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ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS 

EIGHTH  INTERNATIONAL 

CONGRESS 
OF  APPLIED  CHEMISTRY 


Washington  and  New  York 
September  4  to  13,  1912 

SECTION  VIIIc:     BROMATOLOGY 


VOL.  XVIII. 


ORIGINAL   COMMUNICATIONS 
EIGHTH  INTERNATIONAL 

CONGRESS 
OF  APPLIED  CHEMISTRY 


Washington  and  New  York 
September  4  to  13,  1912 

SECTION  Vnic:     BROMATOLOGY 


VOL.  xvni. 


The  matter  contained  in  this  volume  is  printed  in  exact  accordance  with  the  manuscript 
submitted,  as  provided  for  in  the  rules  governing  papers  and  publioations. 

La  mati&re  de  ce  volume  a  £t6  ImprimSe  strlctement  d'accord  avec  le  manuscrit  foumi  et 
les  Fugles  gouvernant  tous  les  documents  et  publications. 

Die  in  diesem  Heft  enthaltenen  Beitr^e  sind  genau  in  Ubereinstimmung  mit  den  una 
unterbreiteten  Manuskripten  gedruckt,  in  Gem^ssheit  der  fuir  Beitr&ge  und  Verlagsartikel 
geltenden  Bestimmungett. 

La  materia  dl  questo  volume  e  stampata  in  accordo  al  manosoritto  presentato  ed  in  base 
alle  regole  que  governano  i  documenti  e  le  publicazioni. 


THE     RUM  FORD     PRESS 
CONCORD-N-H-U'S'A- 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS 

TO  THE 

EIGHTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONGRESS 

OF 

APPLIED   CHEMISTRY 


APPROVED 

BY  THE 

COMMITTEE  ON  PAPERS  AND  PUBLICATIONS 

IRVING  W.  FAY,  Chairman 

T.  LYNTON  BRIGGS  JOHN  C.  OLSEN 

F.  W.  FRERICHS  JOSEPH  W.  RICHARDS 

A.  C.  LANGMUIR  E.  F.  ROEBER 

A.  F.  SEEKER 


SECTION  VIIIc.    BROMATOLOGY. 


Executive  Committee. 

President:  W.  D.  Bigelow,  Ph.D. 

Vice-President:    A.     L.     Winton,  Ph.D. 

Secretary:  H.  A.  Baker,  B.A. 

Paul  Rudnick 

Chas.  D.  Woods,  Sc.D. 


Sectional  Committee. 


Charles  S.  Ash 

E.  H.  S.  Bailey,  Ph.D. 
H.  E.  Barnard,  B.S. 

F.  W.  Bedford,  M.S. 
Lucius  P.  Brown 

R.   E.   DOOLITTLE,   B.S. 

Richard  Fischer,  Ph.D. 
Elton  Fulmee,  M.A. 
H.  S.  Grindley,  Sc.D. 
Rudolph  Hirsch,  B.Sc. 
M.  E.  Jaffa,  M.S. 


C.  Langley 

C.  F.  Langworthy,  Ph.D. 
H.  M.  LooMis,  B.S. 
William  McPherson,   D.Sc, 

Ph.D. 
G.  F.  Mason,  M.S. 
L.  H.  Merrill,  Sc.D. 
Andrew  S.  Mitchell,  Ph.C. 
Harry  Snyder,  B.S. 
John  Phillips  Street,  M.S. 
A.  G.  Woodman,  B.S. 


and  the  Sectional  Executive  Committee. 


VOLUME    XVIII 
SECTION   VIIIc:  BROMATOLOGY 

CONTENTS 

Abb,  Goro  (see  Takahashi,  T.)  ?*"= 

AsBj  Charles  S. 

The  Relation  of  the  Chemist  to  the  Wine  Industry 9 

Ash,  Charles  S. 

Interpretation  of  the  Results  of  Wine  Analysis 17 

Baker,  H.  A. 

Experiments  on  Feeding  Guinea  Pigs  "Salts  of  Tin"  in  Measured 
Quantities  for  Several  Week» 31 

Baker,  H.  A. 

Special  Adaptation  of  Iodine  Titration  Methods  for  the  Estimation 
of  Tin,  Especially  in  Connection  with  Determinations  of  "Salts 
of  Tin"  in  Canned  Foods 35 

Baker,  H.  A. 

"Springers"  in  Canned  Foods — Causes  and  Prevention 39 

Baker,  H.  A. 

Apparatus  for  Quantitative  Extraction  of  the  Gases  in  Canned 
Food  Containers 43 

Baker,  H.  A. 

The  Disappearance  of  Oxygen  in  Canned  Food  Containers 45 

Bartlett,  J.  M. 

Eggs  Preserved  with  Silicate  of  Soda 51 

Bioelow,  W.  D. 

Some  of  the  Results  of  the  Food  and  Drugs  Act 57 

V 


VI 


Contents  [vol. 


BOEDAS,  M.  LB  De.  p^™ 

Sur  I' analyse  du  Phosphore  dans  Us  Cendres  du  Lait 65 

BORDAS,  M.  LE  Dr. 

L'AcidiU  originelle  du  Lait 67 

BOEDAS,  M.  LE  Dr. 

De  V  action  du  Lait  sur  certains  rSactifs 69 

CtrsHMAN,  Allekton  S.  and  Fuller,  H.  C. 

A  Chemical  Investigation  of  Asiatic  Bice 73 

De'  Conno,  Prof.  Dr.  E. 

Sidla  Maturazione  Del  Formaggio  Pecorino 83 

DUNNINGTON,   F.   P. 

The  Grinding  of  Corn-Meal  for  Bread 119 

Frear,  William 

Food  Standards,  Their  Nature,  History  and  Functions 129 

Fuller,  H.  C.  (see  Cushman,  Allebton  S.) 

GooDNOw,  E.  H.  (see  Tolman,  L.  M.) 

Hanson,  H.  H. 

The  Packing  of  American  Sardines 131 

Hebeet,  M.  Alexandee 

Etude  chimique  des  fruits  de  Sorindeia  Oleosa 139 

Hebeet,  M.  Alexandre 

Sur  la  Composition  de  Divers  Produits,  Oraines  ou  Tubercules  Amy- 
lads  ou  Ficulents  de  I'Afrique  Occidentale  Frangaise 143 

Ikeda,  Kikunae 

On  the  Taste  of  the  Salt  of  Olutamic  Add 147 

Langwostht,  C.  F. 

Progress  Report  of  Nutrition  Investigations  in  the  United  States     149 

Langwortht,  C.  F.  and  Milner,  R.  D. 

An  Improved  Form  of  Respiration  Calorimeter  for  the  Study  of 
Problems  of  Vegetable  Physiology 229 

LiNDET,   M.  L. 

Sur  le  Role  Antiseptique  du  Sel  Marin  et  du  Sucre  dans  les  Conserves 
Alimentaires 237 


xviii]  Contents  vii 

LooMis,  H.  M.  Paoh 

Salmon  Canning  Induatry  of  North  America 239 

LouHiE,  H.  L. 

Proposed  Method  for  the  Estimation  of  Tin  in  Canned  Foods . . .     247 

MiLNER,  R.  D.  (see  Langwoetht,  C.  F.) 

MUBAMATSU,    S. 

On  the  Preparation  of  "Natto" 251 

Odake,  S.  (see  Suzuki,  U.) 

Okttda,  Y. 

Contribution  to  the  Chemistry  of  the  Ripening  of  "Shiokara" 265 

Okuda,  Y. 

Quantitative  Determination  of  Creatine,  Creatinine  and  Mono- 
amino-adds  in  some  Fishes,  Mollusca  and  Crustacea 275 

Olson,  Geo.  A. 

The  Effect  of  Modifying  the  Gluten  Surrounding  of  Flour 283 

Read,  E.  Alberta 

A  Method  for  the  Detection  of  Color  in  Tea 301 

Robin,  M.  Lucien 

Recherche  de  Petites  QuantitSs  de  Graisse  de  coco  dans  le  Beurre  de 
V&che 305 

RuDNiCK,  Paul 

The  Chemist  in  the  Service  of  the  Packing  House 309 

Sawamura,  S. 

An  Investigation  on  the  Manufacture  of  Tea 313 

Snyder,  Harry 

Wheat  Flour.    A  Monograph 323 

Stewart,  A.  W. 

On  Some  Dried  Milks  and  Patent  Foods 329 

Suzuki,  U. 

Uber  die  Chemische  Zusammensetzung  des  "Salzbreies"  von  Bonito 
{"Shiokara") 339 

Takahashi,  T.  and  Abe,  Goro 

On  the  Chemical  Composition  of  "Saki" 349 


viii  Contents  [vol. 

TOLMAN,    L.    M.   AND    GOODNOW,   E.   H.  P-^™ 

A  Study  of  the  Composition  of  Cider  Vinegar  Made  by  the  Generor- 
tor  Process 359 

WiNTON,  A.  L. 

The   Microscopical  Examination   of   Vegetable   Products   as   an 
Adjunct  to  Their  Chemical  Analysis 361 

YoNETAMA,  C.  (see  Suzuki,  U.) 


THE   RELATION   OF   THE   CHEMIST   TO   THE   WINE 

INDUSTRY 

Charles  S.  Ash 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 

I  think  that  I  am  correct  when  I  state  that  there  are  few,  if 
any,  industries  where  it  is  so  difficult  for  the  chemist  to  prove 
his  necessity  as  in  the  manufacture  of  wine.  This  is  due  to  the 
following  facts: 

The  most  common  difficulty  is  that  people  connected  with  the 
wine  industry  have  absolutely  no  idea  of  chemical  science  and 
cannot  see  any  use  for  the  chemist  in  their  business. 

The  wine  industry  is  not  what  we  would  call  a  true  manu- 
facturing industry,  as  for  example,  the  sugar  industry;  therefore, 
the  chemist  has  no  value  in  a  mathematical  capacity.  He  does 
not  trace  out  losses  in  manufacture  as  does  the  sugar  chemist. 
It  is  apparent  to  any  business  man  that  if  there  are  10,000  lbs. 
of  raw  sugar  put  into  a  refinery  in  a  day  and  if  9,500  lbs.  are 
recovered  in  the  refined  product  that  he  has  a  loss  of  5  per  cent. 
The  chemist  here  is  of  value  to  him  to  ascertain  definitely  the 
loss  of  manufacture,  to  help  him  minimize  that  loss,  trace  up 
leaks,  improve  processes  of  refining  and  many  other  incidentals, 
which  has  made  the  sugar  chemist  renowned  throughout  the 
world.  This  example  holds  good  in  any  manufacturing  process 
where  the  raw  material  is  converted  into  a  finished  article.  Even 
in  the  kindred  industry  of  grain  distillation,  we  have  the  obvious 
necessity  for  the  chemist;  for  it  is  a  self-evident  fact  to  the  dis- 
tiller that  the  man,  who  can  increase  the  jaeld  of  alcohol  from 
a  given  weight  of  cereal,  is  of  value  to  him.  In  the  yeast  industry 
(another  kindred  industry)  this  example  holds  good.  In 
fact  an  instance  has  come  to  my  knowledge  where  a  chemist 
has  increased  the  yield  of  yeast  for  his  employers  over  30  per 
cent.  All  of  these  things  mean  profit  to  the  merchant  and 
profit  is  "Raison  d'etre"  of  all  enterprise.  In  other  manufac- 
turing industries,  the  chemist  has  proved  his  value  by  making 
2  9 


10  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

immense  fortunes  in  by-products.  In  a  strictly  chemical  line, 
as  in  the  manufacture  of  chemicals,  as  well  as  in  the  manufacture 
of  dyes  and  colors,  the  whole  industry  is  absolutely  dependent 
upon  chemical  laws  hidden  or  obvious.  The  innumerable  new 
dyes  and  colorings  are  the  product  of  brains  alone  and  would 
never  have  seen  the  light  of  day  but  for  the  master  minds,  who 
have  built  up  these  synthetical  products.  As  grapes  are 
very  poor  in  by-products,  and  as  wine  is  a  natural  product,  the 
wine  chemist  was  shut  out  from  usefulness  in  this  direction. 

Compared  to  the  above  industries,  the  wine  industry  is  the 
most  venerable;  wine  having  been  made  by  the  Egyptians  many 
centuries  before  Christ.  It  is  mentioned  throughout  the  Old 
Testament  repeatedly.  As  wine  has  made  itself  spontaneously 
long  before  such  a  thing  as  chemistry  was  ever  dreamt  of  (that 
is  our  conception  of  exact  chemical  science)  it  was  considered 
a  natural  product.  About  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago,  when  Pasteur 
made  his  classical  researches,  considerable  light  was  thrown  on 
the  subject  and  for  the  next  fifty  years,  his  views  made  them- 
selves slowly  felt  throughout  the  world.  The  first  effect  was  in 
the  beer  industry  where  yeast  was  planted  in  sterile  medium  and 
the  quality  of  the  beer  has  depended  greatly  upon  the  quality  of 
the  yeast.  In  the  wine  industry  this  was  not  the  case,  as  the 
process  of  making  wine  was  roughly  this :  The  grapes  were  crushed 
and  allowed  to  ferment.  They  fermented  spontaneously  on  their 
own  yeast  and  made  good  or  bad  wine  as  the  composition  of 
the  grape,  chmate,  temperature  during  the  fermenting  period 
and  other  conditions  allowed.  We  hear  to  this  day  the  most 
abused  phrase  of  "the  especially  fine  vintage  of  188 — ".  This 
was  simply  that  the  grapes  ripened  well  and  that  the  temperature 
during  the  fermenting  period  was  ideal.  Such  a  thing  as  con- 
trolling the  temperature  was  unthought  and  unheard  of. 

When  the  chemist  looked  for  employment  in  the  wine  industry, 
he  was  asked  what  he  could  possibly  do,  what  he  could  possibly 
find  out  that  an  expert  taster  did  not  know.  How  could  he 
benefit  the  wine  industry  in  any  way?  He  replied  that  he  could 
analyze  the  wines,  determine  the  amount  of  alcohol,  total  acids, 
volatile  acids,  solids,  tannin,  glycerol,  etc.  This  brought  the 
reply,  "Well,  if  I  did  know,  what  good  is  it  to  me?    I  am  glad 


xvin]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  11 

to  know  that  wine  has,  for  example,  12  per  cent  alcohol,  and  has 
a  total  acid  of  6  parts  per  thousand  and  volatile  acid  of  one  part 
per  thousand  but,  after  I  do  know  it,  what  does  it  mean  to  me? 
I  am  very  pleased  to  know  it  but  it  does  not  do  me  any  good. 
It  does  not  tell  me  whether  the  wine  is  good,  bad  or  indifferent; 
I  can  tell  from  my  taste  all  those  things.  There  is  nothing  I 
cannot  tell.  I  have  been  running  this  wine  business  for  the  last 
fifty  years  without  a  chemist  and  made  money,  and  I  should  be 
able  to  run  it  a  great  many  more  years  without  one."  What 
he  said  was,  in  a  way,  absolutely  true.  This  was  the  unfortu- 
nate thing  because  a  chemist,  applying  for  a  position  in  the  wine 
industry,  is  not  a  wine  man  and  knows  nothing  about  the  nature 
of  wine.  His  value  only  starts  to  be  of  importance  when  he  does 
become  a  wine  man.  The  fallacy  of  the  wine  merchant  at  this 
time  (fifteen  or  so  years  ago)  was  that  he  did  depend  on  the 
chemist,  that,  in  fact,  all  over  the  world  preservatives  were  used; 
a  chemical  product  itself,  preservative  values  having  been  found 
by  chemists.  Therefore,  no  matter  how  troublesome  a  wine 
may  have  been,  preservatives  in  a  great  or  small  quantity  were 
added,  and  the  wine  kept  indefinitely.  Chemists,  however, 
were  finally  employed  in  the  wine  industry.  I  think  that  the 
fijst  wine  laboratory  of  any  corporation  in  the  United  States, 
and  possibly  one  of  the  first  in  the  world,  was  formed  in  1895; 
Before  long  the  chemist  was  able  to  tell  the  merchant  what  12 
per  cent  alcohol  meant,  what  the  total  acidity  of  .5  per  cent 
meant  and  what  2 J  per  cent  of  solids  meant;  and,  furthermore, 
what  the  expert  taster  could  taste,  what  he  could  not  taste  and 
could  also  prove  the  taster  was  correct  or  incorrect  in  his  opinion 
of  a  wine.  For  example,  if  he  considered  a  wine  sound  that  had 
.150  grams  volatile  acid  (as  acetic)  per  100  c.c;  then  the  taster 
was  wrong,  that  the  wine  was  sour  that  contained  such  a  high 
percentage  of  volatile  acid.  This  soon  became  apparent  to  the 
taster  himself  and  a  new  crop  of  difficulties  arose.  He  wanted 
to  be  checked  in  his  work  and  expected  a  determination  of  vol- 
atile acid  (or  as  we  commonly  call  it,  "volatile")  could  be  done 
almost  as  fast  as  he  could  taste  wine  and  if  he  had  200  or  300 
samples,  he  would  expect  them  to  be  done  in  one  day.  He 
wanted  them  running  day  and  night,  Sundays  and  hohdays,  not, 


12  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

of  course  because  they  were  of  any  value  but  simply  to  prove  his 
opinion  and  the  poor,  lonely  wine  chemist,  harassed  as  he  was, 
and  upon  trial,  had  very  little  satisfaction  in  finding  one  test,  be- 
sides that  of  alcohol,  which  was  of  some  value  to  his  employer. 
But  now  other  difficulties  arose  for  the  wine  merchant.  Pure 
Food  Laws  were  coming  into  effect  in  European  countries.  Sal- 
icylic Acid  (the  common  preservative  used)  had  to  be  abandoned 
and  the  chemist  was  instructed  to  look  for  a  preservative  that 
could  not  be  detected  (and  he  is  still  looking).  Then  benzoic 
acid  was  adopted  as  a  preservative,  as  benzoates,  at  that  time, 
were  very  difficult  of  detection.  Chemical  science  soon,  however, 
caught  up  to  them  so  that  they  were  of  no  value.  However,  dur- 
ing this  period,  the  chemist  had  become  acquainted  with  the  wine 
business  and  learned  a  few  relations  between  composition  of  the 
wine  to  its  keeping  qualities  and,  therefore,  was  able  to  interpret 
an  analysis.  He  could  anticipate,  to  a  certain  extent,  whether  or 
not  a  wine  would  blow  up,  turn  soiur  or  spoil  in  some  way  when 
it  reached  a  warm  climate  and,  instead  of  finding  a  new  preser- 
vative, concentrated  his  thoughts  on  getting  the  wine  into  such  a 
condition  that  there  would  be  no  need  of  a  preservative,  and 
that  a  preservative  would  simply  increase  the  cost  of  the  wine 
and  do  it  little,  if  any,  good.  This  I  think  holds  good  in  all  food 
industries;  that  the  need  for  preservatives  decreases  as  our 
knowledge  of  the  product  increases.  Through  the  efforts  of  the 
writer,  wine  was  shipped  without  preservatives  as  an  experiment. 
The  first  car  was  shipped  out  with  many  misgivings.  It  was 
expected  that  every  barrel  would  blow  up,  and  the  entire  car 
be  lost.  This  was  a  very  trying  time  for  the  chemist,  as  his 
theories  were  on  trial  and  a  failure  meant  a  return  to  the  old 
regime.  The  car,  however,  gave  perfect  satisfaction  and  nothing 
was  heard  afterwards.  From  that  time  on,  the  amount  of  pre- 
servatives decreased  and  methods  for  improving  the  vintage 
increased;  in  fact,  a  chemist's  knowledge  took  the  place  of  pre- 
servatives in  this  business.  This  was  sometime  before  our 
national  Pure  Food  Law.  The  firms,  not  employing  a  chemist, 
were  found  to  be  at  quite  a  disadvantage,  as  their  goods  with 
preservatives,  were  subject  to  seizure,  both  by  municipal  and 
state  authorities.    This  gave  them  undue  notoriety  and  they 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  13 

were  forced  to  hire  a  chemist  to  improve  and  control  their  methods 
of  manufacture  and  preparation  of  wine  for  the  market.  So  much 
for  the  troubles  and  difficulties  of  pioneer  chemists  in  the  wine 
industry. 

The  chemist,  having  proved  his  value,  now  reached  out  to 
other  things.  He  now  started  to  look  into  the  many  causes  of 
trouble.  First,  why  some  wines  would  not  clarify,  why  wines  of 
some  localities  and  some  districts  degenerated,  why  some  wines, 
shipped  from  the  cellar  in  excellent  condition,  spoilt.  These 
were  the  problems  that  confronted  and  still  confront  the  wine 
chemist.  He  found  out,  however,  that  wines  would  not  clarify, 
usually  either  on  account  of  disease  or  on  account  of  the  com- 
position of  the  wine,  usually  insufficient  tannin.  Then  he  started 
to  improve  the  clarifying  medium  and  to  look  into  the  reason 
of  the  degeneracy  of  wine  after  shipment.  He  found  certain 
diseases  which  had  to  be,  and  were,  overcome  (these  diseases, 
of  course,  never  took  place  when  preservatives  were  used,  as  the 
antiseptic  action  was  too  great  for  the  micro-organisms  to  over- 
come). He  then  started  to  look  into  reasons  of  locality  to  find 
out  why  some  cellars  and  some  vintages  turned  out  very  poor 
wine.  This,  of  course,  was  not  original  in  California  alone,  as 
it  was  found  in  every  other  place  throughout  the  world,  and  a 
great  deal  of  literature  on  the  subject  was  being  printed  so,  while 
this  did  not  take  a  great  amount  of  original  research,  he  acted 
as  a  medium  to  distribute  scientific  knowledge  to  the  cellar  super- 
intendents, so  that  their  methods  of  handling  the  vintage  would 
be  improved.  This,  also,  at  times,  meant  an  outlay  of  money 
and  is  always,  in  corporations,  a  difficult  thing  to  obtain.  It 
was  proven  that  wines,  fermented  at  a  high  temperature,  spoilt 
while  those,  fermented  at  a  low  temperature,  nearly  always  kept 
sound.  His  labors  then  took  on  methods  of  controlling  the 
temperature  of  the  vintage,  improving  and  handling,  and  also 
to  ferment  on  cultivated  yeasts  of  known  virility  and  not  leave 
the  fermentation  to  chance.  The  quality  of  the  wine,  as  well 
as  its  keeping  properties  were  improved  and  the  amount  of  spoilt 
wine  reduced  to  a  minimum.  It  is  apparent  that  a  successful 
business  must  turn  out  a  uniform  product.  There  is  no  difficulty 
in  turning  out  a  uniform  sugar  for  example,  but  with  wine,  every 


14  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

vintage  is  slightly  different  and,  if  a  brand  of  wine  is  established, 
it  is  necessary  to  supply  your  customer  with  wine  of  exactly  the 
same  type.  Otherwise,  the  consumer,  being  used  to  one  wine 
objects  to  any  other.  The  wine  chemist  has  to  help  in  the 
production  of  uniform  products.  As  the  blending  of  wines  is 
the  final  operation  (and  as  these  blends  compose  at  times  100 
different  wines)  this  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  important  duties 
of  a  wine  chemist.  Blends  are  usually  made  up  in  sample, 
analyzed,  blended  as  near  as  possible  to  the  composition  of  the 
previous  blend  of  this  type,  and  the  blends  are  then  distributed 
to  the  winery,  which  is  to  make  them  up  and,  after  blending,  are 
sent  back  to  the  laboratory  where  the  chemist  analyzes  them  again 
to  check  up  and  see  whether  these  blends  have  been  properly  and 
uniformly  made. 

The  following  samples  show  the  method  of  checking  the 
blending.  The  analyses  of  the  sample  blend  (made  in  the  lab- 
oratory) and  the  actual  blend  (made  in  the  cellar)  must  agree, 
otherwise,  the  blend  is  not  uniform  and  must  be  reblended : 


Per  cent 
Alcohol  by 

Grams 

per  100  Cubic  Centimeters 

Volume 

Total 
Acidity 

VolatUe 
Acidity 

Reducing 
Sugar 

Ta,Tinin 

Winehaven    Claret 

Blend  No.   485 

(265,000    gal- 

ena). 

Sample  Blend  .  . . 

12.29 

.500 

.060 

.145 

.135 

Finished  Blend  . . 

12.37 

.510 

.060 

.150 

.140 

Wahtoke      Port 

Blend  No.   ^82 

(144,500       gal- 

lons). 

Sample  Blend  . . . 

20.78 

.390 

.043 

6.60 

.070 

Finished  Blend  . . 

20.78 

.390 

.046 

6.63 

.079 

Besides  this  the  wine  chemist  has  duties  in  common  with  all 
chemists.  He  must  analyze  the  water  and  soils  of  all  the  vine- 
yards owned  by  his  company,  analyze  the  suppUes,  such  as  used 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  15 

either  in  wines  or  in  the  vineyards,  advise  as  to  fertilizers  to  be 
used  and  devise  means  to  gather  as  many  by-products  as  possible. 
I  may  say  in  conclusion  that  the  wine  chemist,  in  spite  of 
temporary  discouragements,  is  having  more  intimate  relations 
with  the  Wine  Industry.  He  is,  in  fact,  becoming  quite  friendly, 
and  he  has  hopes  of  being  on  the  same  good  terms  as  his  brothers 
in  the  sugar,  dyeing,  oil,  petrolemn,  gas,  soap  and  other  industries, 
which  the  chemist  has  made  famous. 


INTERPRETATION   OF    THE    RESULTS   OF  WINE 
ANALYSIS 

By  Charles  S.  Ash 
San  Francisco,  California 
Introduction. 

It  is  evident  that  the  analysis  of  any  product  is  useless  unless 
it  can  be  correctly  interpreted;  in  other  words,  every  analysis 
that  is  made  must  be  interpreted  to  be  of  any  value.  What 
the  diagnosis  is  to  the  physician,  interpretation  of  analytical 
data  is  to  the  chemist.  Some  of  these  interpretations  are  purely 
mathematical.  The  value  of  sugar  cane  is  dependent  on  sugar 
content;  ores  are  valued  by  the  amoimt  of  metal  they  contain, 
and,  therefore,  assays  are  interpreted  with  little  or  no  diflB- 
culty.  The  interpretation  of  analytical  data  on  some  other 
products  are,  on  the  other  hand,  most  diflScult  and  it  is  only  by 
a  careful  study  of  many  analyses  of  these  products  of  known 
origin  that  we  are  able  to  show  the  true  meaning  of  their  chemi- 
cal composition.  In  food  products,  we  are  quite  content,  as  a 
rule,  to  tell  from  analytical  data  whether  the  food  in  question 
is  pure  or  adulterated.  As  this  interests  most  chemists,  we  will 
confine  ourselves  almost  entirely  to  this  question. 

The  interpretation  of  wine  analysis  has  been  confined  almost 
entirely  to  the  judgment  of  its  purity;  in  fact,  the  only  result 
of  these  interpretations  has  been  the  formation  of  a  set  of  stand- 
ards to  which  a  wine  must  conform  in  composition  to  be  con- 
sidered pure  wine.  These  hard  and  fixed  standards  do  not 
accomplish  the  object  of  detecting  adulteration  on  one  hand 
while,  on  the  other,  they  often  work  real  hardship  on  wines  of 
pure  origin.  Grapes  of  the  same  variety,  grown  in  different  soils 
and  in  different  climates,  produce  wines  of  absolutely  different 
taste,  and  composition.  If  this  is  true  of  the  same  variety  of 
grapes,  under  different  conditions,  what  must  be  the  difference 
in  composition  of  himdreds  of  varieties  of  grapes  grown  in 
almost  every  condition  of  soil  and  climate  in  the  world!  This 
we  will  discuss  later. 

17 


18  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

There  has  been  a  tendency  in  the  past,  in  writing  of  interpre- 
tations of  wine  analysis,  to  quote  the  interpretations  of  previous 
authors  and  this  has  influenced  our  already  meager  literature 
on  this  subject  to  such  an  extent  that  we  have  had  but  little 
original  thought  for  many  years,  the  last  interpretation  being 
only  a  compilation  of  previous  data.  To  avoid  such  a  tendency, 
the  present  writer  will  avoid  previous  literature  on  the  subject, 
preferring  to  treat  it  from  an  independent  viewpoint.  I  thjnk 
you  will  pardon  the  writer  for  his  temerity  in  taking  this  stand 
when  he  explains  that  yearly,  for  the  past  fourteen  years,  there 
has  been  received  in  his  laboratory  from  15,000  to  30,000  sam- 
ples of  wine  of  known  origin.  All  these  wines  are  examined  and, 
at  least,  one-half  analyzed. 

We  will,  therefore,  consider  that  the  interpretation  of  wine 
analysis  has  two  objects, — one  to  judge  the  purity  of  wine  and 
the  other  to  judge  its  quality  and  condition.  We  will  take, 
under  these  two  heads,  part  1,  dealing  with  adulteration  and 
part  2,  with  condition,  soundness  and  disease. 

Part  1. — The  object  of  all  adulteration  is  to  cheapen  the 
article  in  question  or  to  increase  its  commercial  value  by  artifi- 
cial and  false  means.  No  one  will  adulterate  unless  it  is  profit- 
able and  no  one  will  substitute  an  artificial  product,  which  costs 
more  than  the  natural  one.  This,  of  course,  is  plain.  In  wine 
then,  as  in  every  other  product,  adulteration  aims  to  decrease  the 
cost  of  production  or  to  increase  its  selling  value.  We,  therefore, 
will  consider  the  various  forms  of  adulteration  which  may  be  used. 

Addition  of  water 

1. — Increase  of  volume Artificial  wines 

Wines  of  foreign  fruits 
Addition    of    spirits    and 
sugar,  or  both 

3. — Increase  of  stability I  Preservatives 

^. — Improvement  of  appearance  .  . .  { Artificial  coloring 


2.— Increase  of  strength. 


Artificial    flavor,    saccha- 
rine,  etc. 


5. — Chan  ging  of  taste 

6. — Modified  or  fixed  spoilt  wine. 

7.— To  these  forms  of  premeditated  adulteration,  we  may  still 

have  adulteration  which  will   come  imder  the  head  of 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


19 


accidental  adulteration.    Under  this  head,  will  come  the 
presence  of  heavy  metals,  as  zinc,  iron,  copper  or  arsenic. 

Dilution. 

Of  all  forms  of  adulteration,  the  most  common,  the  most 
profitable  and  the  most  difficult  of  detection  is  dilution:  the 
simple  addition  of  water.  The  first  two  facts  are  self-evident. 
Why  dilution  is  so  difficult  of  detection  needs  some  study. 
Having  already  touched  on  the  effect  of  climate,  soil  and  variety 
on  the  composition  of  the  grape,  we  will  go  into  further  details. 
Now,  it  hardly  seems  necessary  to  state  that  grapes,  grown  in 
warm  climates  or  grapes  ripened  to  perfection,  have  more 
sugar  than  unripened  grapes.  It  is  also  obvious  that  grapes 
that  are  unripe  have  a  greater  acid  content  than  ripe  grapes. 

The  following  example  shows  the  effect  of  climate  on  the 
composition  of  the  juice  of  the  same  variety  of  grape: 


Variety  Carignan 

(1) 

(2) 

Grown  in  France  (Midi) 

Grown  in  Fresno,  Cal. 

Density  at  60F 

1.076 
18.81 
16.2 
.840 

.0997 

Total  Solids,  Grams  per  100  c.c. 
Reducing  Sugar  "    "      "    " 
Total  Acids  as  Tartaric    "    " 

24.2 
23.26 
.590 

Potassium  Bi-Tartrate     "    " 

.580 

.376 

The  next  example  illustrates  the  effect  of  ripening  on  the 

composition  of  the  grape  juice: 

(3) 
Variety  Zinfandel 

Sugar  (%  Balling) 

Acidity  as  Tartaric 

July    10 
"      20 

6 
9 

1.12 
1.10 

Aug.     1 
"      15 

14 
20 

.980 
.700 

"      20 

23 

.620 

20  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Now,  the  essential  point  I  wish  to  bring  out  is  this:  that 
grapes,  high  in  sugar  content  must  necessarily  be  low  in  acid 
content  and  vice  versa.  Both  conditions,  that  is,  high  sugar 
content  and  high  acid  content  rarely  exist  in  the  same  grape. 
On  the  other  hand,  low  sugar  content  and  low  acidity  also  do 
not  exist  in  the  same  grape.  This  is  a  generality.  This  is  very 
important.  It  will,  therefore,  be  seen  that  the  resulting  wine 
from  grapes  of  high  sugar  content,  will  be  high  in  alcohol  and 
low  in  acidity  while  wines,  made  from  grapes  low  in  sugar  con- 
tent, would  give  a  wine  low  in  alcohol  and  high  in  acidity.  To 
repeat  again,  both  high  alcohol  in  a  wine  and  high  acidity,  and 
low  alcohol  and  low  acidity,  do  not  exist.  We  have,  therefore, 
in  cold  countries  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  grapes  that  ripen  to 
a  sufficient  sweetness  so  as  to  give  wine  of  high  enough  alcohol 
to  preserve  itself  and  a  low  enough  acidity  to  be  drinkable  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  in  warm  regions,  we  have  the  reverse  trouble 
of  getting  wines  of  high  enough  acidity  and  low  enough  in  alcohol 
to  have  sufficient  character  and  flavor  to  be  considered  desir- 
able wine.  These  wines,  as  you  see,  are  pure  wines  of  absolute 
different  composition  and  a  hard  and  fixed  standard  made  in 
either  country  to  suit  the  conditions  of  the  native  wine  may 
work  hardship  on  the  wines  of  the  other  country  or,  on  the  other 
hand,  if  the  standard  for  example,  happens  to  be  based  on  the 
composition  of  the  wine  of  the  cold  country,  there  would  be 
little  difficulty  in  diluting  the  wine  from  the  warm  country  and 
still  conform  to  the  standard  of  pure  wine. 

