It has been shown that benzaldehyde may replace acetone in the Ott synthesis of β-lactonic acids from malonic acid. Salicylic aldehyde does not thus lead to the formation of a tetracyclic β lactonic acid, but to the more stable, hexacyclic o-lactonic derivative, carboxycoumarin. On the other hand, cinnamic aldehyde reacts with malonic acid by the Meldrum method to form cinnamalmalonic acid, which partially condenses, at the carboxyl groups, with the aldehyde to give the corresponding acetal derivative. The thermal and chemical properties of β-lactonic acids and their alkali salts have been further examined, and it has been shown that all the compounds are cleaved by heat, and by alkali, through the first-formed β-hydroxy malonates, by rupture at the α,β-carbon linkage. The contradicting statements of Khandiah, and assumption of Salkowskis have been disproved. Delphinium occidentale S. Wats contains 0.98% of alkaloids, the largest proportion of which is a new alkaloid, deltaline, isomeric but not identical with delcosine isolated from D. consolida by Markwood.