hn  On,  H  0  =
Ci*  Hi2  Oi2.  If  we  assume  the  acid  to  be  quadribasic,  we  can  then
bring  all  the  above  salts  into  one  series.
Thus,— Kinic  acid  would  be          .         ,     Cu  Hs  Os,  4  H  0
Kinate  of  lead    .         .         »     .     Ci*  Hs  08,  4  Pb  0

Kinate  of  copper     .         .         .     Cu  Ha'  08  j  \


Kinate  of  lime    .         .         .     .     Ci*  Ha  Oa  { 3^9  +  10  aq.
Kinate  of  silver       .  .     Ci*  Ha  Oa  { ^fr0n

l_  6  xl  U.
But  the  objection  to  this  view  is  that,  if  this  be  the  true  consti-
tution of  the  acid,  the  salts  of  lime  and  silver  ought  to  be  very
acid,  instead  of  being  quite  neutral.
According  to  Gerhardt,  kinic  acid  is  Cz8  Eko  020,  2  H  0,  and  is
bibasic.  There  are  reasons  which  render  this  formula  probable,
but  the  subject  requires  investigation.
PBODVCTS   OF   THE   DECOMPOSITION   OF   KINIC   ACID.