I  have  spoken  on  the  difficulty  of  a  fixed  standard.  Let  ite 
take,  for  example,  the  American  standard.  This  standard  was 
meant  to  be,  and  is,  a  liberal  standard,  which  tries  to  embrace 
all  pure  wines  of  the  world.     This  standard  is  as  follows: 


Red 

White 

Alcohol  %  by  volume 

7  to  16 
.14 

.1% 

.16 

Not  less  than  1.60 

"    more  "       .10 

tt       tt       tt        20 

7  to  16 

Volatile  Acid  as  Acetic,  Grama 
Reducing  Sugar                   " 
Ash 

per  100  CO 

tc          CC        it 

.12 

1% 
.16 

Sugar  Free  SoUds                " 
Sodium  Chloride 
Potassium  Sulphate             " 

it       tt     it 
tt       tt     it 
It       (1      (( 

1.40 
.10 
.20 

xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  21 

Let  us  say,  for  example,  we  have  below  an  example  of  aver- 
age, normal  California  Red  Wine  with  the  following  composition: 

Alcohol  %  by  Volume 12% 

Volatile  Acid  Grams  per  100  cc 100 

Sugar  Free  Solids 2.50 

Ash 270 

Sodium  Chloride 005 

Potassium  Sulphate 015 

This  wine  can  safely  be  diluted  one-half  (2-3rds  wine  and  l-3rd 
water)  and  still  be  able  to  conform  to  these  standards.  The 
composition  of  the  diluted  wine  would  then  be  as  follows: 

Alcohol  %  by  Volume 8% 

Volatile  Acid,  Grams  per  100  cc .  067 

Sugar  Free  Solids 1-67 

Ash 180 

This  comes  well  within  the  standard  of  purity  as  laid  down  by 
our  government.  On  the  other  hand,  these  standards  will  work 
hardship  on  some  of  the  finest  old  wines  produced.  This  we  will 
discuss  when  we  take  up  the  question  of  Volatile  Acid  of  the 
wine,  as  it  is  out  of  place  under  this  heading. 

To  return ;  we  have  shown  what  can  be  done  imder  the  stand- 
ards laid  down  by  our  government.  There  is  nothing  in  these 
standards  showing  the  relation  of  alcohol  to  total  acidity,  much 
less  showing  the  composition  of  this  acidity  in  natural  wine. 

In  this  case  cited,  the  original  acidity  of  the  imdiluted  wine 
was  .6  grams  per  hundred  cubic  centimeters.  When  this  wine 
is  diluted,  we  find  an  acidity  of  .4  grams  per  hundred  cubic 
centimeters.  A  natural  wine  with  an  acidity  of  .4-  grams  per 
100  cc.  and  an  alcoholic  strength  of  8%  hy  volume  does  not  exist. 

The  obvious  question  is  then  asked:  why  a  diluted  wine  can- 
not be  acidified  to  raise  the  acidity  to  that  of  normal  wine  of 
such  an  alcoholic  strength.  This  certainly  complicates  matters. 
The  only  available  acids  are,  as  we  know.  Citric  and  Tartaric 
Acids.  As  Citric  Acid  is  never  present  in  grapes  in  quantitative 
amounts,  its  presence  in  most  cases  will  be  indicative  of  manipu- 


22  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

lation.  We  have  now  only  Tartaric  Acid.  The  natural  non- 
volatile acidity  (fixed  acidity)  of  wine  is  largely  made  up  of 
Potassium  Bi-tartrate  and  not  Tartaric  Acid.  Free  Tartaric 
Acid  is  only  present  in  small  quantities  in  natural  wine.  So,  if 
Tartaric  Acid  was  added  to  this  diluted  wine  we  will  have  a 
larger  amount  of  free  Tartaric  Acid  than  Potassium  Bi-Tartrate. 
We  cannot  use  Bi-Tartrate  to  acidify  the  diluted  wine,  as  it  is 
only  sparingly  soluble.     The  following  table  is  explanatory: 


Natural 

DiltUed 

DUuUd 

Wine 

Wine 

Wine 
Acidified 

Alcohol  %  by  volume 

12.0 

8.0 

8.0 

Total  Acidity  (as  Tartaric)  Grams  per 

100  CO. 

.600 

.400 

.800 

Volatile        "    (as  Acetic) 

.100 

.067 

.067 

Sugar  Free  Solids 

2.50 

1.67 

1.67 

Ash 

.270 

.180 

.180 

Potassium  Bi-Taxtrate                 "        " 

.300 

.200 

.2000 

Free  Tartaric  Acid                       "        " 

Trace 

Trace 

.400 

Here,  in  the  natural  wine,  we  have  .3  grams  Potassium  Bi- 
Tartrate  and  a  trace  of  Free  Tartaric  Acid,  and  in  the  diluted 
wine,  we  have  .2  grams  Bi-Tartrate,  while  in  the  diluted  acidi- 
fied wine,  we  have  .2  grams  Bi-Tartrate  and  .4  grams  Free 
Tartaric  Acid;  the  Free  Tartaric  Acid,  being  in  excess  of  the 
Bi-Tartrate,  while  it  should  only  be  one-third  at  the  most. 
Now,  suppose  we  add  the  alcohol  %  by  volimie  and  the  total 
acidity  (grams  per  litre).  We  have  in  the  natural  wine  a  total 
of  18,  in  the  diluted  wine  12,  and  in  the  acidified  wine  16. 
Whenever  a  Red  Wine  has  a  total  acidity  of  less  than  16,  it 
should  be  investigated.  All  this  data  is  relative  to  the  effect  of 
dilution  on  acidity.  I  know  the  difficulty  of  showing  every- 
thing in  one  example,  but  we  have  already  gone  to  greater 
length  than  I  had  wished  to  go.  It  is  obvious  to  us  all  that 
dilution  will  lower  the  percentage  of  soHds,  the  percentage  of 
ash  and  other  constituents  of  the  wine.  I  might  state  that  the 
alkaUnity  of  ash,  figured  in  terms  of  Bi-Tartrate  should  ap- 
proximately equal  the  percentage  of  Bi-Tartrate  found  in  the 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  23 

original  wine;  in  other  words,  the  alkalinity  is  almost  due 
entirely  to  the  Bi-Tartrate  which  is  converted  into  Potassium 
Bi-Carbonate  by  incineration.  In  conclusion,  it  would  appear 
that  California  red  wines,  having  a  sugar  free  solids  less  than 
2.30  in  conjimction  with  an  alcohol  plus  acid  total  of  less  than 
16,  is  to  be  regarded  with  suspicion.  With  white  wines,  a  sugar 
free  solids  of  less  than  1.60  and  alcohol  plus  acid  total  of  less 
than  15,  should  also  be  looked  upon  with  suspicion.  Wines, 
having  a  large  amount  of  Free  Tartaric  Acid,  in  proportion  to 
the  Potassium  Bi-Tartrate,  and  coupled  with  low  sugar  free 
solids  would  indicate  that  the  wine  had  been  diluted  and  acidified. 
The  relation  of  Potassium  Bi-Tartrate  to  the  free  Tartaric  Acid 
is  the  same  in  white  wines  as  it  is  in  reds. 

Artificial  Wines 

These  wines  are  made  by  fermenting  sugar,  sucrose  or  glucose, 
either  alone  or  thrown  over  grape  pomace.  They  are,  in  conse- 
quence, very  light  in  color  or  colorless,  and  have  either  to  be 
blended  with  natural  wines  or  colored  artificially.  They  are 
also  high  in  free  Tartaric  Acid  and  low  in  Bi-Tartrate  and  low  in 
solids  and  ash.  They  often  have  no  Potassium  Bi-Tartrate  at 
all,  the  acidity  being  due  to  free  Citric  or  Tartaric  Acid.  Those 
made  from  glucose  are  always  high  in  solids,  due  to  dextrin  or 
other  unfermentable  substances.  Such  substances  are  too  easy 
of  detection  to  be  mentioned  here.  Those  made  from  sucrose 
are  always  a  superior  article.  They  are,  however,  very  expen- 
sive and  in  countries  where  grapes  are  cheap  (as  in  California) 
cost  more  than  the  natural  wine.  For  example,  sucrose  cost,  say, 
5c  per  lb.;  grapes,  having  a  sugar  percentage  of  22  per  cent 
will  have  440  lbs.  of  sugar  per  ton  of  grapes;  440  lbs.  of  sugar, 
in  turn,  at  5c.  per  lb.  would  cost  $22  and,  therefore,  sugar  would 
be  equal  to  grapes  costing  $22  per  ton.  The  average  price 
of  grapes  in  CaUfornia,  year  in  and  year  out,  will  be  from  $12 
to  $30,  the  average  cost  being  somewhere  around  $18.  Now, 
it  is  obvious  that  no  one  would  use  this  form  of  adulteration 
imless  the  price  of  grapes  were  well  over  $30  per  ton.  In  colder 
countries  where  the  grapes  do  not  ripen  to  a  sufficient  sugar 


24  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

percentage,  the  sucrose  is  very  often  added  to  give  the  resulting 
wine  sufficient  alcohol  to  preserve  it.  When  this  is  not  done  to 
excess,  it  is  almost  impossible  (without  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  composition  of  natural  wines  of  such  district)  to  show  this 
form  of  adulteration.  Sucrose  is  inverted  by  the  action  of  the 
yeast  and  acid,  before  fermentation.  The  inverted  sugar  is  very 
closely  alUed  to  that  of  the  natural  sugar  of  the  grape.  I  might 
say  in  conclusion,  all  the  artificial  wines,  that  the  writer  has 
seen,  have  come,  of  course  from  localities  where  grapes  were 
dear.  Their  acidity  has  been  due  almost  entirely  to  free  Tar- 
taric or  Citric  Acid.  They  are  often  artificially  colored  and 
preserved  with  some  preservative.  Most  of  these  have  been 
made  from  glucose.  Sometimes  sweet  wines,  like  Port,  have 
been  made.  These  wines  contain  about  12  per  cent  alcohol  and 
as  high  as  20  per  cent  of  total  solids,  the  method  of  making 
being  that  the  glucose  solution  has  fermented  imtil  fermentation 
takes  place  no  longer  and  the  wines  stick.  Preservatives  are 
then  added  and  the  wine  is  colored;  sometimes  synthetical 
flavors  are  also  added.  These  wines  never  cloud  and  give  no 
trouble,  during  changes  of  temperature  in  climates,  that  all 
natural  wines  do. 

FoBEiGN  Fruit 

This  form  of  adulteration  I  hardly  think  exists  in  the  state  of 
CaUfornia  on  account  of  the  low  price  of  grapes  and  the  com- 
paratively high  price  of  other  fruits.  In  Europe,  apples  and 
figs  have  been,  at  times,  fermented  and  mixed  with  natural 
wines.  Such  wines,  by  themselves,  would  easily  be  detected, 
as  very  few  other  fruits,  beside  the  grape,  contain  any  Bi- 
Tartrate.  The  absence  of  Bi-Tartrate  or  a  very  low  percentage 
of  same  in  a  comparatively  normal  composition  otherwise, 
would  tend  to  show  this  form  of  adulteration.  When  more  light 
is  shown  on  the  acid  composition  of  various  fruits,  no  trouble 
will  be  experienced  in  detecting  such  adulteration. 

Increase  of  Strength 

This  is  done  by  the  addition  of  sugar,  as  had  already  been 
described,  or  spirits,  or  possibly  both.    The  addition  of  spirits 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  25 

cannot  take  place  in  American  dry  wines,  as  wines  must  have 
4  per  cent  of  total  solids  to  be  eligible  to  fortification.  Neither 
can  taxpaid  spirits  be  added  to  such  wines,  for  it  is  against  the 
revenue  laws  to  mix  taxpaid  and  free  spirits.  Such  a  form  of 
adulteration  would  be  criminal  and  liable  to  prosecution.  Some 
countries  allow  spirits  to  be  added  to  wines  for  exportation. 
This  is  readily  detected  on  account  of  its  abnormally  high 
alcohol  together  with  high  acidities.  The  addition  of  spirits 
and  then  dilution  by  water  afterwards,  would  make  a  double 
dilution  and  would  be  detected  under  means  already  described 
in  the  paragraph  on  dilution. 

Increase  of  Stability 

Whenever  wines  have  been  diluted  or  made  from  unsound 
material,  preservatives  are  sometimes  added  to  give  them 
keeping  qualities,  without  which  they  would  get  progressively 
worse,  so  as  to  be  impossible  to  market  them.  In  this  connec- 
tion the  use  of  preservatives,  irrespective  of  whether  they  are 
harmful  to  the  human  system  or  not,  should  be  prohibited  in  the 
wines  for  the  reason  that  poor  or  putrid  articles  could  be  mar- 
keted, which  would  be  impossible  to  do  without  their  use. 

Improvement  of  Appearance 

Whenever  artificial  or  imitation  wines  are  sold,  either  alone  or 
mixed  with  natural  wines,  the  color  is  insufficient  to  meet  the 
popular  demand.  It  is,  therefore,  imperative  that  these  wines 
be  given  the  appearance  of  normal  wines.  To  do  this,  they  must 
be  colored.  Aniline  colors  are  used  for  this  purpose  almost  en- 
tirely, as  vegetable  colorings  are  not  fast  and  either  fade  or 
deposit  when  subjected  to  daylight.  The  usual  clarifying 
methods  (the  addition  of  albumen)  will  very  often  deposit 
vegetable  colors  and,  therefore,  after  wine  has  received  a  clari- 
fication, vegetable  colorings  are  almost  entirely  removed  from 
the  wine.  The  above  statement,  in  reference  to  the  coloring  of 
wines,  is  applicable  to  red  wines  entirely.  White  wines  are 
rarely  colored,  though  in  isolated  cases,  the  writer  has  seen 
wines  given  green  tints  by  artificial  means. 


26         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

Change  of  Taste 

Sometimes  flavors  are  added  to  natural  wines  to  improve  the 
state,  or  give  them  either  the  appearance  or  taste  of  old  wines 
but,  in  most  cases,  this  is  a  waste  of  money.  Such  form  of 
adulteration  is  very  difficult  of  detection.  However,  a  higher 
percentage  of  esters  than  is  normal  in  a  wine,  especially  volatile 
esters,  will  tend  to  show  adulteration  of  this  form.  Saccharine 
has  been  at  times  added  to  white  wines  to  imitate  wines  of  the 
Sauterne  type.  This  is  very  simple  of  detection,  1st — by  the 
method  of  detecting  saccharine  itself,  and,  2nd.,  that  the  total 
soUds  of  such  a  sweetened  wine  is  no  higher  than  the  normal 
solids  of  a  dry  white  wine.  Such  sweetened  wines  are  also 
very  low  in  reducing  sugar  and,  therefore,  cannot  derive  their 
sweetness  from  natural  sources. 

Modified  ob  Fixed  Spoilt  Wines 

This  is  the  last  form  of  premeditated  adulteration.  Spoilt 
wines  or  sour  wines,  which  have  either  been  made  from  spoilt 
grapes  or  have  been  spoilt  by  neglect  or  degenerated  by  some 
disease,  are  often  marketed  after  manipulation.  The  common 
method  of  doing  this  is  to  neutralize  the  excess  of  acidity,  either 
by  potassium,  calcium  or  magnesium  salts — usually  calcium 
carbonate  is  used  to  do  this  work.  The  resulting  ash  of  such 
wines  is  very  high  in  hme  salts,  the  total  ash  going  considerably 
over  1-lOth  of  the  sugar  free  extract.  The  fixed  acidity  is  usu- 
ally very  low  in  comparison  to  the  volatile  acidity.  This  is  due 
to  the  fact  that  such  manipulation  is  rarely,  if  ever,  successful, 
and  wines,  having  been  neutrahzed  in  this  way,  usually  are  only 
temporarily  checked;  the  disease  continues  and  more  volatile- 
acid  is  generated;  the  neutralization  only  neutralizing  the  acids 
present  at  the  time  of  neutralization. 

We  now  come  to  the  final  form  of  adulteration,  which  we 
will  call  Accidental  Adulteration.  That  is  the  presence  of 
small  amounts  of  heavy  metals  in  wine.  The  presence  of  cop- 
per, tin  or  zinc  is  due  to  the  pipe  line,  which  the  wine  is  run 
through.  The  amounts  are  very  low  indeed  and  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  avoid  these  contaminations.    Carelessness,  however. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  27 

in  allowing  wines  to  stand  in  pipes  until  they  corrode  will  very 
often  increase  this  small  percentage  to  an  enormous  amount. 
The  presence  of  arsenic  in  wine  can  rarely  be  considered  acci- 
dental adulteration,  as  it  is  a  natural  constituent  of  grapes  in 
some  localities.  The  largest  amount  ever  seen  by  the  writer  in 
California  wines  is  one  part  in  four  million:  usually  one  part 
in  twenty  to  fifty  million  is  normal.  Arsenic  occasionally 
is  added  to  the  wines,  by  the  use  of  sulphur  in  fumigating 
casks.  This,  of  course,  would  be  considered  accidental  adultera- 
tion. 

I  wish  to  conclude,  as  I  have  begun,  by  wishing  to  avoid  a 
fixed  standard  applicable  to  all  wines  in  the  world.  There  is 
only  one  way  which  we  can  tell  with  approximate  certainty 
whether  a  wine  is  pure  or  adulterated  and  this  is  to  have  for  our 
standard  of  pure  wine  the  same  standard  as  the  country  from 
which  the  wine  originates;  for  example,  standards  set  down  by 
the  Swiss  government  for  Swiss  wines,  should  be  applicable  to 
Swiss  wines;  those  set  down  by  the  German  government  for 
their  Rhine  and  Moselle  wines,  and  other  districts,  should  be 
applicable  to  wines  of  that  district;  for  French  wines,  those  set 
down  by  the  French  government  as  standards  for  their  natural 
wines  of  different  districts,  should  be  used  on  such  wines.  For 
American  wines,  standards  should  be  made  by  the  United  States 
government  or  by  the  Pure  Food  Authorities  of  the  different 
states  where  the  wine  is  grown.  In  this  way,  we  will  not  demand 
the  same  composition  for  Algerian  wines  as  we  do  for  German 
wines,  nor  the  same  for  Swiss  wines  as  we  do  for  California 
wines.  This  I  believe  will  be  a  very  simple  matter  and,  in  my 
opinion,  is  the  only  way  of  controUing  this  question.  A  unifi- 
cation of  analytical  methods  would  also  be  a  big  factor,  and 
should  be  urged  by  such  bodies  as  this  Congress.  If  not,  we 
must  follow  the  analytical  methods  of  the  country  in  question, 
that  is,  if  we  are  examining  French  wines,  we  must  realize 
that  these  standards  have  been  based  upon  methods  of  official 
French  analysis,  and  results,  using  any  other  methods,  will 
either  work  hardship  or  may  defeat  the  enforcement  of  a  Pure 
Food  Law. 


28  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

Under  the  Head  of  Soundness  Part  2. 

Just  one  word,  before  I  close  this  already  too  lengthy  paper, 
in  regard  to  unsound  and  diseased  wines.  Such  wines  can  be 
made  from  grapes  and  be  pm-e  in  every  way  and  still  be  imfit 
for  human  consiunption.  A  parallel  case  would  be  in  any  putrid, 
decayed  or  deteriorated  food  product. 

This  may  be  due  to  the  following  reasons,  as  the  manufacture 
of  wine  from  rotten  or  diseased  grapes,  or  the  wines  may  be 
made  from  soimd  grapes,  and  become  diseased  from  improper 
methods  of  fermentation  or  neglect.  To  be  brief,  we  will  sup- 
pose that  the  Must  contains 

Sugar 20  grams  per  100  c.c. 

Acidity  as  Tartaric 8-10  grams  per  100  c.c. 

The  corresponding  wine,  fermented  imder  normal  conditions, 
would  have  a  composition  somewhat  as  follows : 

Alcohol 11.5  per  cent  by  volume 

Total  Acid 600  per  cent 

Volatile  Acid 060  per  cent 

Reducing  Sugar 120  per  cent 

However,  if  this  wine  should  be  fermented  badly,  or  the  tem- 
perature rise  too  high,  so  that  the  yeast  is  either  killed  or  Has 
dormant,  secondary  fermentation  will  set  in,  and  we  will  have  a 
wine  of  quite  different  composition,  depending  on  the  severity 
of  conditions  or  neglect  in  handling.  A  typical  composition  of 
such  a  wine  would  be  as  follows : 

Alcohol 11  per  cent  by  Volume 

Total  Acid 700  per  cent 

Volatile  Acid 200  per  cent 

Reducing  Sugar 500  per  cent. 

Notice  the  difference  of  these  two  results  made  from  the  same 
Must.  Let  us  go  backward  and  say  that  we  have  a  spoilt  wine 
with  this  composition  and  see  what  we  can  tell  about  it  from 
analytical  data.  In  the  first  place,  notice  that  this  wine  has  a 
high  volatile  acid.     This  shows  that  it  has  been  attacked  by 


xvni] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


29 


micro-organisms  and  that  secondary  fermentation,  in  conse- 
quence, has  set  in.  The  product  of  such  fermentation  (the  high 
volatile  acid)  is  present.  We  then  look  at  the  reducing  sugar  and 
find  that  it  is  high.  We  see  that  the  conversion  of  sugar  into 
alcohol  has  not  been  completed  and  this  confirms  our  opinion  of 
secondary  fermentation.  The  wine  is  absolutely  spoilt  and 
should  not  be  used  imder  any  conditions.  This  wine  should  not  be 
blended  with  any  other  wine,  as  it  would  simply  contaminate  the 
entire  blend.  A  great  many  mistakes  are  being  made  in  trying 
to  work  off  wine  of  this  kind  in  small  quantities.  This  is  an 
absolutely  bad  practice,  for  nine  times  out  of  ten,  the  entire 
blend  is  ruined.  It  is  always  best  to  make  your  first  loss  at  once. 
Wine  of  this  type,  of  course,  would  make  excellent  wine  vinegar, 
and  could  be  used  for  such  purpose.  In  well-controlled  wineries, 
wine  of  this  type  is  reduced  to  a  minimum 

We  will  now  follow  new,  sound  wine  over  a  period  of  years  and 
see  what  changes  we  may  expect  in  the  volatile  acid  content. 


Dry  Red  or 
White 


Sherry 


Port,  Angel- 
ica Muscat, 
etc. 


Sound  new  wine 

Sound  wine  1  year  old . . . 
Sound  wine    3  years  old . 

it       (t  e       tl  it 

"    "         8    "        " 
"    "        10    "        or 


.05   to  .08 


.04   to  .08 


03   to  .05 


06 
.09 
.100 

120  ' 

140 


.100 
.120 
.140 
.160 
.170 


.06 
.08 
.100 
.120 
140 


.08 

.100 

.120 

.160 

.180 


.04 
.05 
.07 
.08 
.100 


.06 

.07 

.09 

.100 

.120 


This  represents  the  natural  increase  of  acidity  one  would 
expect.  This  is  not  intended  as  a  fixed  standard,  but  rather  a 
guide.  From  this  it  is  seen  that  a  yoimg  wine,  which  would  be 
condemned  as  spoilt,  may  be  a  perfectly  fine  sound  old  wine. 


EXPERIMENTS  ON  FEEDING  GUINEA  PIGS  "SALTS 
OF  TIN"  IN  MEASURED  QUANTITIES 
FOR  SEVERAL  WEEKS 

By  H.  a.  Baker 

New  York 

Seven  normal  young  Guinea  Pigs,  of  average  weight  of  about 
257  grams,  were  put  in  separate  pens  and  was  each  fed  daily, 
except  Sundays,  one  Gelatin  Capsule  containing  12.6  milligrams 
of  tin  in  the  form  of  Hydrates  mixed  with  Corn  Meal. 

The  capsules  were  prepared  in  the  following  way: 

Four  grams  of  pure  tin  were  dissolved  in  a  small  amount  of 
Hydrochloric  Acid  and  evaporated  almost  to  dryness.  This  was 
then  neutralized  with  Sodium  Carbonate  and  dried,  after  which 
it  was  mixed  with  fine  Corn  Meal.  55,000  miUigrams  of  the 
mixture  contained  4000  milligrams  of  tin. 

201  Gelatin  Capsules,  weighing  11.438  grams,  were  filled  with 
this  Corn  Meal  mixture  and  found  to  weigh  46.281  grams,  so 
that  each  full  capsule  weighed  230.25  milligrams.  Subtracting 
the  weight  of  the  empty  capsule,  56.9  milligrams,  we  have  as  the 
contents  of  each  capsule  173.35  milligrams  of  Corn  Meal  mix- 
ture, which  contained  12.607  milligrams  of  tin. 

These  capsules  were  all  standard  size  so  that  we  consider  the 
amount  of  tin  in  each  capsule  to  be  the  same,  especially  since 
the  amount  of  Tin  Salts  in  the  mixture  was  small. 

The  capsule  was  administered  to  the  Guinea  Pig  by  forcing 
it  down  his  throat,  in  order  to  make  sure  that  the  proper  dose 
had  been  given. 

The  Guinea  Pigs  were  given  an  ordinary  diet  of  Carrots,  Let- 
tuce and  Crackers. 

As  will  be  observed  from  the  table  appended,  the  Guinea  Pigs 
showed  different  resistance  toward  this  chemical.  Five  of  the 
Guinea  Pigs  were  fed  until  death  occurred.  They  lived  the  fol- 
lowing number  of  days:    9,  10,  19,  19,  22,  respectively.    Two 

31 


32  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

other  Guinea  Pigs  which  had  taken  a  capsule  a  day  for  twenty- 
five  days  lived,  but  were  after  that  fed  no  more  capsules. 
Twenty-three  days  after  these  two  Guinea  Pigs  had  been  fed 
no  more  capsules,  they  suddenly  died  from  exposure  from  an  open 
window. 

In  addition  to  observing  the  doses  which  were  fatal  to  these 
Guinea  Pigs,  their  livers  were  analysed  in  order  to  see  whether 
or  not  any  tin  had  become  stored  up  there.  Examination  showed 
the  livers  of  the  dead  Guinea  Pigs  to  be  somewhat  bleached  on 
the  outer  edges. 

It  can  be  observed  from  the  table  that  these  Guinea  Pigs  accum- 
ulated in  their  livers  a  small  amount  of  tin  each  day,  as  long 
as  the  dose  was  administered.  This  rate  of  accumulation  was 
about  ^  of  a  milhgram  of  tin  per  day;  the  average  rate  for 
five  Guinea  Pigs  being  .113  milligrams  of  tin  per  day. 

Using  this  rate  as  a  basis  for  calculating  the  amount  of  tin  in 
the  livers  of  the  Guinea  Pigs  numbers  six  and  seven,  at  the  end 
of  the  twenty-fifth  day,  we  would  have  2.827  milligrams  of  tin 
present  in  each  liver.  At  the  end  of  the  twenty-third  day,  dur- 
ing which  period  no  more  tin  had  been  fed,  we  still  found  .3  and 
.5  milligrams  of  tin  in  the  livers  of  Guinea  Pigs  numbered  six  and 
seven  respectively,  which  means  that  the  tin  had  been  eliminated 
from  their  livers  at  the  average  rate  of  .1099  milhgrams  and 
.1011  milligrams  per  day  respectively.  From  the  experiment,  of 
course,  it  cannot  be  known  that  this  average  rate  of  elimination 
was  the  actual  rate,  and  it  probably  was  not.  It  is  probable 
that  the  rate  of  elimination  varied  according  to  the  concentra- 
tion of  the  amount  of  tin  in  the  livers  of  the  Guinea  Pigs  and 
fell  off  as  the  concentration  decreased. 

It  may  be  observed  from  the  table  that  the  average  absorp- 
tion in  the  livers  of  the  amount  of  tin  fed  to  the  Guinea  Pigs  was 
.898%. 

These  individual  doses  were  very  large,  and  no  other  experi- 
ments have  been  carried  on  to  determine  what  the  effect  of 
smaller  doses  for  longer  periods  of  time  would  have  been. 

The  exceedingly  small  amounts  of  tin  involved  in  the  deter- 
minations were  estimated  by  a  very  delicate  iodimetric  titra- 
tion method,  using  N-lOO  Iodine.     We  consider  the  accuracy  of 


XVIll] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


33 


this  titration  to  be  ■within  3-10  of  a  cc,  which  means  that  the 
determinations  are  within  .2  milligrams  of  accuracy,  probably 
always  tending  somewhat  toward  high  results. 


TABLE  SHOWING  RESULTS  AND  ANALYSES  FROM  EXPERIMENTS 
ON  FEEDING  GUINEA  PIGS  "SALTS  OF  TIN"  IN  MEASURED 
QUANTITIES 

By  H.  a.  Baker 


GUINEA  PIGS 

No.  1 

No.  2 

No.  3 

No.  4 

No.  5 

No.  6 

No.  7 

No.  days  fed  Salts  of  Tin 

Amount  in  Milligrams  of 

tin  as  "Salts  of  Tin  "fed 

9 

12.6 

113.4 

Death 

12.7 

260 
4.88 
1.05 

.1166 
.926 

10 

12.6 
126.0 
Death 
9.8 

215 
4.56 
1.015 

.1015 
.805 

19 

12.6 
239.4 
Death 

10.0 

251 
3.98 
2.30 

.1210 
.961 

19 

12.6 
239.4 
Death 
8.9 

298 
2.99 
1.80 

.0947 
.752 

22 

12.6 
277.2 
Death 

10.0 

306 
3.27 
2.90 

.1318 
1.045 

25 

12.6 

315.0 

Living 

9.5 

(Detei 
23  day 

248.5 

3.82 

25 
12.6 

Total  Tin  fed  as  "Salts  of 
Tin  "in  Milligrams.  . .  . 

RESULT 

315.0 
Living 

Weight  of  Liver  in  Grams . 

Weight  of  Pig  in  Grams  . . 
Weight  of  Liver  as  percen- 
tage weight  of  Pig 

Tin  found  in  Liver  in  Mil- 

licTTflJIlS     

9.8 

rmined 
8  later) 

220 

9.46 

Rate  of  accumulation  oj 
tin  in  liver  per  day  in 
Milliirrams     

Percentage  total  amount 
of  tin  found  in  liver. . . 

34         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

GUINEA  PIGS  NUMBERS  SIX  AND  SEVEN 

These  were  fed  no  more  "Salts  of  Tin"  after  25  days,  but  at  the  end  of  23 
days  more  they  died  one  night  from  exposure  to  cold  from  an  open  window. 


Guinea  Pig 
No.  6 

Guinea  Pig 
No.  7 

Estimated  milligrams  of  tin  in  liver  at  end  of  25 
days,  calculated  from  average  rate  of  accumu- 
lation of  tin  in  livers  of  other  five  Guinea  Pigs . . 

Milligrams  of  tin  found  in  livers  after  23  days  rest 
from  feeding  "Salts  of  Tin" 

2.83 
.30 
.1099 

2.83 
.50 

Average  rate  of  elimination  of  tin  per  day  in  mil- 
herams 

.1015 

No  physiological  examination  was  attempted,  so  that  the  con- 
clusions from  this  work  are  somewhat  limited.  The  following 
deductions,  however,  would  appear  to  be  patent : 

First. — That  daily  doses  of  12.6  milligrams  of  tin  as  Hydrates 
were  fatal  to  the  Guinea  Pigs  in  from  nine  to  twenty-five  days 
upwards. 

Second. — That  tin  was  progressively  accmnulated  in  the  livers 
of  these  Guinea  Pigs  when  fed  daily  doses  of  12.6  milligrams  of 
tin  as  Hydrates. 

Third. — That  the  tin  accumulated  in  the  livers  of  the  Guinea 
Pigs  by  feeding,  as  above  noted,  was  eliminated  rather  slowly 
after  feeding  was  discontinued. 

It  is  desired  to  give  credit  to  W.  S.  Sellars  who  performed  the 
major  part  of  the  Laboratory  work  in  connection  with  this  exper- 
iment. 


SPECIAL   ADAPTATION    OF    IODINE    TITRATION 

METHODS    FOR   THE    ESTIMATION   OF   TIN, 

ESPECIALLY  IN   CONNECTION   WITH 

DETERMINATIONS  OF  "SALTS  OF 

TIN"    IN   CANNED   FOODS 

By  H.  a.  Bakek 
■New  York  City,  N.  Y. 

This  method  being  an  adaptation  of  parts  of  several  standard 
and  well  known  methods,  no  particular  reference  will  be  made 
to  the  sources  of  the  principles  employed  in  the  method. 

The  tin  in  the  canned  food  products  is  obtained  as  a  sulphide 
precipitate  from  wet  combustion,  with  Nitric  and  Sulphuric 
Acids,  of  100  grams  food  product. 

The  clear  Sulphuric  Acid  residue  is  diluted,  neutralized  with 
ammonia,  and  then  rendered  about  2%  acid  with  Hydrochloric 
Acid,  after  which  it  is  thoroughly  saturated  with  Hydrogen 
Sulphide  Gas.  This  precipitate  is  then  filtered  on  a  Gooch 
Crucible  with  a  false  bottom.  The  precipitate  may  contain  for- 
eign substances,  such  as  Lime,  Phosphorus  and  Silica,  some 
Lead,  or  even  small  amounts  of  Iron,  but  none  of  these  will 
cause  any  trouble  subsequently  in  the  titration  so  that  the 
labor  of  separating  the  tin  completely  from  the  precipitate  is 
obviated. 

After  washing  the  precipitate  three  or  four  times  in  a  Gooch 
Crucible,  it  is  transferred  to  a  small  porcelain  dish  by  simply 
forcing  out  the  false  bottom  of  the  Gooch  Crucible  and  its 
asbestos  pad  and  rinsing  off  the  crucible. 

The  precipitate,  mixed  with  asbestos,  is  now  transferred  to  a 
300  cc.  Erlenmeyer  Flask  and  boiled  with  strong  Hydrochloric 
Acid;  Potassium  Chlorate  being  added  from  time  to  time  to 
insure  the  complete  breaking  up  and  solution  of  the  tin  sulphide, 
as  well  as  the  elimination  of  the  sulphur.  This  is  accomplished 
in  a  very  few  minutes.    A  few  strips  of  pure  aluminum  foil,  free 

35 


36  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

from  tin,  are  then  added  to  the  flask  until  all  of  the  Chlorine  is 
eliminated.  This  flask  is  then  attached  to  a  large  Kipp  Appara- 
tus, charged  with  pure  marble  and  Hydrochloric  Acid,  delivering 
Carbon  Dioxide.  The  Carbon  Dioxide  from  the  Kipp  Apparatus  , 
is  passed  through  a  Scrubber,  then  led  into  the  Erlenmeyer  Flask 
through  a  bulbed  tube  in  the  rubber  stopper  of  the  Flask,  de- 
livering the  Carbon  Dioxide  near  the  surface  of  the  liquid  in 
the  flask.  It  is  led  out  of  the  flask  through  a  second  bulbed 
tube,  the  opening  of  which  is  near  the  top  of  the  flask,  and  the 
Carbon  Dioxide  gas  escapes  from  the  end  of  a  glass  tube  about 
10"  long,  immersed  in  water  about  8"  deep.  This  gives  a  water 
seal  to  the  dehvery  tube  and  a  pressure  against  which  the  Kipp 
Apparatus  must  work.  This  obviates  any  violent  flow  of  the 
gas  when  not  desired  and  permits  a  gas  pressure  in  the  Erlen- 
meyer Flask. 

Pure  seamless  black  rubber  tubing  and  f"  glass  are  used  to 
form  the  connections  specified. 

When  the  flask  is  thus  attached  to  the  Carbon  Dioxide  In- 
sulating Apparatus,  as  above  mentioned,  the  air  from  the  flask 
and  the  tubing  connections  is  first  thoroughly  dispelled  by 
lifting  the  delivery  tubes  out  of  the  water  cylinder  seal  so  that 
the  Kipp  Apparatus  has  practically  no  pressure  to  overcome. 
A  large  amount  of  Carbon  Dioxide  is  thus  forced  through  the 
system  and  air  is  completely  distilled.  The  rubber  stopper  in 
the  Erlenmeyer  Flask  is  then  raised,  and  about  one  gram  of 
Aluminum  Foil  is  dropped  into  the  flask.  This  quickly  reduces 
the  tin  to  the  metalHc  form  and  evolves  a  great  deal  of  Hydrogen 
Gas. 

The  flask  is  then  placed  on  a  hot  plate  and  heated  to  boiling. 
The  aluminum  disappears  and  the  tin  is  changed  into  Stannous 
Chloride.  After  a  few  minutes  boiling,  the  flask  is  set  off  the 
hot  plate  and  then  cooled  in  ice  water,  while  still  under  Carbon 
Dioxide  insulation. 

When  the  flask  is  first  attached  to  the  Kipp  Apparatus,  enough 
water  is  added  to  dilute  the  Hydrochloric  Acid  so  that  its  strength 
is  approximately  30  to  40%.  After  the  addition  of  aluminum 
foil  and  boihng,  the  acid  strength  will  be  approximately  25  to 
30%. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  37 

After  cooling,  as  above  mentioned,  the  contents  of  the  flask 
are  ready  for  Iodine  titration.  This  may  be  accomplished  by 
two  methods;  an  excess  of  Iodine  may  be  run  into  the  Erlen- 
meyer  Flask  directly  by  simply  lifting  out  the  rubber  stopper 
and  running  in  the  Iodine  solution  while  Carbon  Dioxide  is 
issuing  from  the  flask.  The  excess  of  Iodine  must  then  be 
titrated  back  with  Sodium  Thiosulphate.  Usually,  however,  it 
is  satisfactory  to  simply  detach  the  flask  from  its  rubber  tubes, 
wash  down  the  tubing,  rubber  stopper  and  sides  of  the  flask 
with  some  air  free  water,  add  starch  paste  and  titrate  directly 
and  quickly  with  N-lOO  Iodine  solution  until  a  faint  blue  color 
is  obtained.  The  asbestos  which  is  in  the  flask  will  not  interfere 
with  this  titration. 

The  air  free  water  is  made  by  boiUng  distilled  water,  adding 
a  small  amount  of  Sodium  Bicarbonate  and  then  a  slight  excess 
of  Hydrochloric  Acid. 

Only  one  sample  has  been  mentioned  so  far,  but  duplicates 
are  always  run  together,  as  the  Kipp  Apparatus  is  arranged  to 
handle  two  flasks  at  a  time,  simply  by  dividing  the  Carbon 
Dioxide  Gas  by  means  of  a  "U"  tube  and  connecting  an  arm  to 
each  Erlenmeyer  Flask.  It  is  not  only  desirable  but  necessary 
with  this  method,  as  with  practically  all  titration  methods,  to 
run  duplicate  samples.  The  N-lOO  Iodine  is  standardized  against 
pure  tin  solutions  or  food  mixtures,  such  as  Apple  Butter,  con- 
taining a  known  or  added  amount  of  salts  of  tin. 

The  advantages  which  may  be  found  iji  this  method  are : 

First: — Only  one  filtration  is  required  and  that  can  be  per- 
formed very  quickly  on  account  of  the  fact  that  it  is  performed 
under  suction. 

Second: — No  perfect  separation  of  the  tin  from  other  metallic 
precipitates  or  impurities  is  necessary. 

Third: — There  is  no  delay  at  any  point  in  the  method,  such 
as  long  washings,  waiting  for  filter  paper  to  dry,  or  the  loss  of 
time  over  very  slow  and  careful  burning  of  the  precipitate. 

Fourth: — The  titration  reading  gives  the  amount  of  tin 
directly,  as  no  corrections  are  involved. 

Fifth: — In  the  hands  of  competent  operators,  many  more 


38  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

analyses  can  be  performed  in  a  given  time  than  with  a  Gravi- 
metric method. 

Sixth: — The  accuracy  of  the  method  is  very  satisfactory,  being 
at  least  as  accurate  as  any  Gravimetric  method. 

Seventh: — This  same  method  may  be  used  directly  for  metals 
containing  tin  without  previous  separation.  Metals,  such  as  tin 
plate,  solders.  Babbitt  Metals  or  Composition  Metals  may  be 
dissolved  up  directly  with  Hydrochloric  Acid  in  an  Erlenmeyer 
Flask  attached  to  the  Kipp  Apparatus  and  titrated  precisely  as 
above  described,  by  either  direct  titration  method  or  the  excess 
method,  using,  of  course,  a  strong  Iodine  solution.  Aluminum, 
Zinc,  Iron,  Lead,  Antimony,  Bismuth  or  small  quantities  of 
Copper  do  not  interfere  with  the  method.  When  large  quantities 
of  metals  are  dissolved  directly  in  the  Erlenmeyer  Flask,  the 
addition  of  Aluminum  foil  is  not  necessary.  If  metals  are  dis- 
solved up  in  contact  with  the  air,  or  Potassium  Chlorate  is 
necessary  for  complete  solution,  they  may  be  reduced  with 
aluminum  foil  and  then  handled  exactly  as  previously  described. 


"SPRINGERS"    IN    CANNED    FOODS— CAUSES    AND 
PREVENTION 

By  H.  a.  Baker 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

"Springers"  is  a  trade  term  given  to  cans  with  bulging  ends 
which  contain  perfectly  sound  and  sterile  food  products.  They 
are  undesirable  because  the  easiest  test  for  the  Housewife  to 
apply,  to  tell  whether  the  container  is  sound,  is  to  observe  that 
the  ends  of  the  cans  are  flat  or  drawn  in  slightly.  It  is  desirable 
that  this  test  should  always  be  appUcable  and  sufficient.  There- 
fore, canned  foods  should  be  so  packed  that  no  "Springers"  will 
be  formed. 

When  a  can  is  a  "Springer"  there  is  too  much  gas  in  it  or  not 
enough  space  to  hold  the  gas  under  negative  pressure  at  all 
weather  temperatures. 

The  gases  in  the  head  space  of  these  "Springers"  are  never 
more  than  three;  Carbon  Dioxide,  Nitrogen  and  Hydrogen. 
Very  often  no  Hydrogen  is  found.  Oxygen  is  practically  never 
found. 

The  Carbon  Dioxide  is  formed  in  practically  all  canned  foods 
during  the  time  of  processing.  It  is  also  formed  excessively  if 
food  products  are  not  worked  through  quickly  from  the  beginning 
of  their  preparation  to  their  final  sterilization.  This  is  true 
particularly  of  fruit  and  vegetable  products  after  they  have  been 
peeled  or  their  cells  have  been  broken  in  any  way  or  have  been 
subjected  to  heat. 

If  food  products  are  allowed  to  stand  in  containers  before 
sterilization,  an  excessive  amount  of  Carbon  Dioxide  Gas  is 
formed. 

Nitrogen  Gas  is  simply  a  residue  from  unremoved  air.  Hydro- 
gen Gas,  when  formed,  is  the  product  of  attack  of  fruit  or  vege- 
table acids  on  the  metallic  container. 

Changes  in  temperature  of  these  cans  produce  changes  in  gas 

39 


40  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

pressure.  At  85°  Fah.  we  may  have  a  well  puffed  can,  at  60° 
one  in  which  there  is  practically  no  pressure  and  at  45°  to  50° 
there  will  be  a  vacuum.  These  changes  occur  with  a  decrease  of 
temperature  because  the  gas  itself  contracts,  the  solid  and  liquid 
contents  of  the  can  contract,  and  the  solubility  of  the  gas  is 
increased. 

"Springers"  are  usually  warm  weather  phenomena. 

The  general  history  of  the  formation  of  gas  and  its  behavior  in 
a  can  are  as  follows: 

First :— A  certain  amoimt  of  air  is-  left  in  the  can  at  the  time  of 
sealing,  even  if  the  cans  have  been  "exhausted." 

Second: — A  certain  amount  of  Carbon  Dioxide  is  formed  dur- 
ing the  processing  or  cooking  of  the  food  products.  If  they  have 
been  allowed  to  stand  after  being  prepared,  an  excessive  amount 
is  formed.  The  Carbon  Dioxide  is  usually  8  to  15%  of  the  gas 
in  the  head  space  at  ordinary  temper atiu-es.  At  higher  tem- 
peratures, more  of  the  gas  comes  out  of  solution  and  can  be 
found  in  the  head  space. 

Third : — The  oxygen  left  in  the  can  disappears,  either  by  com- 
bination with  some  element  of  the  food  product,  such  as  Butter 
Fat  in  Milk,  etc.,  or  by  combinaton  with  metal,  or 'by  com- 
bination with  Hydrogen  Gas  formed  by  the  action  of  Organic 
Acids  on  metal. 

All  three  of  these  reactions  have  been  traced.  This  withdrawal 
of  Oxygen  in  the  can  tends  to  give  the  can  a  temporary  vacuimi. 

Fourth: — When  organic  acids  are  present,  Hydrogen  Gas  is 
formed  in  plain  tin  cans  and  helps  to  make  pressure. 

Fifth : — The  influence  of  the  increase  of  heat  on  the  expansion 
of  the  soUd,  liquid  and  gaseous  contents  of  the  can,  and  the 
decrease  of  solubility  of  the  Carbon  Dioxide  Gas  are  usually 
responsible  for  the  appearance  of  "Springers." 

Sometimes  Hydrogen  Gas  Springers  are  formed  which  are 
usually  old  samples  and  could  not  be  classed  as  temperature 
springers. 

If  very  small  head  space  is  left,  it  requires  but  a  slight  expan- 
sion of  the  contents  to  change  the  contoiu-  of  the  can  from  a  flat 
to  a  bulging  condition. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  41 

These  difficulties  can  be  obviated  if  the  following  points  are 
observed: 

First : — Sufficient  space  must  be  left  in  the  can  to  receive  the 
gases  which  will  be  formed.  This  means  evenly  filled  cans  in 
which  the  exact  amount  of  head  space  has  been  determined  for 
each  food  article  and  process. 

Second: — This  head  space  must  be  "exhausted"  adequately 
so  that  enough  vacuum  is  left  to  receive  the  gases  that  will  be 
formed  and  still  leave  the  ends  of  the  containers  drawn  in  or  under 
vacuum. 

Third: — Cans,  after  sealing,  must  be  processed  as  soon  as 
possible  to  minimize  the  formation  of  Carbon  Dioxide  Gas,  and 
there  should  be  no  undue  delay  in  working  the  food  product 
through  the  factory  from  the  beginning  of  its  preparation  until 
it  is  sterilized. 

Fourth: — With  highly  acid  food  products,  the  metaUic  con- 
tainer should  have  a  protective  coating  of  enamel. 


APPARATUS   FOR   QUANTITATIVE   EXTRACTION   OF 
THE  GASES  IN  CANNED  FOOD  CONTAINERS 

By  H.  a.  Bakek 

New  York  City,  N.  Y. 

Figure  #  1  shows  the  apparatus  ready  for  use. 

Figure  #  2  shows  the  apparatus  actually  in  use,  with  the 
gas  being  collected  in  a  regular  gas  burette. 

The  apparatus  consists  of  an  extensible  strap  iron  frame  in 
which  a  can  may  be  set  and  clamped  down  by  means  of  a  screw 
clamp. 

Entering  at  the  base  of  this  steel  frame  is  a  hollow  steel  needle 
which  is  observable  in  figure  #  1.  The  rubber  stopper  shown 
alongside  of  this  needle,  in  use,  is  placed  over  the  needle.  It  is  of 
such  height  that  the  rubber  stopper  must  be  considerably  com- 
pressed before  the  steel  needle  punctures  the  bottom  of  the  can. 
The  steel  needle  is  connected  with  a  water  supply  in  the  cylinder 
having  air  pressure  in  its  top.  A  stream  of  water,  imder  about 
fifteen  poimds  pressure,  can  thus  be  forced  through  the  punc- 
turing needle  into  the  can.  Adequate  water  pressure  from  any 
other  source  would  be  satisfactory. 

The  strap  iron  holder,  which  is  either  screwed  or  clamped  on  to 
a  table,  has  a  twisted  iron  shank  so  that  it  tips  at  an  angle  of 
approximately  45°.  This  places  the  can  in  such  a  position  that  it 
can  be  punctured  and  the  gas  drawn  off  from  its  highest  point 
as  is  shown  in  figure  #  2. 

In  this  figure,  a  regular  Doremus  Gas  Extracting  Apparatus 
may  be  seen. 

Any  other  kind  of  puncturing  arrangement,  based  on  the  same 
principle,  would  answer  satisfactorily. 

This  clamp  has  a  screw  compression  which  works  on  the 
bottom  of  the  can,  and  a  hollow  steel  puncturing  needle  through 
which  the  gas  is  extracted  from  the  top  of  the  can.  The  punc- 
turing needle  is  enclosed  in  a  rubber  stopper  so  that  compression 

43 


44  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

and  tight  connection  is  necessary  before  the  steel  needle  punctures 
the  top  of  the  can. 

The  top  of  the  gas  extractor  is  connected  with  a  regular  gas 
burette  by  means  of  capillary  tubing  with  rubber  connections. 

The  complete  procedure  for  extracting  the  gas  is  as  follows: 
1st — After  the  can  is  in  place,  water  is  forced  through  the  steel 
puncturing  needle  in  the  base,  and  while  the  water  is  still  flowing 
through,  the  screw  clamp  from  the  top  is  tiu-ned  down  imtil  the 
compression  in  the  rubber  stopper  is  great  enough  to  allow  the 
needle  to  puncture  the  base  of  the  can.  Water  under  pressure 
may  then  enter  the  can.  The  Doremus  clamp  is  screwed  down 
solidly,  the  hollow  steel  needle  filled  with  water,  the  capillary 
connecting  tubes  between  the  gas  burette  and  the  extractor  are 
filled  with  waller  and  connected,  as  shown  in  figure  #  2.  The 
clamps  on  the  rubber  connections  are  then  loosened,  the  gas 
burette  opened  and  the  Doremus  clamp  screwed  down  until  the 
can  is  punctured.  The  gas  then  flows  out  through  the  capillary 
tubing,  displacing  the  water  in  the  gas  burette. 

When  all  of  the  gas  has  been  removed,  some  of  the  liquid  in  the 
can  will  come  over  and  sweep  any  gas  in  the  capillary  connections 
into  the  gas  burette  so  thaj;  quick  and  complete  extraction  of  the 
gas  from  the  head  space  of  the  sample  is  obtained. 


THE  DISAPPEARANCE  OF  OXYGEN  IN  CANNED  FOOD 

CONTAINERS 

H.  A.  Baker 
American  Can  Company,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

There  is  always  left  a  head  space  in  the  top  of  every  can  in 
which  food  is  packed.  In  this  head  space  or  chamber  there  is 
always  more  or  less  air,  even  when  an  "exhaust"  has  been  used  to 
withdraw  the  air.  The  analyses  of  probably  100  samples  of  gas 
from  these  head  spaces  from  sound  cans  containing  nearly  all 
kinds  of  food  products  have  practically  never  shown  any  oxygen 
content.  Slight  traces  have  been  found  in  cans  containing  foods 
of  less  than  two  months  age. 

The  analyses  usually  show  Carbon  Dioxide  8  to  15%  with  the 
balance  Nitrogen  Gas.  Hydrogen  is  also  found  to  be  present  in 
some  instances,  particularly  with  acid  fruits. 

It  might  be  presumed,  in  many  instances,  that  the  Oxygen 
combined  directly  with  the  food  product  in  such  oily  foods  as 
Salmon,  Evaporated  Milk,  Pork  and  Beans,  etc.,  but  the 
absence  of  Oxygen  in  all  classes  of  canned  foods  calls  for  another 
explanation,  and  in  order  to  trace  the  disappearance  of  Oxygen 
and  the  appearance  of  Hydrogen  Gas,  sample  cans  were  prepared 
containing  distilled  water,  dilute  solutions  of  Citric  Acid  and  Salt 
and  their  gas  changes  were  followed  by  analyses. 

The  analyses  of  many  samples  of  gas,  drawn  from  cans  contain- 
ing food  products,  have  shown  the  presence  of  Hydrogen  Gas, 
particularly  where  acid  fruits  were  concerned.  This  gas  does 
not  usually  appear  until  after  the  foods  have  been  packed  two  or 
three  months,  and  inasmuch  as  some  corrosion  has  necessarily 
been  taking .  place  during  this  time,  the  question  arises  why 
Hydrogen  Gas  does  not  appear  more  quickly. 

The  following  experimental  pack  and  analyses  were  made  in 
an  attempt  to  find  out  the  facts. 

Ten  regular  No.  2  cans  were  filled  as  follows: 

45 


46  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Two  cans  |  full  with  500  cc  plain  distilled  water.  . 

Two  cans  |  full  with  500  cc  solution  containing  1%  Citric  Acid. 

Two  cans  f  full  with  500  cc  solution  containing  |%  Citric  Acid 
and  1|%  Sodium  Chloride. 

Two  cans  §  full  with  300  cc  solution  containing  i%  Citric  Acid. 

Two  cans  §  full  with  300  cc  solution  containing  i%  Citric  Acid 
and  1|%  Sodium  Chloride. 

These  cans  were  sealed  cold,  leaving  head  spaces  of  approxi- 
mately 100  cc  and  300  cc  of  air  at  room  pressure  and  temperature 
in  the  cans  filled  with  500  cc  and  300  cc  hquid  respectively. 
They  were  cooked  one  hour  at  a  temperature  of  245°  Fah.  and  then 
allowed  to  cool  in  the  air.     This  was  done  on  October  9th,  1911. 

Analyses  of  the  gas  from  five  of  the  cans  were  made  42  hours 
afterwards;  one  analysis  21  days  afterwards  and  four  analyses 
8J  months  afterwards. 

The  following  are  the  gas  analyses  obtained: 

1.  Can  f  full  containing  500  cc  plain  distilled  water,  sealed 
cold,  and  processed  one  hour  at  245°  Fah. — after  standing  42 
hours  had  a  gas  content  of  the  following  analysis : 

Carbon  Dioxide  Trace 

Oxygen  13.20% 

Hydrogen  .00% 

Nitrogen  86.80% 

2.  Duphcate  of  this  sample,  after  standing  8§  months,  gave 
the  following  analysis: 

Carbon  Dioxide  Trace 

Oxygen  .00% 

Hydrogen  .  00% 

Nitrogen  100.00% 

3.  Can  I  full  containing  500  cc  of  |%  Citric  Acid  solution, 
sealed  cold,  processed  one  hour  at  245°  Fah. — after  standing  42 
hours  had  a  gas  content  analyzing  as  follows: 

Carbon  Dioxide  -70% 

Oxygen  9.65% 

Hydrogen  .00% 

Nitrogen  89 .  65% 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  47 

4.  Duplicate  of  this  sample,  after  standing  21  days,  gave  the 
following  gas  analysis: 

Carbon  Dioxide  .  85% 

Oxygen  .40% 

Hydrogen  .00% 

Nitrogen  98.75% 

5.  Can  f  full  with  500  cc  solution  containing  }%  Citric  Acid  and 
H%  Sodium  Chloride,  sealed  cold,  processed  one  hour  at  245° 
Fah. — after  standing  42  hours  had  a  gas  content  of  the  following 
analysis : 

Carbon  Dioxide  .  65% 

Oxygen  9.05% 

Hydrogen  .00% 

Nitrogen  90.30% 

6.  Duplicate  of  this  sample,  after  standing  8§  months,  had  the 
following  gas  content: 

Carbon  Dioxide  1 .  20% 

Oxygen  .00% 

Hydrogen  .60% 

Nitrogen  98.20% 

7.  Can  I  full,  containing  300  cc  |  %  Citric  Acid  solution,  sealed 
cold,  processed  one  hour  at  245°  Fah.— after  standing  42  hours 
had  a  gas  content  analyzing: 

Carbon  Dioxide  -40% 

Oxygen  11.60% 

Hydrogen  .00% 

Nitrogen  88.00% 

8.  Duplicate  of  this  sample,  after  standing  8i  months,  had 
a  gas  content  analyzing: 

Carbon  Dioxide  .20% 

Oxygen  .00% 

Hydrogen  .30% 

Nitrogen  99.50% 

9.  Can  J  full,  with  300  cc  solution,  J  %  Citric  Acid  and  1^% 
Sodium  Chloride,  sealed  cold,  processed  one  hour  at  245° 
Fah,— after  standing  42  hours,  had  the  following  gas  content: 


48          Original  Communications: 

Eighth  International        [vol. 

Carbon  Dioxide 

.40% 

Oxygen 

12.00% 

Hydrogen 

.00% 

Nitrogen 

87.60% 

10.  Duplicate  of  this  sample,  after  standing  8|  months,  gave 

the  following  gas  analysis: 

Carbon  Dioxide 

.30% 

Oxygen 

.00% 

Hydrogen 

.80% 

Nitrogen 

98.90% 

The  following  points  in  connection  with  these  analyses  are 
significant: 

1st.  Oxygen  disappeared  in  all  cans  in  the  course  of  time, 
although  the  amount  originally  left  in  the  cans  was  very  excessive. 

2nd.  Oxygen  disappeared  in  cans  containing  plain  water,  also 
in  cans  containing  acid  and  acid  and  salt  solutions. 

3rd.  Hydrogen  was  not  found  in  any  gas  analysis  until  all  of 
the  Oxygen  had  disappeared,  although  steady  acid  corrosion  had 
been  going  on. 

If  a  stronger  solution  of  Citric  Acid  had  been  used,  much  more 
Hydrogen  would  have  been  formed  and  probably  the  Oxygen 
would  have  disappeared  more  quickly. 

The  following  analyses  were  obtained  on  commercial  samples 
of  food  products : 

Can,  eighteen  months  old,  containing  Red  Raspberries,  furn- 
ished gas  of  the  following  analysis: 

Carbon  Dioxide  8.40% 

Oxygen  .00% 

Hydrogen  65.50% 

Nitrogen  26 .  10% 

Can,  nine  months  old,  containing  Red  Raspberries,  furnished 
gas  of  the  following  analysis: 

Carbon  Dioxide  10.90% 

Oxygen  .00% 

Hydrogen  16.50% 

Nitrogen  72.60% 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  49 

Can,  eighteen  months  old,  containing  Strawberries,  furnished 


gas  of  the  following  analysis: 

Carbon  Dioxide 

12.60% 

Oxygen 

.00% 

Hydrogen 

72.40% 

Nitrogen 

15.00% 

Can,  one  year  old,  containing 

Strawberries, 

the  following  analysis: 

Carbon  Dioxide 

13.20%, 

Oxygen 

.00% 

Hydrogen 

27.20%, 

Nitrogen 

69.60% 

These  containers  were  not  properly  protected  by  means  of 
enamel,  so  that  corrosion  had  been  very  excessive. 

No  analyses  of  gases  from  canned  food  containers  have  ever 
shown  Hydrogen  and  Oxygen  gas  together,  and  inasmuch  as 
Hydrogen  Gas  must  necessarily  be  formed  continuously  from  the 
beginning,  when  acid  fruits  are  present,  it  would  appear  that  the 
Hydrogen,  under  the  conditions  obtaining  in  a  tin  container, 
combines  with  Oxygen,  and  consequently  cannot  be  found  until 
all  of  the  Oxygen  has  disappeared. 

It  would  appear,  therefore,  that  Oxygen  disappears  in  tin 
food  containers  in  at  least  the  three  following  manners: 

1st.  By  combining  with  the  metals  tin  and  iron,  forming  oxides. 

2nd.  By  oxidizing  tin  or  iron  salts. 

3rd.  By  combination  with  Nascent  Hydrogen,  when  organic 
acids  act  on  the  metallic  container. 

It  is  also  probable,  in  some  instances,  that  Oxygen  combines 
directly  with  the  food  product,  during  processing,  particularly 
with  such  foods  as  Evaporated  Milk,  canned  Salmon,  Pork  and 
Beans,  etc.  in  which  there  are  oily  substances.  In  evaporated 
Milk  and  Pork  and  Beans,  there  is  some  caramelization  which 
would  also  take  up  some  Oxygen. 

The  analytical  work  reported  in  this  paper  was  done  by  W.  S. 
Sellars. 


EGGS  P] 


For  several 
used  for  pres( 
Stations,*  the 
scientists.  W 
to  learn,  but 
Thieriot  in  1! 
and  obtaining 
This  method  ] 


52  Original  Communicqitions:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


part  NajO  to  four  parts  Si02.  The  silicates  containing  such 
large  proportions  of  Na20  as  the  first  mentioned  would  be  too 
strongly  alkaline  for  keeping  eggs.*  It  has  been  found  that  eggs 
kept  in  a  strongly  alkaline  solution  absorbed  some  of  the  alkali 
and  produce  a  jelly  like  condition  of  the  whites.  It  is  probable 
that  the  Si02  is  not  readily  deposited  from  such  solutions  and 
the  pores  of  the  shell  are  not  closed  immediately,  consequently 
some  of  the  solution  finds  its  way  through  to  the  interior  and  the 
property  to  which  water  glass  owes  its  efficiency  as  a  preservative 
is  lost.  The  writer  has  obtained  very  satisfactory  results  with  a 
siUcate  containing  24 . 2  parts  of  Si02  to  8 .  89  parts  NagO  made 


Six  eggs  weighed 

when  put  in  boI- 

ution 

Six  eggs  weighed 

when  taken  out  of 

solution 

No.  1 

67.18  gms. 
55.85     " 
62.40     " 

55.76  " 
56.67     " 

53.77  " 

57 .  12  gms. 
55  85     " 

No.  2 

No.  3 

62  35     " 

No.  4 

55.75     " 

No.  5 

56  62     " 

No.  6 

53  75     " 

341.63     " 

341.44     " 

into  the  glass  by  the  dry  process  then  dissolved  by  superheated 
steam  and  made  up  to  a  syrup  testing  38  degrees  B.  One  part 
of  this  syrup  to  nine  parts  of  water  makes  a  solution  of  about 
0 .  045  specific  gravity,  in  which  fresh  eggs  readily  sink  and  will 
remain  submerged.  Eggs  kept  in  this  way  are  of  better  flavor 
than  cold  storage  stock.  They  never  have  the  musty  taste  so 
often  found  in  the  storage  goods  and  about  the  only  difference 
between  them  and  fresh  eggs  is  a  little  lack  of  flavor.  The 
shells  are  hermetically  sealed  and  no  bacteria  can  get  through 
them,  neither  can  oxygen,  consequently  if  they  contain  any  fife 
when  put  in  the  solution  it  is  very  soon  destroyed.  Six  fertile 
eggs  put  in  a  jar  of  water  glass  were  kept  in  an  incubator  for 
6  days  at  a  temperature  of  103  degrees  F.  and  an  examination 

*  Bomtraeger  (Oeslem.  Chem,  Ztg.  3, 1900,  No.  12,  p.  295. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  53 

at  the  end  of  that  time  was  made,  showing  that  the  embryo 
had  made  no  growth.  There  is  very  little  change  in  the  moisture 
content,  and,  unlike  eggs  in  cold  storage,  the  weight  remains 
practically  constant. 

The  writing  of  this  paper  and  the  limited  investigation  which 
is  here  given  was  suggested  by  a  newspaper  article  which  con- 
tained the  statement  that  eggs  preserved  in  water  glass  were 
unfit  for  food  because  they  contained  quite  a  quantity  of  soluble 
silica  which  if  taken  into  the  system  was  very  dangerous  and 
liable  to  cause  coagulation  of  the  blood.  Notwithstanding  the 
ridiculousness  of  the  statement  many  people  were  alarmed  and 
ceased  to  use  eggs  preserved  in  the  siUcate,  and  often  inquiries 
were  made  to  learn  if  any  investigations  had  been  made  to  deter- 
mine if  silica  passed  into  the  egg  content.  The  work,  therefore, 
was  undertaken  to  determine  principally  whether  eggs  kept  in 
water  glass  contained  any  more  siUca  than  fresh  eggs.  Some 
work  was  also  done  to  determine  if  any  marked  changes  take 
place  in  the  nitrogen  compounds.  The  most  noticeable  physical 
change  in  the  eggs  is  a  thinning  out  of  the  white  which  after 
the  egg  is  kept  10  or  12  months  does  not  coagulate  so  firmly 
as  does  that  of  a  fresh  egg,  and  the  white  appears  much  more 
watery. 

The  results  of  the  investigation  are  given  in  the  tables  which 
follow.  To  separate  the  yolks  from  the  whites  completely,  par- 
ticularly in  the  preserved  eggs,  it  was  found  necessary  to  boil 
the  eggs  before  breaking  them  which,  of  course,  caused  some 
loss  of  moisture.  The  methods  of  analysis  used  in  the  experi- 
ments were  those  employed  by  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry,  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture,*  in  the  work  on  cold  storage  eggs. 
The  preserved  eggs  used  weie  put  down  by  the  writer  in  a  10 
per  cent  solution  of  38  degrees  B.  water  glass  syrup,  containing 
one  part  NajO  to  2.7  parts  SiOj,  in  April  1911.  They  were, 
consequently,  when  examined  about  11  months  old.  The  other 
lot  was  put  in  the  same  kind  of  a  silicate  solution  in  February 
1912  and  examined  in  April,  consequently  were  about  two 
months  in  the  solution. 

*  Bulletin  No.  115,  Bureau  of  Chemistry,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agric. 


54  Original  Communications:   Eighth  International        [vol. 


Weight  op  Eggs,  Whites  and  Yolks  and  Loss  in  Boiling 


i 

1 

1 

s 

s 

M 

-otM 

21 

.r 

1^ 

•s 

S 

•s 

i 

•3 

1 

& 

.a 

III' 

^ 

^ 

* 

1 

1 

^ 

^h 

Grams 

Grama 

Grams 

Grams 

Grams 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

3  fresh  eggs 

171.272 

166.838 

17.93 

88.51 

59.301 

2.59 

3.81 

3  w,  g.  eggs,  one 

193.353 
175.102 

190.199 
170.304 

22.835 
18.071 

97.86 
98.683 

63.115 
52.738 

1.63 
2.74 

4.93 

3  fresh  eggs 

3.20 

3   w.  g.  eggs,  2 

months 

175.320 

169.550 

16.91 

96.81 

51.92 

3.29 

5.52 

Partial  Analysis  of  Fresh  and  Preserved  Eggs 
Wet  Basis 


1 

t 

.a 

m 

1 

Nitrogen  present  as 

1 

3  a 

1 

11 
11 

1 

<s 

t§ 

t§ 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

Percent 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

Percent 

Fresh  Eggs 

White 

87.40 

0.785 

0.005 

1.78 

1.585 

0.195 

0.115 

0.08 

Yolk 

48.05 

1.35 

0.062 

32.15 

2.655 

2.540 

0.115 

0.015 

0.10 

Preserved 

eggs.    11 

months. . 

White  .... 

85.15 

0.70 

0.006 

0.02 

2.05 

1.675 

0.375 

0.365 

0.11 

Yolk 

52.80 

1.30 

0.060 

29.70 

2.37 

2,21 

0.160 

0.008 

0.152 

2  months 

in  water 

glass. .. . 

White  .... 

86.43 

0.73 

0.012 

0.054 

2.018 

1.783 

0.235 

0.172 

0.063 

Yolk 

50.25    1.47 

0.040 

30.68 

2.53 

2.405 

0.125 

0.015 

0.110 

xvin] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


55 


Partial  Analysis  of  Fresh  and  Preserved  Eggs 
Dry  Basis 


Nitrogen  present  as 


33 
6 


Fresh  Eggs. 

White 

Yolk 

Preserved  eggs  in 
water  glass.  11 
months. 

White 

Yolk 

Preserved  eggs  in 
water  glass 
months 

White 

Yolk 


Per  cent 

6.23 
2.64 


4.71 
2.46 


5.37 
2.93 


Per  cent 

0.04 
0.119 


0.04 
0.113 


0.087 
0.080 


Per  cent 


62.98 


0.134 
56.25 


0.398 
61.04 


Percent 

14.12 
5.20 


13.80 
4.49 


14.88 
5.04 


Percent 

12.68 
4. 


11.29 
4.19 


13.14 
4.81 


Percent 

1.54 
0.225 


2.58 
0.30 


1.732 
0.23 


Percent 

0.912 
0.029 


2.46 
0.15 


1.267 
0.03 


Percent 

0.64 
0.195 


0.74 
0.288 


0.464 
0.22 


In  addition  to  the  results  given  in  the  lables  some  work  was 
done  in  coagulating  the  albumen  of  the  white  with  different 
reagents.  Three  eggs  of  each  kind  were  taken  and  the  whites 
separated  as  completely  as  possible  from  the  yolks  in  the  raw 
condition.  10  gram  samples  of  the  whites  were  treated  with 
acidulated  water  and  boiled.  The  whites  yielded  copious  floc- 
culent  precipitates  which  were  thrown  on  tared  filters,  washed 
with  hot  water,  dried  and  weighed. 

The  fresh  eggs  yielded  dried  albumen  10 . 0  per  cent. 

The  11  months  old  preserved  eggs  yielded  dried  albumen 
10 .  28  per  cent. 

Samples  treated  with  alcohol  and  allowed  to  stand  several 

hours  yielded : 

Fresh  eggs,  dried  albumen 12.00  per  cent. 

Preserved  eggs,  dried  albumen 12. 39  per  cent. 


66  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Calculated  from  nitrogen  content  (n.  x  6 .  25) 

Fresh  eggs  =  11 .  37  per  cent. 

Preserved  eggs         =  11 .62  per  cent. 

It  is  obvious  from  the  figures  here  obtained  and  those  given 
in  the  table  that  there  is  practically  no  difference  in  the  total 
coaguable  proteid  matter  of  the  fresh  or  preserved  eggs.  There 
seems  to  be  a  slight  difference  in  the  amount  of  nitrogen  or  pro- 
tein coagulated  by  heat  alone  and  is  probably  due  to  the  pres- 
ence of  albumoses  and  peptones  which  are  absent  in  fresh  eggs 
but  appear  to  develop  as  the  esgg  age.*  This  same  change  was 
noted  in  the  case  of  cold  storage  eggs,  and  reported  in  a  paper 
published  by  Dr.  H.  W.  Wiley  and  others,  t 

Conclusions 

1.  Eggs  packed  in  the  right  kind  of  water  glass  (silicate  of 
soda)  contain  no  more  siUca  or  other  ash  materials  than  fresh 


2.  The  moisture  content  remains  constant  and  a  preserved 
egg  weighs  practically  the  same  as  when  put  in  the  solution. 

3.  The  nutritive  value  as  far  as  one  can  judge  from  the 
chemical  analysis  is  the  same  as  that  of  a  fresh  egg.  The  quahty 
is  superior  to  most  cold  storage  eggs,  as  the  pores  of  the  shell 
are  closed  and  no  bad  odors  or  flavors  are  absorbed. 

'  Allen's  Commercial  Organic  Analyses,  Vol.  IV,  p.  41. 

t  Bulletin  115,  Bureau  of  Chemistry,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agric.,  p.  32. 


SOME  OF  THE  RESULTS  OF  THE  FOOD  AND  DRUGS 

ACT 

W.  D.  BiGELOW,  Ph.D. 

Chief  of  Division  of  Foods  and  Assistant  Chief,  Bureau  of  Chemistry, 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

The  complete  study  of  this  question  would  involve  the  principles 
governing  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  each  particular  kind  of 
food  and  drugs.  It  would  necessitate  the  discussion  of  the 
history  and  development  of  a  large  number  of  articles  and  of  the 
varied  influences  which  lead  to  the  adoption  and  subsequent 
discontinuance  of  individual  practices,  in  each.  This  would  lead 
us  into  a  maze  of  details  which  would  require  a  considerable  vol- 
ume for  their  adequate  presentation.  In  a  paper  of  this  scope, 
therefore,  it  is  only  possible  to  consider  some  of  the  general  prin- 
ciples involved  and  a  few  of  the  fundamental  changes  that  have 
resulted  from  the  enforcement  of  the  Act  of  June  30,  1906. 
At  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  Food  and  Drugs  Act,  notwith- 
standing the  creditable  work  that  had  been  done  by  27  States  in 
the  enforcement  of  their  laws,  labels  on  foods  were  very  frequently 
so  written  as  to  deceive  the  consumer  with  respect  to  the  charac- 
ter, value  or  origin  of  the  product. 

When  the  labels  purported  to  give  the  weight  of  the  product 
their  statement  was  commonly  exaggerated,  sometimes  being 
the  gross  weight  of  the  product  and  package  and  sometimes 
having  no  relation  to  the  weight  of  the  product  at  all.  Cans 
known  technically  as  No.  1,  2,  3,  etc.,  were  sometimes  desig- 
nated as  "1  pound,"  "2  pound,"  "3  pound,"  etc.,  though  holding 
perhaps  only  two-thirds  of  that  amount.  Bottles  of  wine,  oil 
and  other  products  measuring  five  to  a  gallon, — sometimes  a 
smaller  amount, — were  often  labeled  as  quarts.  Canned  food 
and  bottled  goods  are  still  sometimes  referred  to  in  grocers' 
lists  and  restaurants  as  "Pounds"  and  "Quarts,"  respectively, 
but  the  practice  of  designating  them  in  that  manner  on  the  label 
and  on  the  shipping  case  has  been  discontinued. 

67 


58  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

There  are  many  difficulties  encountered  in  marking  the  weight 
accurately  upon  a  package  of  some  kinds  of  food  and  it  is  prob- 
able that  the  misstatements  that  now  exist  on  labels  of  food  with 
respect  to  weight  are  often  unintentional.  The  fraudulent  state- 
ments which  were  prevalent  five  years  ago  have  almost  dis- 
appeared. 

Closely  related  to  misbranding  with  respect  to  weight  is  the 
practice  in  packing  of  canned  food  usually  known  as  "slack 
filling."  In  such  case  the  can  was  only  partially  filled  with  the 
food  in  question,  the  deficiency  usually  being  made  up  with  water 
to  prevent  the  collapsing  of  the  can.  For  instance,  peas  or  beans 
were  filled  to  within  one-half  inch,  or  possibly  sometimes  an  inch, 
of  the  point  to  which  they  should  be  filled  and  then  water  or  weak 
brine  added  to  make  up  the  proper  volume.  In  packing  cove 
oysters — in  the  extreme  illustration  of  slack  filling — only  one 
and  one-half  ounces  of  oysters  were  sometimes  placed  in  cans 
capable  of  holding  over  five  ounces  and  the  cans  were  then  filled 
with  brine.  In  tomatoes  the  cans  were  filled  probably  to  within 
an  inch  of  the  top  or  sometimes  only  half  or  two-thirds  full  and  the 
deficiency  made  up  with  water  or  perhaps  weak  brine.  Steps 
were  taken  to  correct  this  abuse  and  during  the  last  year  success- 
ful prosecutions  have  been  maintained  against  packers  of  slack 
filled  cans.  The  Department  has  announced  publicly  that  this 
practice  is  fraudulent  and  it  is  believed  that  it  has  now  been 
entirely  discontinued. 

Foods  have  been  misbranded  commonly  with  respect  to  the 
name  of  the  place,  (i.  e.  the  country  or  region)  in  which  they  were 
produced  or  manufactured.  This  practice  has  obtained  for  two 
reasons:  first,  because  of  the  desire  of  the  packer  in  one  locality 
to  take  advantage  of  a  favorable  reputation  of  another  locality 
and  so  misbrand  his  goods  as  to  the  place  of  their  manufacture; 
second,  because  of  a  certain  glamor  which  a  foreign  name  pos- 
sesses for  many  consumers.  As  an  illustration  of  the  first  class 
of  abuses  with  respect  to  geographical  name  may  be  mentioned 
the  packing  of  "Maine  Sweet  Corn"  in  Maryland,  of" Michigan 
Apples"  in  Arkansas,  of  "California  Canned  Fruit"  near  the 
Atlantic  Coast,  of  "Minnesota  Flour-"  in  the  mills  of  Iowa  and 
Missouri. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  59 


This  form  of  misbranding  gradually  shades  into  the  class  where 
the  misuse  of  a  geographical  name  causes  a  false  impression  with 
respect  to  the  material  of  which  the  food  is  made;  for  instance, 
the  term  "Vermont  Sirup"  or  "Ohio  Syrup"  means  maple  sirup 
to  the  consumer  because  that  is  the  only  sirup  made  in  Vermont 
and  Ohio.  These  terms  have  been  used  frequently  on  the  label 
of  a  cane  sugar  sirup  colored  and  sometimes  flavored  in  imitation 
of  maple  sirup.  This  form  of  misbranding  has  been  corrected 
generally  with  reference  to  the  staple  articles  of  the  United 
States. 

Material  progress  has  been  made  in  correcting  this  form  of 
misbranding  in  the  case  of  foreign  products  and  of  foods  manu- 
factured in  the  United  States  in  imitation  of  foreign  products. 
Some  of  the  brands  of  coffee  which  were  formerly  labeled  "Mocha 
and  Java,"  for  instance,  are  now  merely  called  "Coffee."  Im- 
porters have  been  required  to  discontinue,  on  imported  foods, 
the  language  of  another  country  than  that  of  their  manufacture. 
Progress  has  been  made  in  the  correction  of  the  label  of  imported 
wines  which  are  commonly  misbranded  with  respect  to  their 
character  or  class.  Progress  has  also  been  made  in  the  correction 
of  the  labels  of  certain  products  manufactured  in  the  United 
States  in  imitation  of  foreign  products,  such  as  macaroni  and 
tomato  paste.  Several  kinds  of  cheese  manufactured  in  imitation 
of  well  known  foreign  varieties  are  now  labeled  with  the  place 
of  their  manufacture.  Rice  grown  in  this  country  from  Japan 
seed  is  labeled  as  grown  in  the  United  States.  A  product  formerly 
called  "Holland  Rusk"  with  the  label  embellished  with  Dutch 
scenery  is  now  labeled  as  made  in  Holland,  Michigan,  and  the 
Dutch  windmill  has  been  removed  from  the  label.  This  form  of 
misbranding  again  merges  into  adulteration  as,  for  instance,  when 
cottonseed  oil  grown  in  the  United  States  is  placed  in  decorated 
tins  so  labeled  as  to  represent  the  product  to  be  an  Italian  olive 
oil.  These  practices  still  obtain  to  a  certain  extent,  though  to  a 
much  less  degree  than  formerly. 

One  of  the  prevalent  forms  of  misbranding  is  the  use  on  the 
label  of  exaggerated  claims  regarding  the  strength  and  the  nutri- 
tive value  of  the  product.  This  form  of  misbranding  is  especially 
applicable  to  proprietary  remedies  but  has  also  been  practiced 


60  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

largely  with  foods.  Flavoring  extracts  were  often  labeled  "Double 
Strength,"  or  "Triple  Strength,"  although  the  products  so  labeled 
were  rarely  beyond  standard  strength,  and  not  infrequently 
were  entirely  fictitious.  Breakfast  foods  and  infant  foods  carried 
on  their  labels  a  glowing  description  of  their  miraculous  nutritive 
value  and  sometimes  curative  properties.  Cereal  preparations 
of  ordinary  composition  without  any  of  the  starch  having  been 
removed  were  sold  under  labels  representing  them  to  be  diabetic 
foods.  These  practices  have  largely  passed  away  as  far  as  the 
labels  are  concerned.  Unfortunately,  the  law  does  not  reach 
posters  and  advertising  matter  sent  through  the  mails  and  by 
such  means  fraudulent  statements  regarding  the  quality  and 
nutritive  value  of  some  preparations  is  conveyed  to  the  consumer. 
The  labels  themselves,  however,  have  been  greatly  improved. 

The  addition  to  foods  of  substances  of  lower  value  to  serve  as 
a  make  weight  and  thus  cheapen  the  food  has  largely  been  dis- 
continued. At  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  Food  and  Drugs 
Act  such  practices  had  been  made  away  with  in  a  number  of  the 
States  but  in  other  States  and  indeed  in  interstate  commerce 
they  were  still  quite  prevalent.  As  illustrations  of  this  practice 
may  be  cited  rye  flour  and  buckwheat  flour,  both  of  which  con- 
tained a  substantial  amount  of  wheat  flour;  spices  which  were 
commonly  loaded  with  cereal  preparations,  ground  olive  stones, 
cocoanut  shells,  etc.,  a  line  of  preparations  being  manufactured 
and  sold  for  the  purpose  of  adulterating  spices  and  pepper  shells 
and  olive  stones  being  imported  into  this  country  for  that  purpose. 

At  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  Food  and  Drugs  Act  there  was 
little  pure  maple  syrup  manufactured  commercially  and  sold  in 
interstate  commerce.  Immediately  after  the  law  went  into  effect 
there  was  practically  no  maple  syrup  to  be  had  but  brands  of 
so-called  maple  syrup  which  had  formerly  borne  on  the  label 
an  offer  of  a  large  reward  to  anyone  who  would  prove  the  presence 
of  any  adulterant  appeared  under  a  new  label,  declaring  the 
contents  of  the  package  to  be  a  mixture  of  maple  syrup  and  cane 
sugar  syrup. 

Cider  vinegar  was  commonly  diluted  with  water  to  reduce 
its  strength  in  acetic  acid  to  the  desired  percentage  and  since  this 
dilution  brought  the  solids  content  down  to  a  lower  figure  than 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  61 

that  in  commonly  accepted  standards  a  quantity  of  boiled  cider 
was  added.  It  only  remained  to  add  a  larger  quantity  of  boiled 
cider  and,  of  water  and  then  to  strengthen  with  distilled  vinegar 
to  obtain  much  larger  yields  and  this  practice  merged  gradually 
into  the  preparation  of  an  entirely  fictitious  product  manufac- 
tured from  distilled  vinegar,  with  color  added  and  solids  in  the 
form  of  boiled  cider.  The  detection  of  practices  of  this  kind  by 
analytical  means  offered  many  difiicult  problems  which  have 
been  partly  solved  and  maple  sirup  and  cider  vinegar  may  be 
cited  as  types  of  a  large  number  of  products  which  are  now  sold 
in  the  pure  state  to  a  very  much  larger  degree  than  was  true  at 
the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  Food  and  Drugs  Act. 

The  two  classes  of  substances  relied  on  chiefly  by  the  manu- 
facturer in  the  preparation  of  fictitious  products  are  colors  and 
flavors.  It  was  a  difficult  matter  to  handle  either  of  these  classes 
of  substances  in  such  a  way  as  to  imitate  a  natural  food.  The 
manufacturer  who  uses  them  is  likely  to  go  to  extremes  and  the 
fictitious  products  he  puts  on  the  market  are  frequently  of  a  hue 
that  is  scarcely  to  te  found  in  nature,  whereas  the  flavors  are  also 
commonly  in  excess.  The  improvement  in  natural  products 
that  has  attended  the  work  of  the  last  five  years,  accompanied 
by  the  better  information  of  the  public  regarding  such  matters, 
has  resulted  in  a  growing  aversion  for  fictitious  colors  and  fiavors 
and  many  lines  of  products  which  were  formerly  in  demand  are 
now  regarded  by  the  public  with  disfavor.  Moreover  the  whole- 
someness  of  the  colors  employed  has  been  considered.  The 
Department  has  authorized  the  use  in  foods  of  a  Ust  of  7  coal 
tar  colors  and  these  must  be  manufactured  in  such  a  way  as  to  be 
free  from  arsenic  and  other  deleterious  substances.  Manufac- 
turers have  to  a  large  extent  complied  with  this  regulation. 

To  a  much  greater  extent  than  ever  before  manufacturers  are 
giving  attention  to  the  question  of  the  wholesomeness  of  sub- 
stances used  in  the  preparation  of  foods.  Formerly  this  was  not 
the  case.  When  it  was  desired  to  begin  the  use  of  a  preparation 
in  the  manufacture  of  foods  the  ordinary  article  of  commerce  was 
frequently  employed  without  any  thought  of  its  possible  injurious 
properties.  When  acid  phosphate  was  employed,  for  instance, 
in  the  preparation  of  a  food  or  drug  the  acid  phosphate  of  com- 


62  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

merce  was  used  and  it  was  not  known  that  it  contained  a  consid- 
erable amount  of  arsenic.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  lead 
pipes  have  been  known  for  generations  to  be  improper  for  con- 
ducting water  for  household  purposes,  they  were  employed  for 
tartaric  and  citric  acid  which  were  intended  to  be  used  as  foods 
and  a  relatively  large  amount  of  lead  thus  found  its  way  into  the 
product  placed  on  the  market  for  ordinary  consumption. 

When  a  confectioner  desired  to  give  a  gloss  to  some  of  his 
wares  it  occured  to  him  that  the  product  used  by  the  painter 
would  meet  his  requirements  and  he  took  ordinary  shellac  with- 
out considering  whether  the  lac  itself  was  injurious  to  health  and 
without  thinking  of  the  fact  that  the  shellac  of  commerce  contains 
a  considerable  amount  of  arsenic.  We  even  found  a  large  shipper 
of  green  coffee  who  desiring  to  polish  his  wares  and  give  them  a 
faint  yellowish  shade,  used  the  first  yellow  powder  which  came 
to  his  attention  and  this  happened  to  be  chromate  of  lead. 
When  it  was  desired  to  prolong  the  life  of  certain  foods  and  at 
the  same  time  make  unnecessary  the  care  in  handling  which 
would  otherwise  be  necessary  among  the  preservatives  suggested 
and  largely  employed  are  some  substances  whose  toxicity  was 
universally  admitted;  e.g. — formaldehyde  and  ammonium  fluorid. 

The  important  point  is  not  that  sopie  practices  of  this  nature 
have  been  corrected  and  others  are  being  corrected  at  this  time, 
but  that  there  is  a  rapidly  growing  tendency  on  the  part  of  manu- 
facturers when  considering  the  use  of  a  new  or  unusual  substance 
or  preparation  in  the  manufactm-e  of  food  to  consider  whether 
it  is  injurious  to  health,  either  because  of  its  nature  or  compo- 
sition or  because  of  certain  impurities  and  whether  for  any  reason 
its  addition  to  food  is  objectionable. 

The  removal  of  the  manufacture  of  prepared  foods  from  the 
home  to  the  factory  has  made  great  changes  in  our  civiUzation 
and  made  necessary  precautions  which  were  before  unthought  of. 
One  of  the  most  prominent  characteristics  of  civihzation  is  the 
increased  emphasis  placed  on  cleanliness  and  sanitary  conditions. 
It  is  only  this  fact  which  has  made  possible  in  the  home  during  the 
last  century  the  preparation  of  many  of  the  domestic  preserved 
foods  which  are  now  most  prevalent.  The  manufacture  of  these 
foods  in  the  factory,  however,  has  not  been  confined  to  men  who 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  63 

were  qualified  to  enforce  sanitary  conditions  such  as  are  necessary 
for  the  successful  preparation  of  many  articles  of  food.  The 
result  has  been  that  we  have  had  placed  on  the  market  on  the  one 
hand  preparations  in  a  more  or  less  advanced  state  of  decay  and 
on  the  other  hand  substances  contaminated  with  pathogenic 
organisms.  Thus  there  have  been  cases  of  contaminated  water 
being  bottled  and  sold  as  spring  water  and  being  used  for  the 
preparation  of  soft  drinks  and  for  serving  from  soda  fountains. 

Tomato  catsup  has  been  prepared  from  the  peeUngs  and  cores 
of  unwashed  tomatoes,  including  a  considerable  part  of  rotting 
material,  and  by  a  process  and  amid  surroundings  which  caused 
additional  decomposition  to  take  place  during  the  course  of 
manufacture.  Ripe  olives  and  figs  were  often  imported  into  the 
United  States  in  a  wormy  and  decomposed  condition.  So  little 
attention  was  given  to  the  matter  that  it  was  the  custom  of  rail- 
roads to  sell  unclaimed  food  products  resulting  from  wrecks  to 
the  highest  bidder  with  a  knowledge  that  they  would  be  placed 
on  the  market  indiscriminately. 

Badly  contaminated  water  has  been  used  for  cleansing  milk 
cans  in  dairies  and  together  with  contaminated  ice  has  not  in- 
frequently been  added  to  the  milk.  The  sanitary  condition  of 
dairy  stables  has  frequently  been  bad.  Eggs  so  far  advanced 
in  decomposition  that  they  would  not  be  used  by  a  housekeeper 
have  been  broken  in  large  quantities  and  placed  on  the  market 
either  dried  or  frozen.  Oysters  and  clams  have  been  taken  from 
contaminated  water  and  placed  on  the  market  with  the  inevitable 
result  of  spreading  typhoid  fever. 

These  sanitary  problems  offer  difficulties  which  cannot  be 
overcome  in  a  day  but  in  all  of  them  material  progress  has  been 
made.  A  number  of  the  States,  realizing  the  importance  of 
sanitary  requirements,  have  enacted  special  sanitary  laws  whose 
enforcement  has  done  much  to  improve  the  conditions  formerly 
existing.  Of  still  greater  importance,  however,  is  the  fact  that 
manufacturers  as  a  whole  have  become  interested  in  the  deside- 
rata of  a  food  manufacturing  establishment  from  a  sanitary 
standpoint  and  the  changes  resulting  in  the  cleanliness  of  their 
estabhshments,  as  well  as  in  their  utensils  and  the  character  of 
the  raw  material  they  employ,  are  among  the  most  satisfactory 


64         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

results  of  the  recent  enforcement  of  food  legislation.  Whereas 
formerly  only  rule  of  thumb  methods  were  employed  we  now  meet 
chemists,  bacteriologists  and  microscopists  in  many  general  food 
manufacturing  establishments.  It  is  frequently  made  the  duty 
of  some  special  officer  to  study  and  be  responsible  for  the  sanitary 
condition  of  the  factory.  The  health  of  the  employees  is  con- 
sidered with  reference  to  the  influence  it  may  have  upon  the  food. 
Cleanliness  is  more  frequently  reqxiired,  as  well  as  uniforms  or 
special  factory  clothes,  and  in  some  establishments  manicurists 
are  employed. 

The  nmnber  of  prosecutions  that  have  been  successfully  main- 
tained for  the  violation  of  the  law  is  of  minor  importance  com- 
pared with  this  change  in  the  attitude  of  the  manufacturers. 


SUR     L'ANALYSE     DU     PHOSPHORE     DANS     LES 
CENDRES   DU  LAIT 

M.  LE  De.  Bokdas 
College  de  France,  Paris,  France 

L'exp6rience  nous  a  d6montr6  que  I'acide  phosphorique  exist- 
ant  k  r^tat  de  phosphates  dans  les  cendres  d'un  lait  correspond 
k  la  totality  du  Ph  contenu  dans  ce  liquide,  c'est-3,-dire  au  Ph 
mineral  et  au  Ph  organique:  l^cithine,  nucl^ine,  etc.  .  .  . 
Cette  particularity  est  tr6s  importante  k  connaitre  pour  ^Adter 
certaines  erreurs  d'appr^ciation  sur  la  valeur  alimentaire  du  lait. 

II  s'ensuit  done,  pour  le  cas  particulier  du  lait  de  vache, 
lorsqu'on  fait  les  cendres  de  ce  liquide  on  ne  provoque  aucune 
disparition  de  phosphore  par  Taction  du  charbon  sur  les  phos- 
phates, et  la  mati^re  grasse  n'entraine  aucune  partie  du  phos- 
phore k  l'6tat  de  combinaison  volatile.  II  est  inutile  d'ajouter 
des  sels  de  chaux,  de  baryte,  de  magn^sie,  etc.,  comme  le  pr4- 
conisent  plusieurs  auteurs,  pour  4viter  des  pertes  en  phosphore 
par  calcination. 

Le  phosphore  total  d'un  lait  pent  done  6tre  dos6  directement 
sur  ses  cendres.  D'autre  part,  en  precipitant  le  lait  par  I'acide 
trichlorac^tique  on  determine  le  Ph  mineral  dans  le  lactoserum 
et  le  Ph  organique  dans  le  coagulum. 


65 


L'ACIDITE  ORIGINELLE  DU  LAIT 

M.  LE  Dk.  Bordas 
College  de  France,  Paris,  France 

Les  auteurs  ne  sont  pas  tous  d'accord  sur  la  reaction  k  attribuer 
au  lait,  pour  les  uns  ce  liquide,  k  V6tat  frais,  serait  acide,  pour 
les  autres,  il  serait  amphotfere,  c'est-^-dire  possdderait  une 
reaction  alcaline  et  une  reaction  acide. 

En  6tudiant  cette  question  nous  avons  constats  que  ces  diver- 
gences d'opinions  r(5sidaient  uniquement  dans  I'emploi  d'indi- 
cateurs  qui  ne  r^pondaient  pes  aux  conditions  exp6rimentales. 

Nous  avons  6tabli  que  la  phtal^ine  du  phenol  est  I'indicateur 
de  choix  pour  6tudier  la  reaction  du  lait.  Lorsque  ce  liquide  est 
pr6cipit6  par  notre  r^actif  alcool  65°  ac6tique  k  1-1000  nous 
constatons,  en  tenant  compte  de  racidit6  du  r&ictif,  que  I'acidit^ 
totale  d'un  lait  frais  se  retrouve  dans  le  coagulum  et  qu'elle  est 
due  exclusivement  k  la  cas^ine  libre. 

L'exp6rience  nous  a  d6montr6  ^galement  qu'il  existe  dans  un 
lait  frais  aucun  acide  libre,  lactique,  citrique,  ni  aucun  sel  k 
fonction  acide,  que  I'augmentation  de  l'acidit6  d'un  lait  pro- 
vient  tout  d'abord  de  la  cas^ine  d6plac6e,  de  sa  combinaison 
calcique,  par  Taction  de  Tacide  lactique  form6  aux  d^pens  du 
lactose  et  que  I'acidit^  lactique  n'apparait  ensuite  que  lorsque 
cet  acide  a  r6agi  sur  les  sels  de  chaux  du  lait. 


67 


DE    L' ACTION    DU    LAIT   SUR   CERTAINS   REACTIFS 

M.  LE  Dr.  Bobdas 
College  de  France,  Paris,  France 

Pour  expliquer  les  ph6nom6nes  p6roxydasiques  obtenus  au 
sein  d'un  liquide  on  s'appuie  en  g6n6ral  sur  I'existence  de  sub- 
stances diastasiques  que  certain  consid^re  comme  une  indi- 
viduality d^finie.  Or,  jusqu'ici,  il  n'a  pas  6t6  possible  d'isoler 
k  I'^tat  de  puret6  les  matiSres  diastasiques  actives  et  toujours 
nous  les  retrovons  k  c6t6  d'616nients  min^raux.  II  existe  done 
une  relation  6troite  entre  tous  ces  616ments  et  leur  ensemble 
constitue  un  systSme  p^roxydasique  que  nous  retrouvons  dans 
r^tude  des  diastases  du  lait. 

Le  but  que  nous  poursuivons  consiste  k  rechercher  le  m6ca- 
nisme  qui  preside  aux  reactions  color6es  obtenues  dans  le  lait 
avec  certains  r^actifs. 

Nous  allons  nous  occuper,  en  particulier  de  Taction  de  la 
paraphdnylfenediamine  sur  le  lait,  ce  corps  formant  le  r^actif  le 
plus  sensible  pour  la  recherche  des  p^roxydases  du  lait. 

Dans  cette  6tude  nous  avons  6t6  amends  k  reproduire  artifi- 
ciellement  des  ph6nom6nes  p6roxydasiques  k  I'aide  de  sub- 
stances prises  souvent  en  dehors  des  mat^riaux  existant  dans 
le  lait.   - 

On  sait  que  la  paraph6nyl6nediamine  par  oxydation  forme  de 
la  quinone.  Cette  oxydation  se  produit  d6ja  en  laissant  exposer 
k  I'air  une  solution  aqueuse  de  cette  base  qui  devient  plus  ou 
mains  brune  suivant  le  temps  d' exposition.  On  arrive  6galement 
k  ce  r^sultat  par  Taction  d'un  courant  d'O  ou  par  la  decom- 
position de  TH*0*  au  sein  d'une  solution  aqueuse  de  cette  dia- 
mine, mais  on  obtient  aucune  coloration  bleue  comme  celle  qui 
se  produit  dans  un  lait  frais  additionn6  d'H^'O"  et  de  para- 
ph6nyl6nediainine.  Cette  coloration  n'est  done  pas  le  r^sultat 
d'une  simple  oxydation,  il  est  en  effet  n^cessaire  de  faire  inter- 
venir  une  autre  cause  pour  expliquer  la  coloration  bleue. 

69 


70         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Nous  avons  constats  qu'elle  6tait  due  ^  Taction  d'ua  produit 
interm^diaire  entre  la  paraph^nyl^nediamine  et  la  quinone  sur 
les  sels  de  chaux. 

II  nous  suffit  par  exemple,  de  verser  une  goutte  d'une  solution 
de  paraph^nyl^nediamine  sur  un  b&ton  de  craie  pour  obtenir 
imm^diatement  une  coloration  bleue. 

Ceci  nous  conduit  k  obtenir  directement  cette  coloration  avec 
certains  sels  de  chaux  en  m^me  temps  que  ces  sels  nous  servant 
de  catalyseurs  de  H'O^  pour  I'oxydation  de  la  paraph^nyl^ne- 
diamine. 

Prenons,  en  effet,  du  citrate  de  chaux  on  du  phosphate  tri- 
calcique  purs  et  sees,  ajoutons  2  ou  3  gouttes  d'  H^O^  et  melan- 
geons,  si  on  ajoute  ensuite  une  goutte  ou  deux  d'une  solution 
fraiche  de  paraph^nylSnediamine  £i  2%  on  obtient  imm^diate- 
ment  la  coloration  bleue  en  question  qui  se  fixe  sur  le  sel  de 
chaux.  Si  avant  d'ajouter  le  r6actif  on  d^laye  dans  I'eau  les 
sels  de  chaux  insolubles  et  oxygen^s  on  constate  encore  la  colora- 
tion bleue  qui  reste  tou jours  fix^e  sur  la  chaux. 

Cette  reaction  se  divise  done  en  deux  phrases: 

1° — Oxydation  de  la  base  par  un  ph^nomfene  catalytique. 

2° — Coloration  bleue  produite  par  la  chaux  du  sel  sur  le 
r^actif  oxyde. 

Nous  avons  toujours  obtenu  ces  r6sultats  avec  des  poudres 
sfeches  impr^gn^es  d'H^O^  et  renfermant  de  la  chaux,  et  toutes 
les  fois  que  la  chaux  n'^tait  plus  en  presence  la  reaction  6tait 
negative. 

Les  experiences  suivantes  sont  en  effet  tr&s  concluantes. 

Si  dans  deux  petites  capsules  on  place  dans  I'une  de  la  pierre 
ponce  ordinaire  et  dans  1' autre  la  m^me  pierre  ponce  trait6e  par 
I'eau  r6gale,  lav6e  k  I'eau  et  sech6e  k  100°,  puis  qu'on  r^pete 
Texp6rience  pr6c6dente,  on  constate  que  les  grains  de  pierre 
ponce  ordinaire  sont  seuls  color6s.  Les  mgmes  r^sultats  sont 
^galement  obtenus  avec  de  la  cas^ine  priv6e  ou  non  de  sa  chaux 
comme  nous  I'avons  signals  dans  un  travail  ant^rieur.  Nous 
ferons  remarquer  en  outre,  que  cette  coloration  bleue  ne  se 
produit  que  dans  un  milieu  tr^s  l^gferement  acide. 

En  r6sum6,  nous  pouvons  admettre,  d'aprSs  ces  experiences, 


xvin]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  71 

que  I'oxydation  de  la  paraph6nyl6nediainine  produit  vm  laque 
bleu-indigo  en  presence  d'un  sel  de  chaux. 

Voyons  maintenant  ce  qui  se  passe  lorsqu'on  recherche  les 
p6roxydases  du  lait  au  moyen  de  la  paraph^nylenediamine. 

D'apr^s  les  theories  actuelles  il  existerait  dans  le  lait  frais-des 
diastases  capables  de  decomposer  I'H'O*  et  I'oxygfene  mis  en 
libert6  provoquerait  la  coloration  bleu-indigo  de  la  paraph6nyl- 
Snediamine,  d' autre  part,  on  salt  qu'un  lait  port6  k  80°  perd  la 
propri6t6  de  decomposer  I'eau  oxyg6nee. 

La  modification  apport6e  par  la  chaleur  dans  un  lait  frais  est 
due  k  la  coagulation  d'une  partie  de  la  mati^re  prot6ique  qui 
empfeche  la  decomposition  de  I'H^O*  ajoutee  au  lait,  mais  nous 
sommes  parvenus  h,  isoler  neanmoins  le  catalyseur  d'un  lait 
bouilli  au  moyen  de  la  centrifugation  comme  nous  I'avons 
demontre  ant6rieurement,  c'est-^-dire,  en  recueillant  le  d^pdt 
forme  au  fond  du  tube  du  centrifugeur  et  la  cr^me  qui  surnage. 
Ces  deux  parties  du  lait  bouilli  ou  sterilise  sont  capables  de 
decomposer  TH^O''  et  oxyder  la  paraphenylfenediamine  donnant 
la  coloration  bleue  en  presence  de  la  chaux. 

Une  experience  nouvelle  plus  concluante  encore  nous  a  per- 
mis  d'obtenir  une  reaction  positive  avec  la  paraphenylfinedia- 
mine  sur  le  lait  entier  chauffe  k  plus  de  80°  mais  homogeneise  h 
I'aide  d'une  machine  pulverisant  le  lait  k  une  pression  de  200 
atmosphkes.  Cette  operation  ayant  pour  effet  de  donner  k 
toutes  les  molecules,  des  corps  insolubles  contenues  dans  le  lait 
une  mfeme  dimension.  On  retabUt  ainsi,  dans  une  certaine 
mesure,  I'etat  colloidal  primitif  du  lait  et  son  catalyseur  a  pu 
agir  k  nouveau  sur  I'H^O*  et  donner  en  presence  de  la  para- 
phenylSnediamine  la  coloration  bleue. 

Nous  ecartons  dans  cette  experience  comme  dans  toutes 
celles  que  nous  avons  faites  sur  les  laits  bouillis  les  causes 
d'erreur  dues  k  la  presence  de  bacteries  ou  de  muscedinees  qui 
peuvent  exister  lorsqu'on  opere  avec  des  laits  alteres. 

Nous  avons  constate  que  la  reaction  avec  du  lait  homogeneise 
est  moins  intense  qu'avec  du  lait  frais  mais  il  n'en  reste  pas 
moins  etabli  que  nous  pouvons  redonner  par  un  procede  meca- 
nique  k  du  lait  chauffe  k  plus  de  80°  son  pouvoir  peroxydasique. 

Nous  avons  encore  demontre  avec  ces  laits  que  la  coloration 


72  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

bleue  du  r^actif  employ^  est  bien  due  a  la  presence  des  sels  de 
chaux  du  lait.  En  efEet,  en  prenant  un  lait  fix6  et  st6rilis6,  nous 
pouvons  lui  rendre  son  maximum  d' action  en  introduisant  dans 
ce  lait  un  catalyseur  artificiel,  soit  une  poudre  pulv^rulente 
insoluble  sans  action  chimique  comma  la  Sio"  pure  par  exemple, 
soit  des  traces  d'une  solution  d' oxalate  de  fer.  Dans  ces  condi- 
tions la  coloration  bleue  avec  la  paraphenylenediamine  devient 
trSs  intense. 

Toutes  ces  experiences  d^montrent  bien  que  les  reactions 
negatives  avec  le  r^actif  k  la  paraph^nyl&nedi amine  dans  im 
lait  chauffe  k  80°  ne  sont  dues  qn'h  un  changement  d'etat  phy- 
sique du  lait  et  que  les  peroxydases  ou  les  catalases  qui  ont  6t6 
signages,  et  qu'aucun  auteur  n'a  pu  isoler  h  I'^tat  de  puret6 
doivent  6tre  consid6r6es  jusqu'^  present  comme  des  combinai- 
sons  organo-m^talliques  jouant  un  role  chimique  et  non  bio- 
logique. 


A  CHEMICAL  INVESTIGATION  OF  ASIATIC  RICE 

By  Allerton  S.  Cushman  and  H.  C.  Fxtller 

Institute  of  Industrial  Research,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Introduction. 

The  following  paper  contains  a  description  and  the  results  of 
a  complete  chemical  investigation  of  twenty-seven  samples  of 
Asiatic  rice,  which  was  recently  carried  out  at  the  instance  of 
the  Siamese  Government.  The  samples  were  collected  in  the 
open  market  at  Singapore  and  Shanghai  and  no  effort  was  made 
to  prepare  them  in  any  way  differently  from  those  rices  which 
are  ordinarily  exposed  for  sale  in  the  Asiatic  market.  The 
relation  of  an  exclusive  rice  diet  on  the  etiology  of  beri-beri 
disease  has  been  much  discussed  for  a  number  of  years  past. 
This  paper  does  not  pretend  to  decide  this  controversy  but  is 
offered  as  a  contribution  to  the  general  knowledge  of  the  chemical 
constitution  of  rice.  As  far  as  the  authors  are  aware  the  results 
on  the  phosphate  content  of  eastern  rices  is  the  most  complete 
as  yet  published. 

Description  of  Samples. 

The  samples  reached  the  Institute  on  October  30th,  1911, 
and  the  box  containing  them  was  opened  on  October  31st.  The 
samples  were  contained  in  twenty-seven  10  pound  cotton  bags 
numbered  serially  1  to  27.  No  other  distinguishing  marks  or 
information  was  found. 

The  cotton  bags  were  found  to  be  frail  and  rotten  and  ia  some 
cases  were  broken  through,  so  that  the  contents  had  partially 
escaped.  All  the  samples  contained  living  weevils,  and  a  few 
worms  and  beetles  were  also  found.  The  condition  of  the  sam- 
ples made  it  necessary  to  hand  pick  them  to  remove  insects. 
They  were  then  immediately  packed  in  glass  bottles,  stoppered 
and  labeled. 

The  appearance  of  the  samples  indicated  that  they  represented 
a  medium  grade  of  white  or  milled  rices.  On  the  trip  from  the 
4  73 


74  Original  Communications:   Eighth  International        [vol. 

Far  East  the  samples  had  evidently  suffered  desiccation  with  the 
result  that  some  of  the  grains  had  become  abraded  and  broken. 
As  it  was  not  believed,  however,  that  the  grain  had  suffered  in 
such  a  way  as  to  affect  the  chemical  analysis  except  in  regard 
to  moisture  content  and  the  weight  per  100  grains,  it  was  de- 
cided to  be  unnecessary  to  delay  the  investigation  by  awaiting 
a  new  importation  of  samples  from  the  Far  East. 

The  Analytical  Work. 

The  analytical  work  was  carried  out  by  the  methods  recom- 
mended by  the  Association  of  Official  Agricultural  Chemists 
of  the  United  States,  and  comprised  the  following  elements 
usually  sought:  Moisture,  Ash,  Proteids,  Ether  Extract  (mainly 
Fat),  Fibre,  Starch  and  other  Carbohydrates,  Weight  per  100 
Grains. 

The  above  determinations  have  usually  been  accounted 
sufficient  to  fix  the  nutrition  value  of  a  given  cereal.  In  view, 
however,  of  a  recently  published  claim  that  milled  rices  are 
deficient  in  organically  combined  phosphorous,  phosphate  deter- 
minations were  carried  out  on  each  sample.  The  results  have 
been  carefully  checked  and  may  be  taken  as  accurate  for  the 
samples  worked  on. 

Tabulation  of  Results. 

The  results  of  the  analytical  work  on  the  twenty-seven  sam- 
ples submitted  are  given  in  Table  I,  with  the  exception  of  the 
phosphate  contents  which  are  tabulated  separately  in  Table  III. 
Table  II  gives  the  results  of  analysis  of  two  fresh  samples  of 
South  Carolina  (U.  S.  A.)  rices  bought  at  a  prominent  grocery 
house  in  Washington,  D.  C.  These  samples  are  denominated 
Numbers  29  and  30.  Sample  29  is  the  ordinary  very  white  large 
grained  rice  as  sold  in  the  United  States  at  about  ten  cents  a 
pound.  Sample  30  was  sold  for  a  sKghtly  higher  price  and  pur- 
ported to  be  a  "natural  uncoated  special  pure  rice."  Table  III 
gives  the  phosphate  content  of  all  samples,  reported  as  phos- 
phoric anhydride,  PaOs.  In  Appendix  A  are  given  the  results 
of  an  examination  of  various  rices  exhibited  at  the  World's 
Columbian  Exhibition,  at  Chicago,  in  1893,  the  analyses  made  by 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


75 


the  Division  of  Chemistry,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 
Appendix  A  is  preceded  by  an  extract  from  Bulletin  No.  13,  and 
is  followed  by  a  summing  up  of  the  results. 


TABLE  I 

Resttlts"'  of  Analysis  op  Twenty-Seven  Samples  op  Rice  Submitted 

TO  THE  Institute  op  Industrial  Research  by  the  Siamese 

Legation,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Sam- 

Ether 

Starch 

ple 

No. 

Weight  of 

Mois- 

Ash 

Ex- 

Crude 

Pro- 

and  Car- 

100 Grains 

ture 

tract 

Fibre 

teida 

bohy- 

drates 

1 

1 .  565  grams 

11.02% 

0.46% 

0.31% 

0.40% 

8.13% 

79.68% 

2 

1.39 

10.99% 

0.51% 

0.29% 

0.60% 

8.25% 

79.36% 

3 

1.181      " 

11.11% 

0.56% 

0.20% 

0.29% 

7.38% 

80.46% 

4 

1.036      " 

10.82% 

0.46% 

0.15% 

0.20% 

8.44% 

79.93% 

5 

1.708      " 

11.54% 

0.40% 

0.13% 

0.82% 

8.44% 

78.67% 

6 

1.651      " 

10.51% 

0.49% 

0.28% 

0.83% 

7.56% 

80.33% 

7 

1.498      " 

11.14% 

0.50% 

0.20% 

0.72% 

7.81% 

79.63% 

8 

1.244      " 

11.31% 

0.48% 

0.15% 

0.47% 

7.75% 

79.84% 

9 

1.481       " 

11 .  10% 

0.55% 

0.68% 

0.66% 

8.31% 

78.70% 

10 

1.409       " 

11.30% 

0.41% 

0.63% 

0.43% 

7.81% 

79.42% 

11 

1.329       " 

10.60% 

0.49% 

0.20% 

0.21% 

7.63% 

80.87% 

12 

1.725      " 

11.28% 

0.47% 

0.31% 

0.27% 

7.56% 

80.11% 

13 

1.723       " 

10.45% 

0.45% 

0.17% 

0.60% 

8.06% 

80.23% 

14 

1.541       " 

10.94% 

0.44% 

0.53% 

0.76% 

7.56% 

79.77% 

15 

1.141       " 

10.44% 

0.54% 

0.10% 

0.31% 

7.81% 

80.80% 

16 

11.08% 

0.85% 

0.28% 

0.44% 

8.25% 

79.10% 

17 

0.958      " 

10.51% 

0.74% 

0.12% 

0.16% 

7.81% 

80.66% 

18 

0.892      " 

10.49% 

0.60% 

0.30% 

0.32% 

8.00% 

80.29% 

19 

0.788      " 

9.99% 

0.48% 

0.94% 

0.33% 

8.06% 

80.20% 

20 

10.06% 

0.55% 

0.71% 

0.51% 

8.13% 

80.04% 

21 

1.238      " 

9.21% 

1.23% 

0.80% 

0.77% 

8.44% 

79.55% 

22 

1.175      " 

9.19% 

0.72% 

0.87% 

0.56% 

8.94% 

79.72% 

23 

1.533      " 

9.32% 

0.57% 

0.52% 

0.45% 

8.75% 

80.39% 

24 

1.179      " 

9.55% 

0.77% 

0.91% 

0.47% 

8.38% 

79.92% 

25 

1.429      " 

10.37% 

0.58% 

0.16% 

0.23% 

8.38% 

80.28%, 

26 

1.413       " 

10.04% 

0.72% 

0.59% 

0.45% 

7.63% 

80.57% 

27 

1.581      " 

10.81% 

0.51% 

0.44% 

0.31% 

8.63% 

79.30% 

76  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

TABLE  II 
Restji-t  or  Analysis  of  Two  Samples  op  South  Carolina  Rice 


Sam- 
ple 
No. 

Weight  of 
100  grains 

Mois- 
ture 

Ash 

Ether 
Ex- 
tract 

Crude 
Fibre 

Pro- 
teids 

Starch 
and  Car- 
bohy- 
drates 

29 
30 

2.241  grams 
2.238      " 

10.23% 
9.01% 

0.47% 
0.37% 

0.42% 
0.21% 

0.29% 
0.36% 

9.00% 
8.13% 

79.59% 
81.92% 

TABLE  III 

Results  of  Phosphate  DBTBEMnsTATioNS  on  Twenty-Seven  Samples  of 
Rice  submitted  to  the  Institute  of  Industrial  Reseabch  by  the 
Siamese  Legation,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Sample 
No. 

%P20. 

Sample 
No. 

%PaO. 

Sample 
No. 

%P20. 

1 

0.22 

10 

0.31 

19 

0.31 

2 

0.39 

11 

0.32 

20 

0.30 

3 

0.30 

12 

0.23 

21 

0.41 

4 

0.20 

13 

0.21 

22 

0.39 

5 

0.28 

14 

0.21 

23 

0.42 

6 

0.26 

15 

0.30 

24 

0.58 

7 

0.31 

16 

0.49 

25 

0.24 

8 

0.26 

17 

0.35 

26 

0.22 

9 

0.30 

18 

0.35 

27 

0.34 

South  Carohna  rice . 


29 
30 


0.29 
0.24 


Interpretation  of  Results. 

A  careful  inspection  of  the  results  shows,  that  all  of  the  analy- 
ses of  the  samples  submitted  compare  favorably  in  respect  to 
nutrition  value  with  the  samples  given  under  the  World's  Fair 
report  which  includes  typical  rice  analyses  as  quoted  by  various 
authorities  (see  Appendix  A).  The  results  also  for  the  most  part 
compare  well  with  the  analyses  of  the  South  Carolina  rices 
given  in  Table  II.     The  phosphorous  content  of  the  imported 


xvin]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  77 

samples  (Table  III)  shows  considerable  variation ;  in  some  cases 
it  corresponds  to  the  average  for  milled  white  rice  which  is  re- 
ported to  be  about  0.25%;  in  other  cases  it  is  as  high  as  is 
usually  shown  in  rices  treated  by  the  parboiling  process.  It 
would  appear  that  the  white  rices  as  represented  in  the  twenty- 
seven  imported  samples  show  on  the  average  as  high  a  nutrition 
value  as  the  white  rices  from  other  sources.  The  moisture  con- 
tent and  weight  per  100  grains  is  somewhat  low  in  the  imported 
samples,  for  the  reason  stated  above. 

Interpretation  of  the  Analytical  Results  in  Relation  to  the  Etiology 
of  Beri-Beri. 

It  has  recently  been  claimed  by  Doctors  Fraser  and  Stanton 
of  the  Institute  for  Medical  Research,  Kuala  Lumpor,  that  the 
low  phosphorous  content  of  white  milled  rices  is  a  predisposing 
cause  of  beri-beri.  (See  "The  Lancet"  London)  Vol.  176,  p.  451 
(1909).  It  is  further  stated  by  Doctors  Fraser  and  Stanton  that: 
"From  epidemilogical  considerations  and  from  experimental 
evidence  it  appears  that  Siam  rice  is  considerably  more  potent  in 
its  beri-beri  producing  powers  than  Rangoon  rice." 

Opposed  to  the  conclusions  of  Doctors  Fraser  and  Stanton 
stands  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Hamilton  Wright,  former  Director  of 
the  Institute  for  Medical  Research,  Federated  Malay  States,  an 
eminent  investigator  of  the  Etiology  and  Pathology  of  Beri-beri. 
Dr.  Wright's  published  opinion,  based  on  years  of  study  and 
clinical  experimentation  is  quoted  below : 

(An  inquiry  into  the  Etiology  and  Pathology  of  Beri-beri. 
Hamilton  Wright,  M.  D.,  Studies  from  Institute  for  Medical 
Research,  Federated  Malay  States,  Vol.  2,  No.  1,  p.  58  (363). 
"The  theory  of  the  causation  of  beri-beri  that  fits  the  above 
facts  and  all  others  observed  in  British  Malaya  is  that  beri-beri 
is  due  to  a  specific  organism  which  gains  entraace  to  the  body 
via  the  mouth,  that  it  develops  and  produces  a  toxin  chiefly  in 
the  pyloric  end  of  the  stomach  and  duodenum,  aad  that  the 
toxin,  being  absorbed,  acts  atrophically  on  the  peripheral  ter- 
minations of  the  afferent  and  efferent  neurones.  Further,  that 
the  specific  organism  escapes  in  the  fseces  and  lodges  in  confined 
places  through  accident  or  the  careless  personal  habits  of  those 


78  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

affected  by  the  disorder,  and  that  in  the  presence  of  congenial 
meteorological,  climatic  and  artificial  conditions  of  close  associa- 
tion from  overcrowding,  the  organism  becomes  virulent  and, 
gaining  entrance  to  the  healthy  body  in  food,  etc.,  contaminated 
by  it,  gives  rise  to  an  attack  of  the  disease.  The  fact  that  the 
germ  remains  so  closely  focal  can,  I  think,  be  explained  by  its 
being  at  once  destroyed  by  the  action  of  direct  simlight  or  that 
the  presence  of  CO2  or  some  other  gas  is  necessary  for  its  virile 
development.  It  seems  from  my  observations  here  that  the 
active  stage  of  the  organism  in  the  body  is  between  three  and 
four  weeks.  I  base  this  estimation  on  the  facts  that  the  prelimi- 
nary feeling  of  oppression  in  the  epigastrium  ceases  at  the  end 
of  about  three  weeks,  and  that  it  is  rare  to  find  the  lesion  of  the 
gastric  and  intestinal  mucose  in  cases  of  only  six  weeks'  standing." 

Conclusion. 

As  far  as  the  results  of  analysis  can  be  interpreted  in  the  light 
of  the  information  at  hand,  there  would  appear  to  be  no  reason 
why  the  white  milled  rices  from  one  section  of  the  world  should 
be  held  more  responsible  for  mal-nutrition  than  similar  rices 
from  other  sections. 

APPENDIX  A. 

EXTRACT  FKOM  BULLETIN    NO.     13,    TJ.     S.    DEPABTMENT    OF    AGRI- 

cuLTtJBE.     Division  of  Chemistet 

Foods  and  Food  Adulterants.  Investigations  made  under 
direction  of  H.  W.  Wiley,  Chief  Chemist.  Part  9.  Cereals  and 
Cereal  Products,  Washington,  D.  C,  1898. 

Rice  may  reach  the  analyst  in  three  different  states,  viz.: 
unhuUed,  hulled,  and  poUshed.  He  may  also  have  occasion  to 
examine  the  broken  fragments  used  in  polishing  and  hulling,  the 
waste  in  manufacturing  rice  bran  and  other  products.  The 
most  important  of  these  products  in  the  present  connection  is  the 
polished  rice  as  it  is  found  in  commerce,  ready  for  preparation 
as  food.  Rice  is  a  cereal  in  which  the  starchy  matters  predomi- 
nate, and  in  which  there  is  a  marked  deficiency  of  proteids  and 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


79 


oils  as  compared  with  other  standard  cereals.  The  composition 
of  rice,  as  determined  by  the  analysis  of  samples  exhibited  at 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  and  by  standard  authori- 
ties, is  best  shown  in  the  table  of  maxima,  minima,  and  means, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  other  cereals  which  have  been  mentioned. 
In  the  following  table  the  items  marked  I,  II,  and  III,  repre- 
sent data  obtained  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  while 
the  means  of  all  the  samples  there  analyzed  are  given  in  another 
part  of  the  table. 

Table  of  Maxima,  Minima,  and  Means  of  Constituents  of  Rice 


Kinds  and  Nos.  of  samples 


I 

s 


I 


p 
MS 


1.  Rice  in  the  hull  (for- 

eign) : 

Maxima 

Minima 

Means 

2.  Unpolished    rice    (for- 

eign): 

Maxima 

Minima 

Means 

3.  Polished  rice  (foreign) : 

Maxima 

Minima 

Means 

Mean  composition  of  pol- 
ished  rice,    etc.,    as 
given  by  Jenkins  and 
Winton. 
Polished  rice  (10  analy- 


Grams 


a3.250 

b2.842 

2.979 


C2.826 

C2.260 

2.466 

b2.633 

al.560 

2.132 


Per 
cent 


bll.52 

a9.03 

9.88 


C12.57 

clO.92 

11.88 

bl3.15 

ell. 82 

12.34 


Per 

cent 


b8.40 

a8.23 

8.32 


cTO.60 

o7.27 

8.02 

blO.33 

c5.42 

7.18 


Per 
cent 


b2.04 

al.44 

1.71 


Per 
cent 


bll.47 
b9.45 
10.62 


C2.26 

cl.62 

1.96 

cO.54 

c0.04 

0.26 


cl.OO 

cO.87 

0.93 

aO.56 

aO.27 

0.40 


Per 
cent 


a4.66 

b3.26 

4.12 


cl.22 

cl.04 

1.15 

aO.65 

aO.28 

0.46 


Per 
cent 


a65.70 

a65.01 

65.35 


C77.34 

c73.35 

76.05 

081.66 

b75.62 

79.36 


Rice  bran  (5  analyses) . . 
Rice  hulls  (3  analyses). . 
Rice  polished  (4  analy 


ses) 


12.40 
9.70 
8.20 

10.00 


7.40 

12.10 

3.60 

11.70 


0.40 

10.90 

0.70 

7.30 


0.20 

9.50 

35.70 

6.30 


0.40 
10.00 
13.20 

6.70 


79.20 
49.90 
38.60 

58.00 


a  Guatemala. 


b  Johore. 


Japan. 


80  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Table  of  Maxima,  Minima,  and  Means  of  Constituents  of  Rice. — Continued 


^ 

ss 

^1 

Kinds  and  Nos.  of  samples 

ii 

.1 

1 

1 

1 

s^ 

1 

,* 

1 

^ 

II 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per 

cent 

cent 

cent 

cent 

ecQt 

cent 

cent 

Mean  composition  of  rice. 

etc.,  as  given  by  Ko- 

nig. 

Unhulled  rice  (3  anal- 

yses)   

11.99 
12.58 

6.48 
6.73 

1.65 
1.88 

6.48 
1.53 

3.33 
0.82 

70.07 

Hulled  rice  (41  analyses) 

76.46 

Polished  rice  (9  analy- 

ses)   

12.52 

7.52 

0.84 

0,48 

0.64 

78.00 

Means  of  World  Fair  sam- 

ples. 

Unliulled  rice  (4  anal- 

yses')   

2.929 

10.28 

7.95 

1.65 

10.42 

4.09 

65.60 

Unpolished  rice  (6  anal- 

2.466 

11.88 

8.02 

1.96 

0.93 

1.15 

76.05 

Polished  rice  (14  anal- 

yses)   

2.132 

12.34 

7.18 

0.26 

0.40 

0.46 

79.36 

The  mean  composition  of  the  different  classes  of  rice  as  shown 
by  the  analyses  of  the  World's  Fair  samples  is  almost  the  same 
as  that  shown  by  the  work  of  other  analysts  collated  as  indicated 
above.  A  tjrpical  unhuUed  rice  has  about  the  following  composi- 
tion: 

Weight  of  100  kernels,  grams  3 .  00  Crude  fiber,  per  cent 9 .  00 

Moisture,  per  cent 10.50  Ash,  per  cent 4.00 

Proteids,  per  cent 7 .  50  Carbohydrates,    other    than 

Ether  extract,  per  cent 1.60           crude  fiber,  per  cent 67.40 


A  typical  hulled  rice,  but  unpolished,  has  about  the  following 
compositions : 

Weight  of  100  kernels,  grams  2.50        Crude  fiber,  per  cent 1.00 

Moisture,  per  cent 12.00        Ash,  per  cent 1.00 

Proteids,  per  cent 8.00  Carbohydrates,     other    than 

Ether  extract,  per  cent 2.00           crude  fiber,  per  cent 76.00 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  81 

A  typical  polished  rice  has  a  composition  represented  by  the 
following  numbers : 

Weight  of  100  kernels,  grams  2.20  Crude  fiber,  per  cent 0.40 

Moisture,  per  cent 12 .  40  Ash,  per  cent 0 .  50 

Proteids,  per  cent 7.50  Carbohydrates,    other    than 

Ether  extract,  per  cent 0.40           crude  fiber,  per  cent 78.80 


SULLA  MATURAZIONE  DEL  FORMAGGIO  PECORINO 

Prof.  Dr.  E.  De'  Conno 
Delia  R.  Universitd,  Napoli,  Italy 

II  pecorino  h  un  formaggio  grasso  costitiiito  di  sostanze  azotate 
e  grasse;  si  ottiene  dal  latte  di  pecora,  che  ne  pu6  dare  fino  al 
22  %  (fresco)  =  la  cagliata  si  cuoce  e  poi  si  foggia  in  pani  cilin- 
drici  che  vengono  salati  e  si  fanno  stagionare  almeno  per  nove 
mesi. 

La  sua  pasta  k  bianco-gialliccia,  omogenea  o  con  piccoli  e 
scarsi  occhi  =  ha  sapore  ed  odore  piccanti,  come  i  latticini  pecorini 
in  genere  e  tanto  piil  pronunziati  quanto  piil  il  formaggio  6 
stagionato. 

II  costituente  principale  del  formaggio  h  la  caseina,  la  quale, 
durante  il  periodo  della  maturazione,  per  eflfetto  di  special! 
fermentazioni,  origina  materie  albuminoid!  solubili,  ammidi 
prodotti  ammoniacali,  altre  sostanze  di  natura  ancora  non  ben 
definita  e  forse  anche  sostanze  grasse. 

II  formaggio  contiene,  oltre  la  caseina,  acqua,  sostanze  grasse, 
lattosio,  sali  mineral!  (NaCl)  in  proporzioni  molto  variabil!  a 
secondo  della  provenienza  de!  modi  di  fabbricazione  e  dell'etS,. 

Lo  studio  delle  trasformazioni  che  il  formaggio  subisce  quando 
h  abbandonato  all'azione  delle  diastasi  e  dei  microrganismi,  i 
quali  fanno  ad  esso  subire  un  cambiamento  completo,  fornisce 
uno  de!  piil  important!  capitoli  della  chimica  del  formaggio. 

Questo  prodotto  durante  la  maturazione  subisce  a  poco  a  poco 
diverse  modificazioni.  La  massa  caseosa  prende  im  aspetto 
untuoso,  nello  stesso  tempo  che  s!  sviluppano  I'odore  e  il  sapore 
che  caratterizzano  il  formaggio  mature,  nel  quale  I'analisi  indica 
piccole  quantity  di  ammoniaca,  di  acid!  grassi  e  di  leucina. 

In  principio,  nel  formaggio  fresco  v!  sono  necessariamente 
gl!  element!  del  latte  =  caseina,  burro  ed  anche  del  lattosio  che 
la  premitura  non  ha  completamente  eliminato. 

Era  interessante  ricercare  c!6  che  divengono  quest!  princip! 
durante  la  fermentazione  casica.  La  perdita  d!  peso  che  la 
materia  subisce  in  seguito  a  questa  fermentazione,  perfettamente 

83 


84  Original  Communications:   Eighth  International        [vol. 

constatata  dall'esperienza  6  dovuta  alia  distruzione  totale  o 
parziale  dell'uno  o  dell'altro  di  quest!  principi?  Quali  sono 
quelli  che  resistono,  quali  quelli  che  spariscono?  La  materia 
grassa  h  realmente  aumentata  nell'invecchiamento  del  formaggio? 

In  conseguenza  di  uno  studio  sul  formaggio  di  Roquefort  il 
Blondeau  (1)  affermd  che  nella  maturazione  del  formaggio  si 
formavano-dei  principi  grassi  a  spesa  della  caseina,  la  qual  cosa 
fu  poi  confermata  da  Keinmerick  (2)  e  da  Fleischer  (3)  nonchfe  da 
Musso  e  Menozzi  (4),  i  quali  credono  appunto  che  la  formazione  del 
grasso  nelle  stracchino  abbia  origine  indirettamente  dalla  caseina. 

II  Brassier  (5)  intanto  poco  dopo  del  Blondeau,  in  uno  studio 
sulla  trasformazione  della  caseina  nella  maturazione  dello  stesso 
formaggio  Roquefort,  criticando  fortemente  le  esperienze  del 
Blondeau,  che  egli  dice  "ben  lontane  d'essere  al  riparo  di  ogni 
critica"  afferma  che  non  vi  §  formazione  di  grassi  a  spesS  della 
caseina;  e  gli  studi  di  Manetti  e  Musso  sul  parmigiano  confermano 
questa  opinione.  Anche  le  ricerche  del  Kellner  (6)  sulla  quantity 
di  burro  in  confronto  di  quella  dell'acido  fosforieo  e  della  calce 
confermano  la  stessa  cosa,  la  quale  provano  pure  le  determina- 
zioni  di  E.  Schulze  ed  U.  Weidmann  (7). 

Tali  quistioni  io  ho  voluto  riesaminare  analizzando  il  formaggio 
in  diverse  epoche,  cominciando  dal  momento  in  cui  fu  coagulate 
e  pressato. 

Ho  esaminato  il  pecorino  da  un  punto  di  vista  chimico,  seguendo 
le  trasformazioni  che  la  caseina  subisce  dal  momento  della  coag- 
ulazione  fino  a  quello  nel  quale  il  formaggio  maturo  e  messo 
in  commercio  per  la  consumazione. 

Si  comprende  facilmente  che  la  maggiore  difficolta  consisteva 
nel  preparare  un  formaggio  fresco  di  costituzione  sufEcientemente 
omogenea  ed  ecco  come  ho  proceduto : 

Del  latte  di  pecora  fu  lasciato  per  24  h.  in  cantina,  indi,  separa- 
tane  la  crema,  fu  fatto  agire  il  presame  a  35°.     Dopo  la  presa  del 

(1)  Ann.  de  Chim.  et  de  phys  (4),  I.  208. 

(2)  Pfluger's  Aichiv.  f.  d.  gesammte  Physiologie  (1869),  409. 

(3)  Virchow's  Archiv.  f.  pathol.  Anatomie  u.  phys.  (1871),  LI.  40. 

(4)  Le  stazioni  sperimentali  agrarie  italiane  (1877),  VI.  201. 

(5)  Ann.  de  Chim.  et  de  phys  (4),  V,  270;  C.  (1865),  888. 

(6)  Landw.  Versuchsst  (1880),  XXV.  39. 

(7)  Landw.  Jahrbucher  (1882),  XI.  587. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  85 

caglio  fu  favorito  lo  scolamento  del  siero  mettendo  a  sgocciolare  il 
siero  sopra  una  tela  e  sottomettendolo  poi  ad  una  forte  pressione. 

II  formaggio  aveva  cosi  una  consistenza  ferma  e  secca  e  fu 
diviso  in  15  parti  che  furono  gettate  sotto  la  pressa  in  apposite 
forme. 

II  n.  I  esaminato  immediatamente,  ha  date  la  composizione 
del  formaggio  appena  coagulate  e  pressato,  e  gli  altri,  che  hanno 
ricevuto  la  salatura  con  sale  in  polvere  uniformemente  ripartito 
nella  pasta  prima  di  essere  gittata  in  forma,  furono  esaminati 
susseguentemente  alia  distanza  di  un  mese  I'uno  dall'altro.  Al 
nono  mese  esaminando  il  formaggio  n.  10  ho  ottenuto  risultati 
uguali  a  quelli  avuti  per  il  n.  9  esaminato  nell'ottavo  mese,  il 
che  mi  indica  che  la  maturazione  si  era  completata  all'ottavo 
mese  appunto  e  la  prima  parte  del  lavoro  6  cosi  esaurita. 

Resta  ora  a  vedere  se  questa  maturazione  che  all'ottavo  mese 
sembra  completa,  sia  veramente  tale  o  giunta  a  questo  punto 
continua  molto  piil  lentamente,  tanto  che  I'esame  del  formaggio 
non  d^  sensibili  variazioni  di  composizione  nel  breve  periodo 
di  un  mese.  Inoltre,  dato  che  il  processo  continui,  esso  ha  un 
arresto  definitivo  o  si  collega  con  altro  processo  che  trasforma 
diversamente  i  prodotti  formati  nella  maturazione?  Mi  riservo 
di  rispondere  a  cid  con  altra  nota  poich^  ho  in  corso  esperienze 
in  proposito. 

Ho  creduto  opportune  esaminare,  con  le  norme  ordinarie, 
il  latte  che  6  servito  alia  preparazione  del  formaggio  nonch^ 
il  prodotto  secondario  della  preparazione  stessa,  il  siero.  Riporto 
quindi  qui  appresso  i  risultati  ottenuti  rispettivamente  dall'uno 
e  dall'altro  esame. 

COMPOSIZIONE  CENTESIMALE  DEL  LATTE 
Acqua gr:    81.2817 


Grasso . 
Caseina.  .  .  . 
Lattalbumina . 
Lattosio ...    . 
Ceneri 


6.8107 
5.2716 
1.0433 
4.7106 
0.8220 


"  99.9399 


86  Original  Communications:   Eighth  International        [vol. 


COMPOSIZIONE  CENTESIMALE  DEL  SIERRO 

Acqua gr:    89.2449 

Grasso "  2.9703 

Sost.  proteiche "  1 .7645 

Lattosio "  4. 1619 

Ceneri "  0.1670 

Acidity  (espressa  in  acido  lattice). .. .     "  0.0359 


"    98.9945 

EsAME  Del  Formaggio  N.  I. 
(fresco  =  appena  coagulato  e  pressato) 

Caeatteki  Fisici  =  Massa  bianca,  secca  e  fragile,  senza  odore 
nd  sapore  sensibili.  Messo  su  carta  bibula  non  lascia  traccia  di 
corpo  grasso. 

La  carta  di  tornasole  indica  reazione  leggermente  acida. 

Deteeminazione  Di  Acqua  =  La  determinazione  dell'acqua 
fu  fatta  pesando  esattamente  una  certa  quantity,  di  formaggio  e 
seccandola  prima  nel  vuoto  su  H2SO4  e  poi  in  stufa  a  110°  fino 
a  peso  costante.  Poich^  il  pecorino  ha  una  pasta  abbastanza 
dura,  ho  creduto  conveniente  operare  la  determinazione  diret- 
tamente  su  di  esso,  senza  aggiunta  di  sabbia,  come  generalmente 
si  usa  fare  con  altri  formaggi. 

Per  quanto,  sia  nel  vuoto  su  H2SO4,  che  in  stufa  a  110°,  vadano 
via  altre  sostanze  volatili,  come  NHs;.  ed  altri  prodotti  di  decom- 
posizione  eventualmente  presenti,  pure  la  determinazione  si 
pu6  ritenere  esatta,  perche  questi  sono  in  tale  piccola  quantity 
che  si  possono  trascurare. 

I  risultati  finali  delle  determinazioni  sono  liuniti  nel  seguente 
quadro : 

Prove  H2O  % 

I gr:    40.7518 

11 "    41.4391 

HI "    41.0574 

Media "    41.0828 


XVIII 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


87 


Determinazione  Delle  Sostanze  Grasse  e  Degli  Acidi 
Grassi  =  Questa  determinazione  fu  fatta  estraendo  con  etere 
pure  ed  anidro  il  formaggio  ridotto  in  piccoli  pezzi  e  mantenuto 
in  sacchetto  di  carta  in  apparecchio  Soxlet. 

Poichfe  I'etere  estrae  dal  formaggio,  insieme  al  grasso,  Tacido 
lattico  e  gli  acidi  grassi  eventualmente  presenti,  cosi  Testratto 
etereo,  prima  seccato  e  pesato,  fu  poi  ripreso  con  etere,  neutraliz- 
zando  I'acidit^  con  soluzione  di  carbonato  sodico. — In  tal  modo 
i  gliceridi  restano  nella  soluzione  eterea,  mentre  passano  in  quella 
acquosa,  i  saponi  alcalini  degli  acidi  grassi  e  I'acido  lattico  alio 
stato  di  lattato. 

Separata  la  soluzione  eterea,  e  ripetutamente  lavata  con  acqua, 
fu  determinato  esattamente  il  contenuto  in  grasso  neutro,  dis- 
tillando  I'etere  dalla  soluzione  eterea  e  pesando  il  residuo  dopo 
averlo  seccato  a  110°. 

Per  differenza  dall'estratto  etereo  si  ha  la  somma  degli  acidi 
grassi  liberi  e  dell'acido  lattico  (formati  nella  maturazione), 
dalla  quale  somma  togliendo  la  quantity  di  acido  lattico,  che  si 
determina  a  parte,  si  ha  anche  il  contenuto  in  acidi  grassi. 


RISULTADO  DELLE  DETERMINAZIONI 


Nel  prodotto  naturaJe 

Grasso  neutro 
per  100  nel 
prodotto  sec- 
cato a  110° 

Prove 

Estratto 
etereo 

% 

Grasso 

neutro 

% 

Ac.   latt. 

acidi   grassi 

% 

I 

II 

III 

2.7391 
2.7902 
2.7454 

1.8583 
1.8824 
1.8750 

0.8808 
0.9078 
0.8704 

3.1540 
3.1949 
3.1824 

Media 

2.7582 

1.8719 

0.8863 

3.1771 

La  materia  grassa,  ottenuta  per  evaporazione  dell' etere,  aveva 
la  pill  grande  analogia  col  burro  per  il  suo  sapore  e  per  la  temper- 
atura  di  fusione  che  era  28°— Credetti  opportuno  trattarla  con 
soluzione  alcoolica  di  KOH  bollente  per  esaminare  i  prodotti 


88  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 


della  sua  saponificazione:  ottenni,  dopo  saturazione  dell'alcale 
con  HCl  diluito,  delle  laminette  cristalline  che,  disseccate  in 
carta  bibula,  abbandonarono  a  questa  una  certa  quantity,  di 
sostanza  oleosa,  restando  una  materia  che  io  potetti  far  cris- 
tallizzare  sciogliendola  in  alcool.  Le  laminstte  brillanti,  micacee, 
che  cosi  ottenni,  ricordavano  le  lamine  dell'acido  margarico. 
La  sostanza  oleosa,  della  quale  s'era  impregnata  la  carta  non 
poteva  essere  altro  che  acido  oleico;  ma  la  quantity,  di  materia 
sulla  quale  operavo,  era  troppo  piccola  per  permettermi  d'ac- 
quistare  una  nozione  dompleta  sulla  natura  della  materia  che 
presenta  tutti  i  caratteri  del  burro.  Era  importante  consta- 
tare  che  la  quantity  di  grasso  che  si  trova  nel  formaggio  appena 
preparato  non  oltrepassa  il  2  %,  e  che  esso  non  pu6  essere  che 
del  biurro  meccanicamente,  trasportato  mella  preparazione. 

Deteeminazione  Dell'Acidita  Rifebita  in  Acido  Lat- 
Tico  =  La  determinazione  fu  f atta  nel  prodotto  naturale  adoper- 
ando  circa  gr :  10  di  campione  per  ogni  prova.  1  gr :  10  di  sostanza 
venivano  scaldati  con  acqua  a  pill  riprese,  decantando  ogni 
volta  il  hquido:  i  liquidi  riuniti  e  filtrati  furon  portati  a  200  cc, 
e  sopra  100  cc.  (circa  gr:  5  di  sostanza)  fu  titolata  I'acidita  con 
soluzione  N — 10  di  KOH,  indicatore  il  tornasole 

I  risultati  sono  rif eriti  neH'unito  quadro : 


Nel  prodotto  naturale 

Acidita  rif  erita 
ad  acido  lattice, 
%  nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110° 

Prove 

Estratto 
etereo 

% 

Grasso 

neutro 

% 

Ac.  latt. 

ac.  gras 

% 

I 
II 

0.7930 
0.9106 

1.3459 
1.5455 

Media 

0.8518 

0.8863 

0.0345 

1.4457 

Deteeminazione  del  Lattosio  =  Questa  determinazione  non 
ha  grande  importanza  e  non  si  esegue  che  nel  formaggio  freschis- 
simo.  Poich^  ^  difficile  estrarre  completamente  il  lattosio  con 
acqua  leggermente  scaldata,  a  circa  gr:  50  di  formaggio  furono 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


89 


aggiunti  cc.  60  di  una  soluzione  di  NaOH  diluitissima,  legger- 
mente  scaldata,  e  in  adatto  recipiente  fu  continuato  il  mite 
riscaldamento  per  qualche  ora. 

Freddata  la  massa  grassa  fu  forata  e  se  ne  separd  la  soluzione 
acquosa,  ripetendo  a  piil  riprese  il  trattamento. 

I  liquidi  acquosi  separati  si  acidificano  con  acido  citrico  per 
precipitare  la  caseina  e  si  filtrano.  II  filtrato  si  porta  a  volume 
noto  e  su  una  parte  aliquota  di  esso  si  precede  direttamente  al 
dosamento  del  lattosio  col  liquido  di  Fehling. 

Riporto  nel  seguente  quadro  i  risultati  ottenuti: 


Prove 

Lattosio   % 

Nel  prodotto  naturale 

Nel  prodotto  seccato  a 
110 

I 

2.1913 
2.2100 
2.1752 

3.7192 

II 

3.7510 

Ill 

3.6919 

Media 

2.1921 

3.7207 

Determinazione  Dell'Azoto  Totale  =  L'azoto  totale  fu 
determinato  col  metodo  Kyeldahl  adoperando  come  ossidante, 
insieme  airH2S04  cone,  un  miscuglio  di  p.l  di  ossido  di  mercurio 
giallo,  p.l  di  solfato  di  rame  e  p.8  di  solfato  potassico.  Distrutta 
la  materia  organica,  furon  precipitati  alio  stato  di  solfuro  il 
mercurio  ed  il  rame,  prima  della  distillazione  con  ossido  di  mag- 
nesio,  mediante  apposita  soluzione  di  solfuro  sodico.  Anche  questa 
determinazione  f  u  f  atta  sul  prodotto  naturale  con  i  seguenti  risultati : 


Nel   prodotto    naturale 

Nel  prodotto  seccato  a  110° 

Prove 

N  totale 
% 

Sostanze 
azotate    % 

N  totale 

% 

Sostanze 
azotate    % 

I 

II 
III 

8.5198 
8.4913 
8.5027 

53.2487 
53.0706 
53.1418 

14.2909 
14.4122 
14.4316 

89.3181 
90.0762 
90.1975 

Media 

8.5046 

53.1537 

14.3782 

89.8639 

90  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Detehminazione  Delle  CENEEi=La  determinazione  fu  fatta 
sul  prodotto  naturale.     Riporto  i  risultati  nel  seguente  quadro : 


Ceneri  % 

Prove 

Nel  prodotto  natur. 

Nel  prodotto  seccato  a 
110° 

I  

0.7618 
0.7392 

1.2930 

II 

1.2546 

Media 

0.7505 

1.2738 

II  pecorino  dunque,  appena  coagulato  e  pressato  ha  la  seguente 
composizione  centesimale  media: 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale 

Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110° 

Acqua 

41.0828 
1.8719 
0.8518 
0.0345 
2.1921 

53.1537 
0.7505 

Sostanze  grasse 

3.1771 

Acido  lattico 

1  4457 

Altri  acidi  grassi 

0.0585 

Lattosio 

3  7207 

Sostanze  azotate 

89.8639 

Ceneri 

1  2738 

99.9372 

99.5397 

Le  varie  determinazioni  sui  diversi  formaggi,  corrispondenti 
ai  n.  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9  e  10  furon  fatte  (due  o  tre  prove  per  ogni 
determinazione)  seguendo  i  metodi  precedentemente  descritti 
per  il  n.  1,  aggiungendo  I'esame  delle  sostanze  azotate,  nonch6 
quelle  suUa  natura  del  grasso  formato  dopo  che  il  formaggio 
(n.  6)  aveva  acquistato  tutti  i  caratteri  esteriori  che  doveva 
comunicare  ad  esso  la  stagionatura — 

Come  si  sa,  le  sostanze  azotate  del  formaggio  sono  costituite 
da  sostanze  proteiche  solubili  ed  insolubili,  dai  loro  prodotti  di 
decomposizione,  da  saponi  e  sali  ammoniacali. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  91 

Questi  diversi  prodotti  sono  stati  valutati  nel  modo  seguente: 

Ho  pesato  esattamente  circa  gr :  20  di  formaggio,  e,  dopo  averli 
pestati  in  un  mortaio,  vi  ho  aggiunto  acqua  a  poco  a  poco,  fino 
ad  avere  un  volume  uguale  a  circa  il  doppio  di  quello  del  campio- 
ne — Ottenuta  cosi  una  pasta  omogenea,  ho  lasciato  riposare  per 
le  ^  h.  perch6  si  fossero  imbevute  bene  di  acqua  tutte  le  particelle 
solide,  indi  ho  aggiunto  ancora  dell'acqua  agitando — Separata 
cosi  la  materia  grassa,  seguitai  ad  aggiungere  acqua  e  versai  il 
tutto  in  palloncino  tarato  da  250  cc.  fino  a  raggiungere  il  volume  = 
Agitai  e  lasciai  riposare  per  15  h.  Chiarificatosi  il  liquido  fu 
filtrate,  raccogliendone  cc.  200. 

Su  cc.  25  di  questo  liquido  fu  fatta  la  determinazione  di  azoto 
col  solito  metodo  di  Kyeldahl  =  Quest'azoto  costituisce  quello 
dell'estratto  acquoso,  cio6  quello  delle  sostanze  proteiche  solubili 
e  dei  prodotti  di  decomposizione  (basi  amidiche  e  ammoniaca), 
che  son  pure  solubili.  Per  differenza  dall'azoto  totale  si  ha 
quello  delle  sostanze  proteiche  insolubili. 

Questi  due  dati  hanno  una  grande  importanza  in  quanto  danno 
il  peso  ed  il  corrispondente  valore  in  azoto  della  sostanza  organica 
resa  solubile  dai  processi  fermentativi,  ed  il  loro  rapporto  dk 
il  coefficiente  di  maturazione — 

Le  sostanze  proteiche  sono  state  separate  dai  prodotti  di 
decomposizione  (basi  ammidiche)  impiegando  I'acido  fosfo- 
wolframico.  La  presenza  di  quest'acido  non  impedisce  la  determ- 
inazione di  azoto  col  metodo  Kyeldahl  nel  precipitato  e  nel 
liquido  filtrate. 

Cc.  50  del  liquido  precedentemente  preparato  furono  portati  a 
cc.  70-80  aggiungendo  cc.  15  di  HCl  al  20  %  e  precipitando  con 
fosfo-wolframato  sodico.  Raccolto  sul  filtro  e  lavato  il  precipi- 
tato con  soluzione  d'H2S04  (5  %),  poi  con  alcool  assoluto,  fu 
seccato,  determinando  I'azoto  sul  prodotto  secco.  Dalla  quan- 
tity, d'azoto  trovata  fu  tolta  quella  corrispondente  airammoniaca 
contenuta  nella  soluzione  acquosa  del  formaggio,  la  quale  h 
pure  precipitata  dall'acido  fosfo-wolframico,  e  la  differenza 
rappresentava  quindi  I'azoto  delle  sostanze  proteiche  solubili  nelV- 
acqua — 

L'ammoniaca  si  determina  a  parte,  su  altri  cc.  50  della  soluzione 
primitiva,  spostandola,  all 'eboUizione,  con  ossido  di  magnesio. 


92  Original  Communications:   Eighth  International        [vol. 

II  rapporto  fra  I'azoto  delle  sostanze  proteiche  dell'estratto 
acquoso  a  freddo  e  quelle  totale  del  formaggio  rappresenta  11 
coefficiente  di  solubilizzazione,  cioS  I'azionedeifermenti  diastasici. — 

La  differenza  fra  I'azoto  totale  dell'estratto  acquoso  e  quelle 
delle  sostanze  proteiche  precipitate  con  I'acido  fosfo-wolframico 
costituisce  I'azoto  dei  prodotti  di  decomposizione. 

II  rapporto  fra  I'azoto  non  proteico  dell'estratto  acquoso  e 
quelle  totale  del  formaggio  rappresenta  il  coefficiente  di  decom- 
posizione, cic6  I'azione  diretta  dei  microrganismi. 

L'azoto  ammidico  6  quelle  che  risulta  dall'azoto  totale  dell  es- 
tratto  acquoso  detratte  della  somma  dell'azote  delle  sostanze 
proteiche  selubili  e  dell'azoto  ammoniacale. 

Le  basi  ammidiche,  provenienti  dalla  decomposizione  della 
caseina,  sono  essenzialmente  costituite  di  leucina  e  contengono 
solo  in  piccolissima  quantitsl  tirosina,  butilammina,  amilammina, 
ecc.  fine  ad  arrivare  all'ammeniaca.  Per  questo  nel  fare  il 
calcole  delle  basi  ammidiche  daU'azoto  trovato,  ie  he  petuto 
considerar  questo  come  proveniente  integralmente  dalla  leucina, 
senza  tema  di  grave  errore. 

Sperimentalmente  infatti  ho  potuto  esservare  il  seguente  fatto: 

II  residue  del  trattamento  con  etere  per  I'estrazione  delle 
sostanze  grasse  e  degh  acidi  grassi,  ripreso  con  alcel  a  36°,  mi 
forni,  dope  evaporazione  del  solvente,  dei  cristalli  madraperlacei 
di  leucina,  misti  a  piccelissime  quantity  di  altri  cerpi  colorati 
in  gialle,  che  nen  he  esaminate  sia  per  la  scarsezza  del  materiale, 
sia  perche,  alio  scope  del  lavoro,  la  lore  conoscenza  non  importava 
gran  che,  potendosi  dedurre  appressimativamente  la  lore  natura 
da  quanto  finera  si  sa  suUa  maturaziene. 

Cio  che  resta  del  formaggio,  dope  I'estrazione  con  etere  e 
relatives  eccamente  e  cestituito  da  tutte  le  sostanze  azotate 
organiche;  ammoniaca,  lattosio  e  sali  minerali,  naturali  ed  ag- 
giimti  con  la  salatura.  II  residue  cosi  costituite  cede  all'alcool  a 
36°,  quando  venga  trattato  con  questo  solvente,  tutti  i  suoi  cesti- 
tuenti  ad  eccezione  della  caseina:  conoscende  quindi  il  %  di  azoto 
totale,  nonche  quelle  ammoniacale,  ed  i  %  di  lattosio  e  di  saU 
mineraU  naturali  ed  aggixmti  nel  formaggio,  ho  determinate 
I'azote  totale  dell'estratto  alcoolco  (36°),  e  sottraendo  da  esse 
I'azoto  ammoniacale,  determinate  a  parte,  he  potuto  conoscere 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


93 


I'azoto  ammidico,  il  quale  corrisponde  quasi  esattamente  a  quelle 
contenuto  nella  quantity,  trovata  di  leucina. 

ESAME   DEL   FORMAGGIO  N.  2 

^  (fresco  di  un  mese  che  ha  subito  la  salatura) 

Caratteri  Fi8ici  =  I1  formaggio  che  ha  subito  la  salatura, 
coagulate  e  pressato  da  un  mese,  ha  completamente  cambiato 
d'aspetto.  Esso  ha  gi^  preso  I'aspetto  d'un  corpo  grasso  e  mac- 
chia  la  carta  bibula  sulla  quale  6  deposto.  II  suo  sapore  comincia 
ad  esser  dolce  e  piacevole,  il  suo  odore  appena  sensibile. 

COMPOSIZIONE  CbNTESIMALE  = 


Nel    prodotto 
naturale 


Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110° 


Acqua 

Sostanze  grasse 

Acido  lattice 

Altri  acidi  grassi 

Lattosio 

SostaBze  azotate 

Ceneri  e  cloruro  sodico 


37.5080 
7.9349 
0.8649 
0.7899 
2.1949 

44.5937 
5.8099 


12.7398 
1.3887 
1.2683 
3.5177 

71.5966 
9.3280 


99.6962 


99.8391 


EsME   Sostanze   Azotate  = 

Nel    prodotto 

naturale 

% 

Nel  prodotto 
seccato   a    110° 

% 

Azoto 

Sostanze 
azotate 

Azoto 

Sostanze 
azotate 

Proteiche  (ca^eina)    |?°^"I''|^.,. 

Insolubih 

Non  proteiche  sol  (  Ammoniacali ..... 

Amrmdiclie  Leucrna 

Totali 

0.2529 
6.5037 
0.1436 
0.2348 
7.1350 

1.5806 

40.6481 

0.1743 

2.970 

44.6000 

0.4060 

10.4418 

0.2305 

0.3769 

11.4552 

2.5375 

65.2612 

0.3198 

3.5266 

71.6451 

94  Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol. 

I  diversi  coefficienti  di  solubilizzazione,  decomposizione  e 
maturazione,  calcolati  da  questi  dati,  come  6  precedentemente 
detto,  sono  i  seguenti: 

CoEFFiciENTE  DI  SoLUBiLizzAziONE  (dovuta  all'azione 

delle  disastasi) 0 .  0354 

CoEFFiciENTE  DI  Decomposizione  (dovuta  alia  azione 

dei  microrganismi) 0 .  0530 

COEFFICIENTE  DI  MaTURAZIONE 0 .  0970 

Le  sostanze  azotate  di  questo  formaggio  hanno,  secondo  i 
dati  analitici,  la  seguente  composizione  centesimale: 

Caseina  solubile gr  3 .  5439 

"        insolubile "  91 .2289 

Ammomaca "  0.3908 

Basi  ammidiche  (leucina) "  4.9260 


"  100.0896 


Da  questi  risultati  pare  dimostrato  che  il  soggiorno  all' aria 
(per  la  maturazione)  del  pecorino  ha  per  effetto  di  aumentare 
la  quantity  di  materia  grassa,  che  esso  contiene  in  proporzione 
abbastanza  considerevole;  ma  prima  di  esaminare  la  natura  del 
grasso  formato  in  queste  condizioni,  trovo  conveniente  attendere 
che  il  formaggio  abbia  acquistato  tutte  le  quality  che  un  soggiorno 
pill  prolungato  all'aria  deve  comunicargh. 

La  quantity  di  caseina  invece,  che  prima  era  tutta  insolubile, 
6  considerevolmente  diminuita,  e  di  essa  una  parte,  per  azione 
delle  diastasi,  si  e  resa  solubile,  porzione  della  quale,  per  azione 
dei  microrganismi,  si  6  decomposta  in  basi  ammidiche  fino  ad 
arrivare  aH'ammoniaca. 


ESAME  DEL  FORMAGGIO  N.  3 

(fresco  di  due  mesi  che  ha  subito  la  salatura) 

Caeatteri  Fisici  =  Questo  formaggio  ha  I'aspetto  di  un  corpo 
grasso  come  il  precedents :  ma  il  suo  sapore  6  piil  dolce  e  piacevole. 


XVlIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


95 


il  suo  odore  piil  sensible,  propriety  che  vanno  sempre  piCl  accen- 
tuandosi  nei  formaggi  corrispondenti  ai  successivi  numeri  4,  5, 
6,  7,  8,  9  e  10. 

COMPOSIZIONE     CeNTBSIMALE  = 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale 


Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110° 


Acqua 

Sostanze  grasse 

Acido  lattico 

Altri  acidi  grass! 

Lattosio 

Sostanze  azotate 

Ceneri  e  cloruro  sodico 


34.1019 
13.9999 
0.8799 
1.5399 
2.1949 
40.3287 
6.2819 


99.3271 


21.4644 
1 .3491 
2.3610 
3.3653 

61.8284 
9.6314 


99.9996 


EsAMB  Sostanze  Azotate  = 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale 

% 

Nel  prodotto 

seccato  a  110° 

% 

Azoto 

Sostanze 
azotate 

Azoto 

Sostanze 
azotate 

Proteiche  (caaeina)    1?°^''!'^    

[  Insolub 

\T„    ™„*  „„i      J  Ammoniacali 

Non  prot.  sol.        .        -j-  ,.    /t       •     \ 
lAmmidiche  (Leucina) 

Total!                

0.4888 
5.2244 
0.2799 
0.4595 
6.4526 

3.0550 

32.6525 

0.3399 

4.2340 

40.2814 

0.7494 
8.0099 
0.4291 
0.7044 
9.8928 

4.6837 

50.0618 

0.5210 

6.5910 

61.8575 

COEPFICIENTI  = 

di  solubilizzazione 0 .  0757 

di  decomposizione 0 .  1145 

di  maturazione 0  •  2351 


96 


Original  Communications:   Eighth  International        [vol. 


CoMPOSiziONE  Centesimale  Delle  Sostanze  Azotate  = 

Caseina  solubile gr.  7 .  5841 

"      insolubile "  81.0609 

Ammoniaca "  0 .  8438 

Basi  ammidiche  (leucina) "  10.5110 


99.9998 


ESAME   DEL   FORMAGGIO   N.  4 
(salato  di  tre  mesi) 
CoMPOsizioNE  Centesimale  = 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale 

Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110° 

34.0178 
21.4021 
1.9968 
1.9331 
1.1198 
33.0625 
6.2115 

Sostanze  grasse 

32.6375 

3.0451 

Altri  acidi  grassi 

2.9480 

Lattosio 

1.7077 

Sostanze  azotate   

50.1889 

9.4724 

99.7136 

99.9996 

EsAME   Sostanze   Azotate 


Nel   prodotto 
naturale 

% 


Azoto 


Sostazne 
azotate 


Nel   prodotto 

seecato  a  110° 

% 


Azoto 


Sostanze 
azotate 


Proteiohe  (caseina)    I  ?°'^!''J^;,. • 

i  Insolubui 

Nonprot.sol.     1  Ammoniacali 

I  Ammidiche  (leucma) 
TotaU 


0.8823 
3.4827 
0.3530 
0.5720 
5.2900 


5.5143 

21.7668 

0.4286 

5.3522 

33.0619 


1.3393 
5.2868 
0.5358 
0.8683 
8.0902 


8.3706 

33.0425 

0.6506 

8.1246 

50.1883 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


97 


COEFFICIENTI 

di  solubilizzazione 0 .  1667 

di  decomposizione .  .  0 .  1748 

di  maturazione 0 .  3415 

CoMPOsizioNE  Centesimale  delle  Sostanze  Azotate: 

Caseina  solubile gr.    16.7089 

"      insolubile "    65.8365 

Ammoniaca "       1 .  2963 

Basi  ammidiche  (leucina) "     16. 1884 

"  100.0301 

ESAME  DEL  FORMAGGIO  N.  5 

(salato  di  quattro  mesi) 

CoMPOsizioNB  Centesimale  = 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale 


Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110° 


Acqua 

Sostanze  grasse 

Acido  lattioo 

Altri  acidi  grassi 

Lattosio 

Sostanze  azotate 

Ceneri  e  cloruro  sodico 


33.9765 
25.1742 
2.5612 
2.1375 
0.5882 
29.3750 
6.2750 


38.1293 
3.8793 
3.2375 
0.8909 

44.3583 
9.5043 


100.1276 


99.9996 


EsAMB  Sostanze  Azotate  = 

Nel  prodotto 
naturale 

% 

Nel  prodotto 

seccato  a  110° 

% 

Azoto 

Sostanze 
azotate 

Azoto 

Sostanze 
azotate 

Proteiche   (caseina)  1?°^"™ 

Insolub 

v„„  «    *       if  Ammoniacali 

Non  prot.  sol.       .        •.■  .      />       •     \ 
[Ammidiche  (leucma) 

Totali 

1.0180 
2.6925 
0.3897 
0.5998 
4.7000 

6.3625 

16.8281 

0.4732 

5.6187 

29.2825 

1.5372 
4.0658 
0.5884 
0.9057 
7.0971 

9.6075 

25.4112 

0.7144 

8.4746 

44.2077 

98  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

COEFFICIBNTI  = 

di  solubilizzazione 0.2166 

di  decomposizione , 0 .  2105 

di  maturazione 0 .  7455 

CoMPOsiziONE  Centesimale  delle  Sostanze  Azotate  = 

Caseina  solubile gr.    21.7279 

"      insolubile "    57.4681 

Ammoniaca "      1 .  6159 

Basi  ammidiche  (leucina) "    19. 1879 


99.9998 


ESAME   DEL   FORMAGGIO    N.    6 
(salato  di  cinque  mesi) 
CoMPOsizioNE  Centesimale  = 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale 


Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110° 


Acqua 

Sostanze  grasse 

Acido  lattico 

Altri  acidi  grassi 

Lattosio 

Sostanze  azotate 

Ceneri  e  cloruro  sodico 


33.9551 
27.2007 
2.8578 
2.2502 
0.3238 
27.0625 
6.2744 


99.9245 


41.1852 
4.3272 
3.4071 
0.4904 

41.0895 
9.5003 


99.9997 


EsAME  Sostanze  Azotate 

Nel  prodotto 
naturale  % 

Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110°  % 

Azoto 

Sostanze 
azotate 

Azoto 

Sostanze 
azotate 

Proteiehe  (caseina)    |  ^^""^'^ 

I  Insolub 

Non  prot.  sol.      1  AmmoniacaU 

Ammidiche  (leucina) . 
TotaU 

1.0165 
2.2456 
0.4079 
0.6600 
4.3300 

6.3531 

14.0350 

0.4953 

6.1756 

27.0590 

1.5434 
3.4096 
0.6193 
1.0021 
6.5744 

9.6462 

21.3100 

0.7520 

9.3766 

41.0848 

XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


99 


COEFFICIENTI  = 

di  solubilizzazione 0 .  2347 

di  decomposizione 0 .  2466 

di  maturazione 0 .  9282 

CoMPOSizioNE  Centesimale  delle  Sostanze  Azotate  = 

Caseina  solubile gr.  23 .  4786 

"    insolubile "  51 .  8681 

Ammoniaca "      1 .  8304 

Basi  ammidiche  (leucina) "  22.8227 


99.9998 


ESAME   DEL   FORMAGGIO   N.  7 

(saJato  di  sei  mesi) 

CoMPOsizioNE   Centesimale  = 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale 

Nel  prodotto 
seccatoa  110° 

Acqua 

33.9884 
28.1554 
2.9998 
2.3025 
0.1906 
25.9875 
6.3289 

Sostanze  grasse 

42.6265 

Acido  lattice 

4.5417 

Altri  acidi  grassi 

3.4860 

Lattosio 

0.2886 

Sostanze  azotate 

39.4741 

Ceneri  e  cloruro  sodico 

9.5818 

99.9131 

99.9987 

EsAMB  Sostanze  Azotate  = 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale  % 


Azoto 


Sostanze 
azotate 


Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  100°  % 


Azoto 


Sostanze 
azotate 


Proteiche  (caseina)  I  ..      1  u-v 

XT  X      1     f  Ammoniaca 

Non  prot.  sol.    i   .        -j-  -l    n      ■     \ 
[  Ammidiche  (leucma) 

Totali 


1.0234 
2.0395 
0.4172 
0.6779 
4.1580 


6.3962 

12.7468 

0.5066 

6.3431 

25.9927 


1.5545 
3.0979 
0.6337 
1.0297 
6.3158 


9.7156 

19.2223 

0.7695 

9.6349 

39.3423 


100        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Coefficient!  = 

di  solubilizzazione 0 .  2461 

di  decomposizione 0 .  2633 

di  maturazione 1 .  0386 

CoMPOsiziONE  Centesimale  delle  Sostanze  Azotate  = 

Caseina  solubile gr.    24 .  6076 

"      insolubile "    49.0339 

Ammoniaca "      1 .  9490 

Basi  ammidiche  (leucina) "    24.4033 


ESAME  DEL  FORMAGGIO   N.  8 

(salato  di  sette  mesi) 

CoMPosizioNE  Centesimale  = 


99.9938 


Acqua 

Sostanze  grasse 

Acido  lattice 

Altri  acidi  grassi 

Lattosio 

Sostanze  azotate 

Ceneri  e  cloruro  sodico 


Nel  prodotto 

Nel  prodotto 

naturale 

seccato  a  110° 

33.9432 

28.5344 

43.1968 

3.0729 

4.6520 

2.3287 

3.5253 

0.1245 

0.1885 

25.8062 

39.2319 

6.2814 

9.5092 

100.0913 

100.3037 

EsAME    Sostanze   Azotate  = 

Nel  prodotto 
naturale  % 

Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110°  % 

AzOto 

Sostanze 
azotate 

Azoto 

Sostanze 
azotate 

Tj    .  ■  .     /       .          SolubiU 

Proteiche  (casema      ,.      ,  , 

Insolub 

Non  Drot      1    I  Ammoniacali 

I   Ammidiche  (leucina) . 
TotaH 

1.0294 
1.9948 
0.4216 
0.6832 
4  1290 

6.4337 

12.4675 

0.5119 

6.3927 

25  8058 

1.5649 
3.0376 
0.6409 
1.0386 
6.2780 

10.0797 

18.9537 

0.7782 

9.7181 

39.6297 

XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


101 


COEFFICIENTI  = 

di  solubilizzazione 0.2493 

di  decomposizione 0 .  2675 

di  maturazione 1 .  0698 

CoMPOSiziONE  Centesimale  delle  Sostanze  Azotate  = 

Caseina  solubile gr.  24 .  9312 

"      insolubile "  48.3127 

Ammoniaca "  1 .  9836 

Basi  ammidiche  (leucina) "  24.7723 


ESAME   DEL   FORMAGGIO   N.  9 
(salato  di  otto  mesi) 
CoMPOsizioNE  Centesimale  = 


99.9998 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale 


Nel  prodotto 
seccatoallO" 


Acqua 

SoBtanze  grasse 

Acido  lattico 

Altri  acidi  grassi 

Lattosio 

Sostanze  azotate 

Ceneri  e  cloniro  sodico 


33.9415 
29.1974 
3.1319 
2.3399 
0.0529 
25.0000 
6.2820 


99.9456 


44.0852 
4.7579 
3.5547 
0.0805 

37.9783 
9.5433 


99.9999 


EsAME  Sostanze  Azotate  = 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale  % 


Azoto 


Sostanze 
azotate 


Nel  prodotto 
seccatoallO"  % 


Azoto 


Sostanze 
azotate 


Proteiche  (caseina)  j  i^oi^b.;.'.'.'. '. !  ^ 

,,  ,      ,     f  Ammoniacali 

Non  prot.  sol.   j  ^^jdiche  (leucina). 

Totali 


1.0297 
1.8586 
0.4249 
0.6868 
4.0000 


6.4356 

11.6162 

0.5159 

6.4263 

24.9940 


1.5642 
2.8234 
0.6439 
1.0433 
6.0748 


9.7762 

17.6462 

0.7818 

9.7621 

37.9663 


102        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

COEFFICIENTI  = 

di  solubilizzazione 0 .  2574 

di  decomposizione 0 .  2779 

di  maturazione 1 .  1521 

CoMPOsizioNE  Centesimale  delle  Sostanze  Azotate  = 

Caseina  solubile gr.    25 .  7485 

"      insolubile "    46.4759 

Ammoniaca "      2.0640 

Basi  ammidiche  (leucina) "    25.7113 


ESAME   DEL   FORMAGGIO    N.  10 
(salato  di  nove  mesi) 
CoMPOSiziONE  Centesimale  = 


99.9997 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale 


Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110° 


Acqua 

Sostanze  grasse 

Acido  lattico 

Altri  acidi  grassi 

Lattosio 

Sostanze  azotate 

Ceneri  e  cloniro  sodico 


33.9421 
29.1810 
3.1504 
2.3595 
0.0573 
25.0000 
6.1531 


44.1749 
4.7693 
3.5720 
0.0868 

38.0818 
9.3148 


99.8434 


99.9996 


EsAME  Sostanze  Azotate  = 


Nel  prodotto 
naturale  % 


Azoto 


Sostanze 
azotate 


Nel  prodotto 
seccato  a  110°  % 


Azoto 


Sostanze 
azotate 


Tj    ,   .  ,     /       .     -,    i  Solubih 

rroteiche  (casema)   i  ^      ,  , 

\  Insolub 

T.T  J.      1    f  AmmoniacaU 

Nonprot.  sol.  |    .        . ,.  ,     „      .     ^ 
[  Amimdicne  (leucma) 

Total! 


1.0346 
1.8401 
0.4264 
0.6989 
4.0000 


6.4662 

11.5006 

0.5177 

6.5396 

25.0929 


1.5759 
2.8029 
0.6495 
1.0646 
6.0929 


9.8493 

17.5181 

0.7885 

9.9614 

38.1174 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  103 


COEFFICIENTI  = 

di  solubilizzazione 0 .  2586 

di  decomposizione 0.2813 

di  maturazione 1 .  1737 

CoMPOSiziONE  Centesimale  delle  Sostanze  Azotate  = 

Caseina  solubile gr.  25 .  8398 

"      insolubile "  45.9580 

Ammoniaca "  2 .  0688 

Basi  ammidiche  (leucina) "  26. 1332 


99.9998 


Riassumo  nei  seguenti  quadri  i  risultati  analitici  di  tut.ti  i 
formaggi  esaminati  sostituendo  alle  sostanze  azotate  totali, 
calcolate  dall'azoto  trovato,  quelle  risultanti  dall'esame  di  esse. 


104        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


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106        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Dal  confronto  delle  precedent!  analisi  si  vede  chiaramente 
che  nella  maturazione  la  sostanza  grassa  aumenta,  rapidamente 
nei  primi  mesi  e  molto  piil  lentamente  in  seguito  con  una  per- 
centuale  che  dal  2  %  circa  nel  formaggio  fresco  si  eleva  fino  ad 
oltre  il  29  %  nel  prodotto  mature.  In  relazione  a  quest'aumento 
h  la  diminuzione,  per  quanto  non  proporzionale,  delle  sostanze 
azotate,  le  quali,  diminuendo,  mutano  anche  natura,  poichS 
si  solubilizzano  e  si  decompongono  fino  ad  arrivare  all'ammo- 
niaca,  prodotto  che  viene  in  parte  fissato  dagh  acidi  grassi  pro- 
venienti  dall'ossidazione  dell'oleina,  costituente,  come  dimos- 
trero  in  seguito,  della  sostanza  grassa  contenuta  nel  formaggio. 

In  diminuzione,  per  la  stagionatura,  6  pure  il  lattosio;  ma 
proporzionalmente  in  aumento  6  I'acido  lattice,  il  che  mostra 
la  trasformazione  del  primo  nel  secondo  prodotto. 

Osservando  poi  la  composizione  centesimale  delle  sostanze 
azotate  aU'inizio  ed  a  fine  maturazione  si  vede  come  queste, 
essenzialmente  costituite  in  principio  di  caseina  insolubile,  vadano 
gradualmente  trasformandosi,  tanto  che  a  fine  maturazione 
la  caseina  insolubile  non  costituisce  che  il  46  %  circa  delle  sostanze 
azotate  totali,  mentre  il  resto  risulta  trasformato  parte  in  caseina 
solubile,  parte  in  ammoniaca  e  basi  ammidiche  (leucina)  con 
preponderanza  di  queste  ultime. 

I  coefficienti  di  solubilizzazione  e  di  decomposizione,  in  relazione 
con  le  trasformazione  che  man  mano  subiscono  le  sostanze  azotate, 
crescono  entrambi,  ma  non  proporzionatamente  I'uno  all'altro, 
e  mentre  aU'inizio  della  maturazione  il  primo  ha  un  valore  numer- 
ico  di  poco  superiore  alia  met^  del  secondo,  alia  fine  diventano 
quasi  uguali  mantenendosi  sempre  per6  una  lievissima  prevalenza 
del  secondo  sul  primo;  La  loro  somma  inoltre,  che  a  principio 
rappresenta  quasi  il  coefficiente  di  maturazione,  nel  prodotto 
stagionato  6  inferiore  alia  metk  del  valore  numerico  di  quest'ul- 
timo  coefiiciente — 

Da  quest'osservazione  si  pu6  trarre  un'utilissima  conclusione 
circa  il  giudizio  sul  grado  di  maturazione  di  un  formaggio,  e 
cio6  UN  Prodotto  E'Tanto  Piu'Matubo  Quanto  Piu'Vicini 
Fka  Loro  Sono  I  Valori  Dei  Coefficienti  di  Solubilizza- 
zione E  Di  Decomposizione  (il  primo  deve  sempre  essere  inferio- 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  107 

re  al  secondo)  B  Quanto  Pitj'La  Loro  Somma  E'Inferiore 
Alla  Meta'Del  Coefficiente  Di  Mattjrazione. 

Dietro  i  suddetti  risultati  dunque  non  si  pu6  avere  piil  dubbio: 
della  materia  grassa  si  h  formata  a  spesa  della  caseina,  durante 
la  maturazione. 

Prima  di  discutere  il  modo  come,  io  credo,  questa  materia 
abbia  potuto  formarsi  ho  cercato  di  precisarne  bene  la  natm-a. 

II  formaggio  n.  6  (salato  di  cinque  mesi)  possedeva  tutte  le 
qualitS,  che  esso  era  suscettibile  di  acquistare.  Untuoso  al  gusto, 
presentava,  tagliato  col  coltello,  un  aspetto  grasso.  Esso  non 
si  divideva  piil  in  frammenti  e  macchiava  la  carta  sulla  quale 
si  deponeva.  Possedeva  inoltre  un  debole  odore  non  notato  nei 
formaggi  precedenti,  e  credetti  quindi  opportuno  fare  I'esame  del 
grasso  in  esso  contenuto. 

Per  preparare  la  materia  grassa  da  servire  per  I'esame  chimico 
ho  adottato  il  metodo  del  Labor atorio  Chimico  di  Washington, 
che  qui  appresso  descrivo: 

Gr.  300  di  formaggio,  ridotti  in  frammenti  della  grandezza 
di  un  pisello,  si  trattano  con  700  cc.  di  potassa  (50  %)  a  20°  in 
una  bottiglia  a  bocca  larga,  promuovendo  la  dissoluzione  della 
caseina  con  una  forte  agitazione. 

In  dieci  minuti  la  caseina  6  sciolta,  ed  il  grasso  viene  alia  super- 
ficie  in  piccole  masse.  Scuotendo  il  recipiente  si  fa  in  modo  che 
il  grasso  si  radimi  in  una  massa  sola,  e  con  I'aggiunta,  nel  recipient 
di  acqua  fresca,  il  grasso  raggiunge  il  collo  del  vaso,  dal  quale 
si  pu6  togliere  con  un  cucchiaio.  In  tale  operazione  esso  non 
viene  attaccato,  e,  lavato  con  molta  acqua  per  asportare  tutto 
il  residue  non  grasso  che  vi  si  pu6  trovare,  in  poco  tempo  6  com- 
pletamente  separato,  e  si  pu6  preparare,  filtrandolo  ed  asciu- 
gandolo,  come  6  prescritto  per  I'esame  delle  materie  grasse — 

Questo  grasso,  che  si  trovava  presente  nel  formaggio,  nella 
proporzione  del  27,  2007  %,  sciolto  in  alcool  bollente,  ha  abban- 
donato,  per  raffreddamento,  dei  piccoU  cristalli  di  una  sostanza 
bianca,  che,  purificata  per  diversi  trattamenti  con  alcool,  ha 
fornito  dei  cristalli  di  aspetto  madraperlaceo,  costituiti  di  mar- 
garina  pura:  fondono  infatti  a  41°,  e  sottoposti  all'azione  di  una 
temperatura  elevata  si  decompongono  dando  luogo  ad  acroleina. 


108        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Per  la  sua  caratterizzazione  ho  eseguito  sulla  sostanza  le 
determinazioni  seguenti  coi  risultatti  che  qui  sotto  trascrivo : 

Indice  di  saponificazione 198 . 0 

Indice  di  acidit£t 0.0 

Numero  degli  eteri 198 . 0 

"    dijodio 0.0 

"    degli  acidi  volatili 0.0 

"    degli  acidi  fissi 95 .  51 

Questi  caratteri  sono  abbastanza  precisi  per  provare  che  la 
sostanza  grassa,  formata  a  spese  della  caseina,  contiene  della 
margarina;  ma  per  maggiore  sicurezza,  ed  a  conferma  di  cid, 
ho  sottoposto  ad  analisi  la  sostanza  che  ero  riuscito  ad  isolare, 
nonch6  I'acido  grasso  proveniente  dalla  sua  saponificazione. 

ANALISI  DKLLA   SOSTANZA  GEASSA  FUSIBILE  A  41° 

I.  Gr.  0.  2962  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  O.  8284  di  CO2  e  gr.  0.  3269 
diHaO. 
II.  Gr.  0.  3062  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.  8562  di  CO2  e  gr.  0. 
3387  di  H2O. 
E  calcolando  il  % : 


Trovato 

Calcolato  per 
CitHioiOs 

I 

II 

C=76.26 
H  =  12.26 
0=   ... 

76.25 
12.28 

76.41 
12.26 
11.33 

100.00 

Per  ottenere  I'acido  grasso  corrispondente  ho  saponificato 
con  KOH  ed  ho  poi  decomposta  I'emulsione  saponosa  con  H2SO4 
diluito.  L'acido  grasso,  cosi  messo  in  liberty,,  si  riunisce  alia 
superficie  del  liquido  e  comincia  ad  ammassarsi  verso  40°. — 
Questa  sostanza,  sciolta  in  alcool  bollente,  d^,  per  raffreddamento, 
delle  pagliette  madraperlacee,  che  fondono  a  58° — 60°. 


xvin] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


109 


ANAL18I    DELL'aCIDO    PUSIBILE    A    59° 

I.  Gr.  0.3292  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.9100  di  CO2  e  gr.  0.3736  di 

HsO. 
II.  Gr.  0.1905  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.5270  di  COj  e  gr.  0.2159  di 
H2O. 
Calcolando  il  % : 


Trovato 

Calcolato  per 

CitHmOi 

I 

II 

C  =  75.38 
H  =  12.60 
0=    ... 

75.43 
12.58 

75.55 
12.59 
11.86 

100.00 

La  sostanza  grassa  contenuta  nel  pecorino,  dietro  questi 
risultati,  non  6  che  margarina,  accompagnata  da  un  altro  corpo 
grasso,  maggiormente  solubile  in  alcool,  che  si  ritrova  nel  solvente 
dopo  che  si  6  deposta,  per  raffreddamento,  la  margarina. 

L'alcool  evaporato  a  h.m.  ha  lasciato,  come  residuo,  un  olio 
leggermente  giallastro,  di  sapore  dolce  e  untuoso,  liquido  alia 
temperatura  ordinaria.  Quest'olio,  scaldato,  si  decompone  a 
260°  dando  luogo  a  vapori  di  acroleina. 

Su  di  esso  ho  eseguito,  come  sul  precedente  grasso  solido,  le 
seguenti  determinazioni  coi  risultati  che  trascrivo : 

Indice  di  saponificazione 190 . 0 

"      di  acidity 00 

Numero  degli  eteri 190  ■  0 

"         di  jodio 83 .93 

"         degli  acidi  volatili 169.68 

"             "       "    fissi 0.0 

Sottoposto  ad  analisi  tha  dato  i  seguenti  risultati: 

I.  Gr.  0.2341  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.6621  di  CO2  e  gr.  0.2453 

diHaO. 
II.  Gr.  0.2785  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.7901  di  CO2  e  gr.  0.2914 

di  H2O. 


110        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


III.  Gr.  0.1975  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.5602  di  CO2  e  gr.  0.2074 
diHjO. 
Calcolando  il  % : 


Trovato 

Caloolato  per 
C«H,„iO. 

I 

II 

III 

C  =  77.12 
H  =  11.64 
0=   ... 

77.36 
11.62 

77.35 
11.66 

77.37 
11.76 
10.87 

100.00 

Quantunque  la  propriety,  e  I'analisi  dimostrino  che  la  sostanza 
liquida  che  accompagna  la  margarina  non  ^  che  oleina,  ho  voluto 
saponificarla,  e  fare  I'anaUsi  dell'acido  grasso  proveniente  da 
questa  saponificazione. 

L'olio  ottenuto  dall'evaporazione  dell'alcool,  dal  quale  si  era 
separata  la  margarina,  6  stato  saponificato  con  soda  e  I'emulsione 
decomposta  con  H2SO4  diluito — Si  §  cosi  ottenuta  una  sostanza 
bianca  leggermente  giallastra,  di  sapors  dolce  e  untuoso,  che 
resta  liquida  fino  a — 10°. 

Sottoposta  ad  analisi  ha  dato  i  seguenti  risultati : 
I.  Gr.  0.2202  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.6170  di  CO2  e  gr.  0.2405 

diHaO— 
II.  Gr.  0.2005  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.5620  di  CO2  e  gr.  0.2182 
di  H2O. 

Calcolando  il  % : 


Trovato 

Calcolato  per 

CisHitOa 

I 

II 

C  =  76.41 
H  =  12.11 
0-    ... 

76.43 
12.08 

76.59  , 

12.05 

11.36 

100.00 

xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  111 

Questi  risultati  dimostrano  che  la  sostanza  grassa  contenuta 
nel  pecorino  fe  un  miscuglio  di  margarina  ed  oleina  con  prevalenza 
della  prima,  giacchd  dei  gr.  27,  2007  di  grasso  contenuto  in  gr. 
100  di  formaggio,  gr.  15,  4337  sono  di  margarina  e  gr — 11,7570 
di  oleina. 

Dalle  analisi  precedenti  si  deduce  che  la  caseina,  nella  matur- 
azione,  si  h  in  parte  trasformata  in  materia  grassa,  e  cid  che  6 
evidente  6  la  singolare  coincidenza  che  la  sostanza  grassa  del 
burro  6  formata  egualmente  di  margarina  ed  oleina  presso  a 
poco  nelle  stesse  proporzioni  nelle  quali  queste  due  sostanze 
costituiscono  il  grasso  del  formaggio,  il  che  fa  pensare  che  la 
materia  grassa  del  burro  si  sia  formata,  nell'economia,  a  spese 
della  caseina  per  reazioni  analoghe  a  quelle  che  nel  formaggio 
han  dato  luogo  alia  sostanza  grassa  che  ivi  si  trova. 

I  formaggi  n.  7,  8,  9  e  10,  specie  questi  ultimi — (9  e  10),  con- 
servati  oltre  il  quinto  mese,  mostrano  nei  loro  caratteri  esteriori 
delle  profonde  modificazioni.  II  colore  non  tarda  molto  ad 
alterarsi,  passa  dal  bianco  al  bruno,  ed  il  formaggio  prende  un 
odore  sempre  piil  forte.  Gambia  anche  il  suo  sapore  e  finisce 
per  acquistare  un  gusto  forte  e  piccante. 

Importava  conoscere  le  cause  di  queste  modificazioni,  ed  ho 
voluto  quindi  esaminare  anche  il  grasso  del  n.lO,  come  avevo 
fatto  per  il  n.6,  poich^.  avevo  notato  che  dopo  il  quinto  mese  la 
produzione  di  esso  non  aumentava  piii  sensibilmente,  come  nei 
primi  cinque  mesi,  pur  rendendosi  la  percentuale  delle  sostanze 
azotate  sempre  piil  piccola. 

La  sostanza  grassa  nel  formaggio  n.lO  e  presente  nella  propor- 
zione  del  29  %.  Di  essa  ho  preparato  un  campione  con  lo  stesso 
metodo  avanti  descritto,  e  I'ho  sottoposto  alio  stesso  trattamento. 
1  gr.  29  di  sostanza  grassa,  di  color  giallo-carico,  li  ho  trovati 
costituiti  di  gr.  26.657  di  margarina  e  di  gr:  2,343  di  oleina. 

Questi  risultati  dimostrano  che  una  parte  del  grasso  che  entra 
nella  costituzione  del  pecorino  si  e  decomposta,  mentre  si^  e 
formato  del  grasso  nouvo,  ed  §  sopratutto  I'oleina  che  ha  subito 
una  profonda  modificazione  a  contatto  dell'aria. 

Bisognava  quindi  andare  alia  ricerca,  separazione  e  dosamento 


112        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

di  questi  prodotti  di  ossidazione  dell'oleina  e  per  far  ci6  ho  operato 
nel  modo  seguente: 

Ho  scaldato  gr.  500  di  formaggio,  ridotto  a  piccoli  pezzi,  con 
circa  5  litri  di  acqua,  a  pill  riprese,  decantando  ogni  volta  il 
liquido=i  liquidi  riuniti  e  concentrati  a  un  litro  furon  fatti 
freddara  e  filtrati.  II  filtrato  aveva  preso  una  tinta  giallastra  e 
possedeva  inoltre  un  odore  forte  ed  un  sapore  piccante  che  ricor- 
dava  quello  del  formaggio.  Ho  aggiunto  al  liquido  acqua  di 
barite  ed  ho  poi  distillato :  si  6  f ormato  un  abbondante  precipitato 
con  sviluppo  contemporaneo  di  odore  ammoniacale.  I  vapori 
sviluppati  condensati  erano  alcalini  e  contenevano  dell'ammon- 
iaca,  della  quale  ho  constatato  la  reazione  alcalina  e  I'effetto  su 
una  bacchetta  di  vetro  gabnata  d'HCl. 

L'ammoniaca  era  stata  gi^  determinata  nell'esame  delle  sos- 
tanze  azotate  e  non  mi  son  quindi  curato  di  determinarla  ancora 
qui:  essa  fu  trovata  in  quailtit^,  sufficiente  per  saturare  tutti  gli 
acidi  grassi  presenti,  pure  a  parte  complessivamente  determinati. 

Ho  evaporato  dunque  il  liquido  a  piccolo  volume,  e  durante 
I'evaporazione  si  son  depositati  parte  dei  sali  di  bario  che  ho 
cercato  di  separare  gli  unj  dagli  altri  impiegando  il  metodo  Lerch, 
profittando  cio6  della  loro  differente  solubiUti  in  acqua  calda — 

Quando  il  liquido  fu  ridotto  ad  l/lO  circa  del  volume  primitivo 
I'ho  filtrato  per  separare  i  sali  di  bario  depositati  durante  I'evapor- 
azione, e  nel  filtrato  si  son  prodotti,  per  il  raffreddamento,  degli 
aghetti  riuniti  in  fasci  assai  voluminosi  del  peso  di  gr:  5,9192; 
i  quali  sottomessi  ad  analisi  ban  dato  i  seguenti  risultati : 

I.  Grm:  0.4834  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.6931  di  CO2  e  grm. 

0.2663  di  H2O 
II.  Grm:  0.4396  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.6309  di  CO2  e  grm. 
0.2430  di  H2O 

III.  Grm:  0.9106  di  sostanza  fanno  gr.  0.5773  di  BaS04  corris- 
pondente  a  gr.  0.33939  di  Ba 

IV.  Gr:  0.8996  di  sostanza  danno  gr:  0.5708  di  BaS04  corrispon- 
dente  a  gr.  0.33557  di  Ba 

Calcolando  il  % : 


XVIUI 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


113 


Trovato 

Calcolato  per 

Ba  (PMn 

0.). 

I 

II 

III 

rv 

C  =39.09 
H  =  6.12 

0  = 

Ba= 

39.13 
6.14 

37.27 

37.30 

39.23 

5.99 

17.46 

37.32 

100.00 

Dai  risultati  di  quest'analisi  la  sostanza  solubile  nell'acqua 
boUente  ridotta  a  piccolo  volume  era  il  sale  di  bario  deU'acido 
caproico,  acido  trovato  nei  prodotti  d'ossidazione  dell'acido 
oleico. 

Le  acque  madri  non  piil  suscettibili  di  cristallizzazione  le  ho 
trattate  con  H2SO4  ed  ho  ottenuto,  per  distillazione,  un  acido 
incoloro  che  ricorda,  per  I'odore,  il  burro  rancido,  per  cui  ho  pen- 
sato  che  potesse  essere  dell'ossido  butirrico,  opinione  che  mi  6 
stata  confermata  daH'analisi  del  suo  sale  di  argento  che  ho 
ottenuto  precipitando  una  soluzione  alcolica  di  AgNOs  col  liquido 
acido  raccolto  nella  distillazione. 

II  sale  d'argento  cosi  ottenuto,  lavato  e  seccato,  pesava  gr. 

7.4432,  il  che  corrisponde  a  gr.  3,3590  d'acido  butirrico,  acido 

che  entra  nella  composizione  di  questo  sale  cosi  come  lo  dimostra 

la  seguente  analisi. 

I.  Gr,  0.6292  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.5665  di  CO2,  gr.  0.2056  di 

HisO  e  gr.  0.3480  di  Ag. 
II.  Gr.  0.4851  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.4365  di  CO2,  gr.  0.1599  di 
H2O  e  gr.  0.2684  di  Ag. 

Calcolando  il  % : 


Trovato 

Calcolato  per 

I 

II 

AgCHjO, 

C  =24.55 
H  =  3.63 

0  = 

Ag=55.30 

24.53 
3.66 

55.32 

24.61 

3.58 

16.43 

55.38 

100.00 

114        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Per  questi  dati  sperimentali  posso  concludere  che  I'acido 
butirrico  e  nel  numero  dei  prodotti  contenuti  nel  liquido  filtrate. 
I  prodotti  rimasti  nel  filtro  I'ho  addizionati  con  una  certa 
quantity  di  H2O  e  li  ho  messi  a  bollire,  filtrando  poi  il^liquido 
bollente.  La  mescolanza  sulla  quale  operavo  venne  cosi  divisa 
in  due  parti  =  una  solubile  in  H2O  bollente,  dalla  quale  la  separai 
per  evaporazione  a  b.m.,  I'altra  insolubile.  Quest'ultima  parte, 
seccata  e  pesata,  era  gr.  3.2672  corrispondenti  a  gr.  2.3530  di 
acido  caprico,  poiche  il  sale  di  bario  sul  quale  operavo  era  del 
caprato  di  bario  come  dimostra  I'analisi: 
I.  Gr.  0.3564  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.6527  di  CO2  e  gr.  0.2564 

di  H2O. 
II.  Gr.  0.3118  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.5712  di    CO2    e   gr. 
0.2246  di  H2O. 

III.  Gr.  0.7115  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.3456  di  BaSOi  corrispon- 
denti a  gr.  0.203178  di  Ba. 

IV.  Gr.  0.7985  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.3889  di   BaSOi   corri- 
spondenti a  gr.  0.2286  di  Ba. 

Calcolando  il  % : 


Trovato 

Calcolato  per 
Ba  (CioHlOOj 

I 

II 

III 

IV 

C  =49.94 
H  =  7.99 

0  = 

Ba= 

49.95 
8.00 

28.55 

28.63 

50.10 

7.93 

13.37 

28.60 

100.00 

Anche  dell'acido  caprico  6  stata  notata  da  Redtenbacher  la 
presenza  nei  prodotti  d'ossidazione,  per  NHO3,  dell'acido  oleico: 

La  parte  solubile  in  H2O  bollente  fu  ottenuta  per  evaporazione 
del  liquido:  il  suo  peso  era  di  gr:  3.2047. 

Sottomessa  ad  analisi  ha  condotto  ai  seguenti  risultati : 

I.  Gr.  0.3386  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.5618  di  CO2  e  gr.  0.2186 
di  H2O. 


xvni] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


115 


II.  Gr.  0.3058  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.5079  di  CO2  e  gr.  0.1970 
diHaO. 

III.  Gr.  0.7984  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.4390  di  BaS04  corris- 
pondenti  a  gr.  0.25808  di  Ba. 

IV.  Gr.  0.8125  di  sostanza  danno  gr.  0.4472  di  BaS04  corris- 
pondenti  a  gr.  0.2629  di  Ba. 

Calcolando  il  % : 


Trovato 

Calcolato  per 
Ba  (CB..O0. 

I 

II 

III 

IV 

C  =45.24 
H  =  7.17 

0  = 

Ba= 

45.29 
7.15 

32.32 

32.35 

45.39 

7.09 

15.14 

32.38 

100.00 

I  risultati  di  quest'analisi  mi  condussero  ad  ammettere  che  la 
sostanza  analizzata  era  il  sale  di  bario  dell'acido  caprilico  anch'esso 
trovato  nei  prodotti  d'ossidazione  dell'acido  oleico. 

Riassumendo,  i  sali  di  bario  che  son  riuscito  a  separare  gli  uni 
dagli  altri  profittando  della  loro  differente  solubility  in  H2O 
bollente,  sono:  Butirrato,  Caproato,  Caprato  e  Caprilato 
DI  Bario.  Ho  inoltre  pesato  questi  differenti  sali,  i  quali  sono 
presenti  nelle  seguenti  proporzioni  in  gr.  500  di  formaggio: 

Butirrato  d'argento  gr.  7.4432  corrispondenti  a  gr.  3.3590  di  ac. 

butirrico 
Caproato  di  bario  gr.  5.9192  corrispondenti  a  gr.  3.7515  di  ac. 

caproico 
Caprato  di  bario  gr.  3.2672  corrispondenti  a  gr.  2.3530  di  ac. 

caproico 
Caprilato  di  bario  gr.  3.2047  corrispondenti  a  gr.  2.1820  di  ac: 

caprilico. 


116        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Calcolando  il  %  in  acidi  liberi  si  ha: 

Acido  butirrico gr.  0 .  6718 

"     caproico "  0.7503 

"     caprico "  0.4706 

"     caprilico "  0.4364 


"    2.3291 

Dopo  cio,  poich^  nel  formaggio  (maturo)  questi  acidi  sono 
saturati  dall'ammoniaca,  si  pu6  rappresentare  la  composizione 
del  formaggio  n.  10  nella  seguente  maniera: 


Acqua 

Margarina 

Oleina 

Butirrato  d'ammonio 

Caproato  "      

Caprilato  "      

Caprato  "      

Acido  lattico 

Lattosio 

Caseina  solubile 

"       insolubile 

Basi  ammidiche  (leucina) ....... 

Sostanze  minerali  (ceneri  e  Nacl) 


•  gr. 


33.9421 
26.6570 
2.3430 
0.8015 
0.8602 
0.4879 
0.5752 
3.1504 
0.0573 
6.4662 
11.5006 
6.5396 
6.1581 

99.5391 


Sono  dunque  autorizzato  a  dire  che  nel  pecorino  conservato  per 
nove  mesi  a  contatto  dell' aria  si  trovano,  indipendentemente  dalla 
margarina  e  dalla  oleina,  tutti  i  prodotti  d'ossidazione  di  quest'ul- 
tima  sostanza,  e  poichS  I'oleina  che  si  trova  nel  formaggio  di 
cinque  mesi  6  in  buona  parte  sparita,  bisogna  concludere  che  gli 
acidi  butirrico,  caprico,  caprilico  e  caproico  si  originano  dall'ossi- 
dazione  di  questa  sostanza. 

Tutti  questi  acidi  si  trovano  ugualmente  nel  burro  invecchiato 
con  la  differenza  che  nel  formaggio  essi  sono  saturati  daU'ammoni- 
aca,  e  sono  appunto  questi  sali  ammoniacali  che  danno  al  formag- 
gio un  sapore  differente  da  quello  del  burro  rancido,  nel  quale 


xvin]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  117 

gli  acidi  sono  gli  stessi,  ma  alio  stato  libero,  non  satiirati  da 
alcuna  base. 

Nell'epoca  in  cui  Chevreul  intraprese  il  suo  celebre  lavoro  sui 
corpi  grassi,  egli  si  occupd  dello  studio  del  burro  e  trovd  in  questa 
sostanza,  divenuta  rancida,  gli  acidi  butirrico,  caprico  e  caproico. 
Malgrado  lo  stato  imperfetto  nel  quale  si  trovava  in  quell'epoca 
I'analisi  organica  egli  seppe  perfettamente  distinguere  questi 
acidi  e  ne  face  anche  uno  studio  abbastanza  complete.  Dopo 
d'allora  un  gran  numero  di  scienziati  si  6  occupato  dello  stesso 
argomento  e  ricordo  specialmente  Lerch,  il  quale  dopo  aver  sap- 
onificato  il  burro  rancido  lo  distill6  con  un  eccesso  d'HjSO* 
diluito,  guingendo  cosi  ad  ottenere  fino  a  cinque  acidi  volatili 
(butirrico,  caproico,  caprico,  caprilico  e  vaccinico). 

M.  Bromeis'  ha  studiato  egualmente  la  costituzione  del 
burro  e  vi  ha  trovato,  indipendentemente  dalla  margarina  e 
dall'oleina,  dell'acido  butirrico. 

Dall'accordo  di  questi  risultati  con  quelli  che  io  stesso  ho  otte- 
nuto  si  vede  chiaramente  che  bisogna  attribuire  all'oleina  I'irran- 
cidimento  del  burro,  come  indubbiamente  6  all'ossidazione  di 
questa  sostanza  che  bisogna  attribuire  la  produzione  dei  differenti 
acidi  dei  quali  ho  potuto  constatare  la  presenza  nel  pecorino. 
La  sola  differenza  che  sembra  esistere  h  che  nel  burro  questi  acidi 
sono  alio  stato  libero,  mentre  nel  formaggio  essi  sono  combinati 
all'ammoniaca. 

Credo  cosi  d'aver  dimostrato  che  la  caseina  si  trasforma,  nella 
maturazione  del  formaggio,  in  una  sostanza  grassa  avente  la 
piCl  grande  analogia  col  burro,  poich6  si  compone  di  margarina 
ed  oleina,  e  queste  sostanze  entrano  nella  sua  costituzione  presso 
a  poco  nelle  stesse  proporzioni  nelle  quali  esse  si  trovano  nel 

burro. 

Resta  ora  a  stabilire  come  questa  trasformazione  awiene, 
ci6  che  mi  propongo  di  fare  in  una  prossima  nota. 

Napoli,  Istituto  di  Chimica  Generale  della  R.  University— 
Maggio  del  1912. 

1  Ann.  der  Chem.  und  Phaxm.  XLII,  46. 


THE  GRINDING  OF  CORN-MEAL  FOR  BREAD 

By  F.  p.  Dunnington 
University  of  Virginia,  Charlottesville,  Va. 

At  the  present  time,  when  the  high  prices  of  food  occasion  so 
much  concern,  and  a  conservation  of  all  the  resources  of  this 
country  awakens  so  much  interest,  it  is  somewhat  amazing  that 
the  United  States  produces  such  an  enormous  crop  of  Indian 
Corn  and  yet  in  the  larger  portion  of  this  Country  it  is  consumed 
in  the  form  of  bread  to  a  very  small  extent. 

Dr.  Charles  D.  Woods,  Director  of  the  Maine  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station,  has  compiled  an  excellent  treatise  on  the 
Food  Value  of  Corn  and  Corn  Products,  published  as  Farmers' 
Bulletin  No.  298  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  1907; 
and  in  this  he  sets  forth  most  plainly  the  advantages  of  compo- 
sition, digestibility,  wholesomeness,  convenience  and  pecuniary 
economy  of  corn  as  a  food  for  man. 

The  Encyclopedia  Britannica  11th  Ed.  p.  449  states:  "As  an 
article  of  food  maize  is  one  of  the  most  extensively  used  grains 
of  the  world.  Although  rich  in  nitrogenous  matter  and  fat  it 
does  not  make  good  bread." 

It  is  generally  understood,  and  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to 
obtain  reports,  it  appears  that  in  the  U.  S.  the  considerable  use 
of  corn  as  a  bread  is  confined  to  the  southern  States  and  there 
largely  to  the  population  of  the  coimtry,  and  smaller  towns.  In 
many  of  these  localities  it  is  more  largely  used  than  is  wheat. 

The  readiness  with  which  it  may  be  prepared  and  the  rapid 
and  simple  methods  by  which  it  may  be  cooked,  as  well  as  the 
pleasant  and  satisfjdng  character  of  the  food,  its  composition 
approaching  to  that  of  a  complete  ration,  have  much  effect  in 
determining  its  uses  as  a  staple  food. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  considerable  amount  of  corn  meal  is  made 
throughout  the  Central  and  Western  States,  especially  at  the 

119 


.  120        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

larger  business  centres — but  it  is  used  only  sparingly; — often  in 
admixture  with  wheat  flour  and  largely  in  the  form  of  mush  (or 
hasty  pudding).  A  few  estimate  its  use  as  one  fiftieth,  and  more 
at  one  himdredth  of  that  of  wheat  flour. 

In  1890  the  U.  S.  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  Hon.  J.  M.  Rusk, 
endeavored  to  induce  a  larger  use  of  corn  a  as  bread  stuff  in 
Europe  and  made  some  expenditures  under  the  efficient  man- 
agement of  Mr.  Chas.  J.  Murphy  as  a  Special  Agent,  but  does 
not  seem  to  have  succeeded,  and  there  is  probably  even  a  smaller 
proportional  consumption  now  in  the  United  States  than  there 
was  at  that  date  in  the  form  of  bread,  while  the  manufacture  of 
grits  and  other  corn  products  has  been  largely  increased. 

It  is  my  endeavor  in  this  study  to  ascertain,  why  this  apparent 
inconsistency;  that  this  cheaper,  healthy  food  is  so  sparingly  con- 
sumed, where  economy  in  living  is  of  so  great  import. 

The  question  seems  narrowed  down  to  the  manner  of  making 
the  meal  as  being  the  factor  which  determines  the  extent  of  its 
use;  and  hence  this,  the  narrow  range  of  the  discussion  in  this 
paper. 

As  to  the  grain  itself,  the  comparatively  high  fat  content,  viz., 
5  per  cent,  constitutes  a  considerable  portion  of  its  food  value, 
while  its  presence  adds  to  the  care  required  in  curing  and  keep- 
ing the  grain,  and  also  to  the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  meal  for 
more  than  three  or  four  weeks  in  most  climates. 

Hence  it  is  that  those  supplying  distant  trade  arid,  most  of  the 
larger  mills,  find  it  best  to  kiln-dry  the  grain,  so  destroying  any 
bacteria  which  may  have  infected  it,  and  in  grinding  it,  to  re- 
move the  germ,  so  as  to  obtain  a  product  freed  in  large  measure 
from  these  drawbacks,  thus  treating  both  yellow  and  white  corn. 

The  grinding  is  conducted  by  water,  steam,  or  electricity  for 
power,  and  we  might  judge  their  use  as  entirely  a  matter  of  indif- 
ference, yet  that  is  not  wholly  so,  as  I  shall  have  occasion  to  men- 
tion later  on. 

The  mills  employed  formerly  were  only  burr-stones  (or  occa- 
sionally made  of  some  local  sandstone),  but  in  recent  years,  most 
of  the  larger  mills  use  steel  rollers,  similar  to  those  used  for  wheat 
flour. 

Samples  of  meal  have  been  secured  from  most  of  the  corn  pro- 


xvni]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  121 

ducing  states,  and  to  avoid  advertising  or  embarassments,  these 
are  designated  by  numbers,  stating  only  the  states  from  which 
they  come.  In  the  endeavor  to  ascertain  the  different  forms  of 
meal  made,  this  collection  of  samples  must  not  be  considered  as 
representing  the  relative  production,  inasmuch  as  the  very  num- 
erous small  "custom  mills"  scattered  throughout  the  rural  dis- 
tricts generally  make  corn  meal  in  one  very  simple  manner,  with 
a  pair  of  burr-stones,  driven  slowly  by  water  power. 

The  examination  of  these  meals  has  been  made  as  follows: 
and  since  in  bread  making,  any  husk  is  always  removed,  all  was 
first  passed  through  a  sieve  of  sixteen  meshes  to  the  inch . 

1st.  Volume:  50  grms.  of  meal  were  jarred  vertically,  for  5 
minutes,  in  a  glass  cylinder,  100  c.c.  measuring  7  inches  in  height, 
and  from  the  volvune  read  off,  the  weight  in  pounds,  of  a  bushel 
of  meal  was  obtained. 

2nd.  Site:  100  grms.  of  meal  was  shaken  uniformly  for  10 
minutes  in  a  nest  of  eight  brass  sieves,  which  time  was  longer 
than  necessary  for  most  samples,  but  in  a  few  instances,  where 
the  sample  was  more  oily,  the  smaller  sizes  were  not  sharply 
separated.  These  sieves,  to  one  inch,  had  meshes:  16,  20,  24, 
30,  36,  40,  50.  Any  finer  sizes  would  have  been  of  no  use.  On 
Table  I,  the  per  cent  passing  each  number  of  mesh  is  indicated, 
omitting  fractions. 

3rd.  Fats:  In  some  typical  samples  only,  as  indicated,  a  deter- 
mination of  the  fat  was  made.  Sudan  III  was  used  as  a  staining 
in  examining  the  meal  under  the  microscope  and  proved  very 
satisfactory  in  bringing  out  the  fat  globules,  but  it  afforded  no 
quantitative  estimation.  A  comparative  estimate  of  the  amount 
of  freed  fat  was  obtained  by  noting  the  length  of  time  respec- 
tively taken  by  each  specimen  to  attain  the  same  (dark  brown) 
color  when  soaking  in  a  water  solution  of  Osmic  acid.  About 
.25  grms  of  meal  in  a  watch  glass  was  moistened  by  3  c.c.  of  a 
0.2  per  cent  solution  of  OsOs  in  from  10  to  30  minutes  or  more, 
the  uniform  color  was  obtained.  The  comparison  was  made 
with  three  pieces  of  cardboard  giving  near  shades  of  a  brownish 
black  color  and  the  time  was  noted  as  the  darkening  sample 
passed  each  of  these  shades  of  color;  the  average  of  these  three 
periods  is  the  figure  given  on  Table  I. 


122        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

And  we  may  take  the  reciprocals  of  these  figures  as  expressing 
the  amounts  of  free  fat  present. 

4th.  'Cooking:  While  it  may  be  that  for  each  variety  of  meal 
there  is  a  mode  of  cooking  to  which  it  is  specially  adapted — in 
order  to  obtain  a  comparison  of  the  meals,  the  method  of  cook- 
ing selected  is  of  the  simplest  kind  and  one  which  conspicuously 
brings  out  any  imperfections  or  flavors. 

Each  sample  was  treated  approximately  as  follows: 

A.  Meal,  sifted 100  grms. 

Salt 2   " 

Water— about 90  " 

Mixed  quickly  to  a  soft  dough,  formed  to  3  or  4  small  rolls, 
placed  on  a  pan  and  baked  in  a  hot  oven,  at  440  Fahr.  for  30 
minutes. 

B.  Meal,  sifted 100  grms. 

Salt 2 

Lard 10       " 

Water — about 85       " 

Mix  with  salt,  "lightly"  mix  with  lard— then  with  water  and 
bake  as  above. 

One  can  expect  httle  satisfaction  from  single  tests  of  this  kind 
not  only  because  of  the  special  difficulty  of  making  ordinarily 
good  bread  upon  so  small  a  scale,  and  of  baking  it  uniformly 
from  day  to  day,  but  still  more,  in  observing  and  expressing  the 
slight  differences  of  taste  that  are  presented. 

In  describing  the  character  of  the  bread,  the  following  abbre- 
viations are  employed  in  the  Table: 

g,  good;  p,  poor;  f,  flavor;  n,  no  flavor;  s,  sweet; 
c,  coars§;  t,  tough;  d,  dry;  v,  very; 

w,  white;  W,  exceptionally  white;  y,  yellow;  Y  briUiant 
yellow. 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


123 


TABLE  I. 


Whole  grain 

8 

■si 

If 

Sized  by  sieves  mesh  to  inch 

Kequired 
color 
min. 

Cooked 

burr  ground 

16 

20 

24 

30 

36 

40 

50 

Color 

Taste, 
etc. 

(1)  Va. 

R 

57 

2 

6 

8 

15 

20 

30 

19 

19 

W 

gd 

(2)    " 

K 

55 

.3 

2. 

4.7 

11 

21 

17 

44 

14 

W 

gd 

(3)     " 

K 

52 

0 

.1 

.5 

7.4 

27 

48 

17 

30 

w 

g 

(4)    " 

K 

59 

0 

1 

13 

20 

19 

36 

11 

14 

w 

gt 

(5)     " 

R 

55 

1 

3 

6 

12 

22 

32 

24 

17 

w 

vgfs 

fat:  4.71 

(6)  Tenn. 

R 

57 

1.6 

4.4 

9 

13 

27 

26 

19 

20 

w 

gf 

(7)  N.  C. 

R 

56 

.1 

.6 

3.3 

14 

20 

35 

27 

22 

w 

vgf 

(8)    " 

R 

62 

1 

10 

20 

16 

29 

14 

10 

12 

w 

gfs 

(9)  Ala. 

R 

57 

2 

6 

11 

16 

18 

20 

27 

12 

w 

gst 

fat:  4.39 

(10)  Del. 

R 

60 

0 

0 

.4 

3.6 

31 

40 

25 

10 

w 

pt 

(11)  Ark. 

R 

60 

1 

5 

16 

17 

29 

17 

15 

7 

w 

gf 

(12)  Miss. 

R 

62 

2 

6 

19 

17 

14 

33 

9 

9 

w 

gs 

RoUer 

ground 

(13)  Md. 

K 

55 

0 

1 

2 

19 

20 

41 

17 

25 

w 

gf 

(14)  " 

K 

54 

0 

0 

1 

14 

22 

42 

21 

29 

w 

gft 

(15)  Ky. 

R 

56 

1 

7 

14 

19 

15 

26 

18 

14 

w 

gcs 

(16)    " 

R 

52 

1.3 

4.4 

7.3 

16 

18 

34 

19 

40 

w 

gcs 

Fat:  2.20 

(17)  Mich. 

R 

59 

0 

3 

13 

18 

26 

21 

19 

29 

y 

gsf 

(18)  Iowa 

R 

54 

.6 

7.4 

24. 

27 

26 

11 

4 

48 

y 

scf 

(19)  Kan. 

K 

58 

0 

.1 

.2 

3.7 

31 

40 

25 

77 

w 

vgf 

Fat:  1.78 

(20)  Conn. 

K 

56 

.2 

8.6 

36 

27 

16 

9 

3.2 

108 

Y 

gcf 

Fat:  1.75 

Degermi- 

nated 

roller 

ground 

(21)  Pa. 

R 

55 

1 

1 

6 

18 

22 

29 

23 

45 

y 

gcf 

(22)  Ky. 

K 

52 

0 

0 

1 

13 

42 

28 

16 

15 

w 

vgn 

(23)  Mo. 

K 

54 

.1 

.1 

5.8 

17 

30 

27 

20 

33 

W 

gen 

(24)  Mo. 

K 

59 

0 

0 

6 

23 

36 

19 

16 

29 

W 

gt 

Fat:  1.25 

124        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 


TABLE  I 

— Continued 

M 

B 

Sized  by  aeves  meah  to  inch 

Hsquiied 

Cooked 

Whole  grain 

11 

1^ 

for 
color 

burr  ground 

a 

W| 

16 

20 

24 

30 

36 

40 

50 

min. 

Color 

etc. 

(25)  Iowa 

59 

0 

5 

17 

20 

23 

19 

16 

28 

w 

Kt 

(26)  Neb. 

56 

0 

0 

3 

19 

38 

19 

21 

18 

w 

gto 

(27)  lU. 

K 

61 

0 

2 

10 

22 

28 

22 

16 

78 

w 

gn 

(28)  Mich. 

R 

53 

0 

.3 

4.7 

21 

21 

30 

23 

72 

Y 

g*f 

Whole  grain  ground 

at  Univ.  Va. 

(29)  lU.  Agr.  Dept. 

1 

4 

14 

11 

37 

23 

10 

46 

w 

gn 

fat:  5.66 

(30)  lU.  Agr.  Dept. 

1 

5 

17 

15 

29 

15 

18 

31 

w 

gnd 

fat :  low  ground 

(31)  111.  Boone  Co. 

10 

15 

16 

12 

12 

18 

17 

25 

w 

gc 

once: 

(32)  111.  Boone  Co. 

7 

14 

17 

12 

13 

15 

22 

21 

w 

twice: 

(33)  lU.  Boone  Co. 

20 

w 

thrice: 

In  order  to  compare  the  weights  per  bushel,  it  seemed  well  to 
employ  a  uniform  method  of  settling  the  meal,  hence  it  was  jarred 
in  the  measure  until  it  would  settle  no  further.  Specimens 
containing  much  of  fine  powder  settle  very  compact,  therefore 
in  this  respect  these  results  cannot  be  compared  with  those  usu- 
ally observed. 

It  may  be  noted  that  some  of  the  granular  meals  are  compact 
but  others  as  (16)  and  (22)  .which  appear  to  be  "cut  meals"  are 
more  bulky. 

Some  years  ago,  it  was  the  custom  of  many  steam  driven  mills 
to  grind  corn  by  burr  to  a  fine  powder,  in  order  to  make  a  whiter 
meal,  resembling  wheat  flour;  this  made  a  very  compact  bread. 
But  no  such  meal  is  found  among  the  samples  examined,  and 
the  making  of  such  meal  seems  to  be  now  generally  discontinued 
and  replaced  by  the  manufacture  of  a  meal  which  is  chiefly  coarse 
and  contains  but  little  of  powder.     The  superior  whiteness  of 


xvin]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  125 

some  of  these  specimens  is  attained  by  selection  of  well-matured 
white  corn,  "scouring"  the  grain  when  shelled,  and  removing 
all  husk  and  germ  as  soon  as  they  are  set  free  by  the  rollers  em- 
ployed— as  seen  in  Nos.  (19),  (23),  (25).  Similarly  from  yellow 
grain  very  clean  specimens  are  Nos.  (20)  and  (21). 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  nutty  flavor  of  white  corn  (some- 
what like  that  of  a  chestnut),  as  well  as  the  peculiar  flavor  of 
yellow  corn  are  volatile  bodies  (i.  e.  odours)  and  are  largely  re- 
tained by  the  fat.  The  flavor  is  therefore  to  a  large  ejttent  re- 
moved with  the  germ  and  is  diminished  by  too  much  heating  in 
the  grinding  or  by  Kiln  drying.  It  is  also  removed  by  too  long 
repeated  grinding  as  is  shown  in  No.  31  made  by  a  single  grind- 
ing of  good  grain  in  a  metal  hand  grist  mill,  while  the  same  grain 
was  ground  twice  in  making  No.  32. 

Nos.  (29)  and  (30)  were  made  of  good  corn  and  were  run 
through  the  metal  grist  mill  three  times,  thereby  losing  all 
"flavor."  All  the  degerminated  meals  are  found  to  be  without 
the  nutty  flavor  although  No.  (22)  is  certainly  excellent  in  all 
other  respects. 

As  to  the  kiln-dried  meal  of  white  corn,  they  too,  generally 
retain  little  flavor,  but  Nos.  (19)  and  (22)  make  excellent  bread 
and  have  a  pleasant  sweet  taste. 

In  examining  this  lot  of  selected  samples,  generally  donated 
by  the  makers,  it  is  natural  that  in  tasting  the  raw  meal  I  found 
but  one  that  possessed  any  mustiness,  and  in  this  instance  the 
sample  was  obtained  from  a  retail  grocery  store  without  any 
inquiry  as  to  its  freshness. 

The  removal  of  the  germ  presents  an  important  economical 
feature.  Taking  the  whole  meal  as  containing  5  per  cent,  fat, 
the  degerminated  meal  will  have  about  1.5  per  cent,  fat,  thus 
100  lbs.  of  meal  would  so  lose  about  3.5  lbs.  of  edible  digestible 
fat,  which  will  correspond,  allowing  for  the  increase  in  starch, 
to  a  loss  in  food  value  of  30  cents  or  more.  The  reality  of  this 
loss  is  brought  out  by  the  fact  that  when  cooking  the  meal,  or 
other  material  to  be  eaten  with  it,  one  will  ordinarily  add  this 
much  additional  fat,  at  a  cost  of  10  cents  or  more  per  pound,  to 
replace  that  which  has  been  removed. 

As  to  the  effect  upon  cooking. 


126        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  making  of  a  proper  dough  largely  depends  upon  the  fine 
particles  retaining  water  sufficient  to  fully  soften  the  enclosed 
larger  grains  when  heated  in  the  oven,  hot  from  the  first.  If 
the  meal  is  too  largely  coarse  it  can  hardly  be  made  to  stick  to- 
gether, and  the  dough  presents  a  rough  surface,  from  which  the 
water  may  escape  (dry  out)  before  the  starch  and  protein  are 
properly  softened,  so  producing  a  very  hard  bread,  insufficiently 
cooked.  An  apphcation  of  this  principle  is  presented  in  a  favor- 
ite method  of  cooking  an  "ash  cake."  The  plain  corn  meal  dough 
is  wrapped  in  a  cabbage  leaf  and  buried  in  hot  ashes  until  done. 
In  this  the  flavor  of  the  meal  is  peculiarly  well  preserved  and 
we  may  obtain  a  very  appetising  food.  Hence  it  is  that  some 
portion  of  the  corn  must  be  finely  ground  to  obtain  a  meal  for 
general  use. 

If  a  meal  is  too  fine,  it  may  become  too  compact  when  made 
into  a  dough,  in  such  case  the  addition  of  a  very  little  baking 
powder,  say  3  grms.  to  the  foregoing  receipt  will  sufficiently 
open  the  dough  to  give  good  bread. 

On  the  other  hand  very  coarse  and  gritty  meal  is,  in  this  re- 
spect, better  adapted  to  making  mush  or  a  batter  bread  in  which, 
while  being  cooked,  it  necessarily  remains  in  contact  with  an 
excess  of  water. 

All  of  .the  above  samples  of  meal  were  also  cooked  according 
to  receipt  B.  and  there  was  little  variation  in  the  good  bread 
obtained — tender,  porous  and  appetising  but  varying  with  the 
peculiarities  of  the  grain  as  to  texture,  color,  and  flavor  of  the 
meal. 

The  meal  thus  mixed  with  the  fat  should  be  but  lightly  pressed, 
with  no  pressing  or  "working"  (as  must  also  be  done  in  making 
pastry  with  wheat  flour),  so  subdividing  the  dough;  and  the  re- 
sulting bread  will  be  excellent. 

We  have  in  corn  a  natural  mixture  of  starch,  protein,  fibre 
and  fat,  which,  when  simply  ground  and  moistened  by  water, 
gives  a  dough  all  ready  for  baking,  the  oil  serving  to  separate 
the  mass  and  prevent  it  from  becoming  too  compact  or  hard; 
hence  it  is  to  be  treated  in  a  wholly  different  manner  from  wheat 
and,  to  the  writer,  is  not  to  be  cooked  with  wheat  flour  with  any 
advantage. 


xvin]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  127 

It  seems  therefore  that  the  work  done  in  refining  corn  meal 
is,  so  far  as  its  use  for  bread  is  concerned,  not  well  directed,  in 
that  the  portion  of  the  grain  so  removed  is  the  very  portion'  in 
which  rests  one  of  its  chief  advantages.  It  is  true  that  meal 
from  whole  corn  will  not  keep,  under  most  conditions,  more  than 
3  or  4  weeks,  but  is  it  not  profitable  to  supply  this  fresh  meal  to 
obtain  its  several  advantages? 

In  recent  years  there  has  been  much  and  successful  endeavor 
to  free  wheat  flour  from  all  bran  and  husk,  so  securing  its  pure 
whiteness  while  losing  the  advantages  of  the  rougher  fibre  and 
ash  content.  But  I  think  I  have  shown  that  similar,  processes 
do  not  improve  corn  meal,  and  that  there  is  by  this  process  loss 
of  some  of  its  most  valuable  constituents. 

It  appears  from  the  favor  with  which  oatmeal  and  many  of 
the  numerous  breakfast  foods  are  received  (so  much  so,  that  in 
some  cases  these  are  sold  at  from  3  to  5  fold  of  the  price  of  the 
grain  from  which  they  are  made),  that  there  is  a  craving  of  many 
stomachs  for  rougher  food  such  as  stimulates  the  processes  of 
digestion;  and  this  is  certainly  in  many  instances  the  explana- 
tion of  the  satisfaction  with  which  corn  bread  is  preferred  by 
many  as  a  staple  diet. 

But  when  corn  is  well  matiu'ed,  kept  to  thoroughly  dry  on 
the  ear,  and  then,  as  it  is  needed,  ground  without  heating,  by 
burr  stones,  slowly  turned  by  a  water  wheel,  it  furnishes  a  sweet, 
nutty  flavored  meal,  which  combines  the  most  valuable  of  nutri- 
ents, and  when  cooked  in  the  simplest  manner,  furnishes  a  food 
which  is  to  many  of  mankind  very  acceptable,  and  to  some,  the 
staple  of  Ufe. 


(.Abstract:) 

FOOD  STANDARDS,  THEIR  NATURE,  HISTORY,  AND 

FUNCTIONS 

By  William  Fbear 
State  College,  Pa. 

Nearly  all  civilized  lands  have  enacted  general  food  laws  cover- 
ing all  foods.  They  prohibit  the  sale,  as  normal,  of  products  that 
depart  in  certain,  very  generally  defined  ways  from  the  normals 
corresponding  to  the  food  names  used;  but  do  not  define  these 
normals.  In  the  absence  of  sufficiently  complete,  accurate,  and 
concise  definitions  of  these  normals,  the  executive  officers  of  these 
laws  have  been  obUged  to  judge  for  themselves  what  the  respec- 
tive normals  are,  subject  to  the  confirmation  of  the  Courts. 

A  food  standard  is  the  expression  of  a  food  normal,  and  may 
include  chemical  and  physical  limits  indicative  of  kind  and 
quahty.  The  existing  systems  of  standards,  British,  Bavarian, 
German,  Austrian,  American,  Swiss,  Italian  and  Holland,  are  the 
work  of  experts  representing  the  executive  branches  of  the 
respective  governments. 

Nature:  Food  standards  should  correspond  to  the  people's 
concepts  corresponding  to  the  several  food  names,  and,  since  the 
laws  with  which  they  are  to  be  used  are  quasi-criminal,  should 
correspond  to  the  lowest  quality,  within  the  kind,  acceptable 
without  notice  of  inferiority.  They  should  represent  present 
usage,  the  concepts  of  the  public,  where  they  differ  from  those  of 
the  trade,  and  those  of  home,  instead  of  foreign  coimtries.  Since 
foods  are  chiefly  of  domestic,  rather  than  of  factory  production, 
domestic  usage  should  determine  the  normals,  but  due  considera- 
tion should  be  given  to  the  requirements  of  commercial  dis- 
tribution, as  contrasted  with  immediate,  domestic  consumption. 

Matter:  As  their  material,  food  standards  should  contain 
what  is  necessary,  (1)  to  distinguish  the  various  normals  from 

129 


130        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

each  other;  (2)  to  distinguish  each  normal  from  its  substitutes, 
imitations,  and  adulterated  modifications.  The  data  should  be 
both  authentic  and  broadly  representative.  A  standard  may  be 
useful,  even  though  incomplete;  but  incompleteness  of  chemical 
and  physical  data  should  not  lead  to  a  definition  of  species  broader 
than  the  public  concept  therefor.  Such  data  should  represent 
the  products  of  the  country  in  which  the  standard  is  to  be  used. 

Consistency:  Systems  of  food  standards  should  be  consistent; 
but  the  criterion  of  consistency  is  external,  not  internal;  con- 
sistency with  the  people's  concepts,  not  etymological  consistency 
is  the  aim.  Even  a  given  word  varies  in  its  meaning  with  the 
context.  Moreover,  there  is  no  simple  mathematical  formula 
that  can  serve  safely  to  fix  the  relation  of  the  minimum  to  the 
average  of  quality. 

Form:  A  clear,  concise  definition,  closely  knit  with  the  most 
serviceable  Umits,  will  better  endure  legal  analysis  than  the 
encyclopediac  form  of  description  with  loosely  appended  chemi- 
cal limits.     The  latter  form  is,  however,  superior  educationally. 

Function:  Standards  are  practically  essential  as  bases  of 
reference  in  the  enforcement  of  general  food  laws,  unify  executive 
and  judicial  decisions,  reheve  the  trade  and  the  public  from 
confusion  and  uncertainty.  They  do  not  interfere  with  variety 
in  production,  nor  should  minimum  standards  tend  to  lower  the 
general  average  of  excellence;  since,  however,  such  standards  do 
not  in  reality  represent  the  absolute  minima  of  quality,  their 
limits  should  be  set  with  caution  and  common  sense,  and  be 
widely  published  before  appUcation,  lest  honest,  but  vmskilled 
or  ignorant  producers  be  injured. 

International  standards  are  practicable  only  for  a  limited  num- 
ber of  products,  but  are  desirable  for  these. 

Provision  should  be  made  for  the  continuous  addition  of  new 
limits  and  standards  as  the  need  and  data  therefor  appear;  but 
radical  changes,  made  with  frequency  in  existing  standards,  are 
gravely  unsettling  to  producing  interests. 


THE  PACKING  OF  AMERICAN  SARDINES 
By  H.  H.  Hanson 

Scattered  along  the  Maine  coast  from  Portland  to  Eastport 
there  are  about  fifty-five  different  factories,  whose  combined 
annual  output  is  usually  somewhere  between  125  and  200  mil- 
lions of  cans  of  sardines,  valued  at  from  five  to  seven  million 
dollars  according  to  the  season.  A  large  proportion  of  this 
industry  is  located  around  Eastport  and  Lubec,  in  Passama- 
quoddy  Bay,  where  a  majority  of  the  inhabitants  are  de- 
pendent upon  it,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  for  their  livelihood. 

A  study,  not  yet  entirely  completed,  was  undertaken  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  information  on  certain  points  of  this 
industry  which  were  perplexing  alike  to  the  packers  themselves 
and  to  the  food  officials  of  the  country.  A  comparison  of  the 
American  and  Foreign  packed  sardines  and  a  description  of  the 
packing  process  is  at  once  interesting  and  instructive  as  throwing 
light  on  some  of  the  points  under  consideration. 

The  name  sardine,  which  comes  from  the  island  of  Sardinia, 
around  which  sardines  abound,  is  not  the  name  of  a  particular 
species,  but  is  applied  to  fish  of  the  genus  Clupea,  various  species 
of  which  are  canned  in  different  parts  of  the  world. 

There  are  three  important  respects  in  which  the  Maine  sar- 
dines differ  from  the  foreign  sardines,  of  which  the  French  pack 
is  generally  recognized  in  this  country  as  the  most  desirable. 
First,  the  fish  packed  in  France  under  the  name  sardine  is  the 
Clupea  ■pilchardus,  while  the  fish  packed  in  Maine  under  that 
name  is  the  Clupea  harengus,  two  distinct  species  of  the  same 
family  which  differ  somewhat  from  each  other  both  in  appear- 
ance and  flavor.  Second,  French  sardines  are  packed  in  olive 
oil  while  the  Maine  sardines  are  put  up  in  cottonseed  oil.  Third, 
in  handling  the  French  pack  the  single  fish  is  the  unit  and  quahty 
is  at  all  times  considered  of  paramount  importance;  while  in 
handling  the  Maine  pack  the  hogshead  is  the  unit  and  quantity 
is  always  sought.    In  America  the  French  sardine  retails  for  from 

131 


132        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

thirty-five  to  sixty  cents  per  can,  while  the  Maine  sardine  retails 
for  the  most  part  for  five  cents.  The  markets  for  these  two  gen- 
eral grades  seem  to  be  well  established  and  although  some  fancy 
goods,  which  bring  a  high  price,  are  put  out  it  is  quite  certain 
that  the  Maine  packers  cannot  be  brought  to  the  point  of  adopt- 
ing French  methods  of  handling  even  though  the  product  might 
thus  be  improved  in  quality. 

The  fish  are  caught  almost  entirely  in  weirs,  large  circular  or 
oval  traps  having  long  wings  extending  out  from  the  one  opening 
and  arranged  so  as  to  guide  the  schools  into  it.  These  weirs  are 
large  enclosures  built  mainly  of  brush  topped  with  marlin  and 
are  so  located  that  there  will  be  perhaps  twenty  feet  of  water  in 
them  at  low  tide.  Fish  may  be  taken  coming  in  on  the  flood 
tide  or  going  out  on  the  ebb.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  take  100 
hogsheads  in  a  single  weir,  and  even  larger  catches  have  at 
times  been  reported. 

When  a  catch  has  been  made  the  weir-man  closes  the  gate  of 
his  trap  and  awaits  the  coming  of  the  sardine  boat.  The  com- 
petition between  the  boats  ruiming  for  the  different  factories  is 
often  very  keen.  Not  many  years  ago  there  was  sharp  bidding 
between  the  skippers  of  these  boats  so  that  the  prices  paid  for 
the  fish  were  often  ridiculously  out  of  proportion  to  their  value. 
As  high  as  130  per  hogshead  has  been  given.  During  the  last 
few  years  a  more  or  less  fixed  price  has  been  paid  for  the  fish 
and  the  boat  which  arrives  first  at  the  weir  has  first  claim.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  season  about  $12  per  hogshead  may  be 
offered  and  later,  when  the  fish  become  more  plenty,  the  price 
is  dropped  to  about  $6. 

When  the  fish  have  been  purchased  a  purse  seine  or  net  is 
carried  around  the  entire  catch  in  the  weir,  drawn  together  at 
the  ends,  and  closed  at  the  bottoiji,  so  that  the  sardines  are 
brougth  into  a  compact  mass,  and  may  be  scooped  with  hand 
nets  into  dories  and  conveyed  to  the  sardine  boats  lying  just 
outside.  These  boats  range  in  size  from  remodelled  fife  boats 
holding  perhaps  ten  hogsheads  to  trim  two-masters  holding 
eighty  hogsheads.  As  the  fish  are  scooped  into  the  holds  of 
these  boats  salt  is  sprinkled  over  them,  at  the  rate  of  about 
100  pounds  to  the  hogshead,  and  when  the  hold  is  full  a  race 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  133 


for  the  factory  is  begun,  each  skipper  striving  to  land  his  catch 
first.  Arriving  at  the  wharf  of  the  factory  the  boat  is  drawn 
under  a  windlass  from  which  a  tub  is  let  down  to  the  hold  and 
the  fish  are  scooped  into  the  tub,  drawn  up,  and  dumped  into  a 
sluice  as  fast  as  it  is  possible  to  work.  Along  this  sluice,  flushed 
with  water,  the  fish  run,  sometimes  through  a  contrivance 
which  separates  the  large  from  the  small,  into  large  wooden 
pickUng  tanks  where  they  are  kept  in  salt  brine  long  enough  to 
give  them  a  flavor  and  aid  in  preserving  and  hardening  the 
flesh.  Time  allowed  in  the  pickle  varies  with  the  condition  of 
the  fish  and  amount  of  salt  they  have  already  had  in  the  boat. 

From  the  tank  most  of  the  fish  run  to  the  flaking  machine, 
a  mechanical  arrangement  for  distributing  the  fish  evenly  upon 
heavy  wire  screens  upon  which  they  go  to  the  steam  boxes  for 
cooking.  In  some  factories  this  flaking  is  done  by  hand,  but  if 
the  machine  is  well  made  and  properly  run  it  will  do  the  work 
much  faster,  although  it  is  inevitable,  especially  when  the  flsh 
are  fat  and  tender,  that  many  are  broken.  From  the  steam 
boxes  the  fish  are  run  into  a  drier  where  they  are  kept  long 
enough  to  thoroughly  dry  and,  upon  emerging  from  this  process, 
and  sufficient  time  having  ^lapsed  for  them  to  cool,  they  are 
taken  at  once  to  the  packing  tables.  The  packers  are  girls  and 
women  of  all  ages  who  cut  off  the  heads  with  shears  and  pack 
the  fish  in  cans  so  rapidly  that  although  they  are  paid  only  about 
sixteen  cents  per  case  of  one  hundred  cans,  they  earn  at  times 
three  or  four  dollars  a  day. 

The  small  fish  are  for  the  most  part  packed  in  oil  in  small 
cans  holding  four  ounces.  These  are  called  "quarter  oils." 
The  larger  fish  are  usually  packed  in  mustard  sauce  in  cans 
holding  eleven  ounces.  These  are  called  "three-quarter  mus- 
tards," 

Usually  the  oil  is  placed  in  the  can  after  the  fish  but  the  mus- 
tard sauce  is  put  into  the  cans  first.  After  the  cans  are  filled 
they  are  taken  to  the  seaUng  machine  and  when  the  covers  are 
in  position  they  are  processed  in  a  tank  of  boiling  water  from 
one  and  a  half  to  two  and  a  half  hours.  This  process  is  called 
bathing.  They  are  then  cooled,  cleaned,  examined  for  leaks, 
"fats"  and  "slacks,"  and  finally  packed  in  cases  for  shipment. 


134        Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol, 

"Fats"  are  cans  which  have  been  carelessly  filled  too  full  and, 
for  that  reason  might  afterwards  be  mistaken  for  "swells," 
which  have  spoiled  by  fermentation.  Such  cans  are  punched 
and  oil  drawn  out  to  reduce  the  swelUng,  after  which  they  are 
again  sealed  and  bathed.  "Slacks"  are  those  which  do  not 
contain  enough  and  these  are  punched,  heated  and  oil  drawn 
in  to  fill  them  out. 

There  are  a  number  of  modifications  of  this  general  process 
in  use  in  various  places.  A  few  packers  behead  all  fish  before 
cooking.  A  few  fish  are  fried  or  baked  instead  of  being  steamed. 
Some  of  the  quarter-oils  contain  a  bay  leaf  or  a  clove  and  there 
are  a  few  fish  put  up  in  tomato  sauce.  Several  different  styles 
of  ovens  and  drying  machines  are  in  use  and  there  are  many 
different  types  of  sealing  machines,  a  new  one  now  being  per- 
fected apparently  being  a  great  improvement  over  any  other 
•previously  made.  Whereas  all  other  machines  now  in  use  seal 
the  cans  by  rolling  the  edges  of  the  can  and  cover  tightly  to- 
gether, the  new  machine  seals  them  hermetically.  This  machine 
also  automatically  introduces  into  the  cans  the  proper  amount 
of  oil,  fluxes  the  edges,  places  the  covers  and,  after  tightly 
sealing,  turns  them  out  at  the  end  ready  for  the  bath  at  nearly 
double  the  rate  of  the  old  machines.  An  endless  belt  is  arranged 
to  bring  the  cans  to  this  machine  directly  from  the  packing  tables. 

There  is  always  great  waste  of  fish  during  the  process.  A 
twenty  per  cent  loss  of  the  catch  is  always  reckoned  upon  and 
it  sometimes  runs  as  high  as  fifty  per  cent.  When  fish  break  in 
large  numbers  during  the  process  of  preparation  for  the  cans 
as  happens  under  certain  conditions,  the  waste  is  large.  When 
large  fish  which  would  ordinarily  go  as  "mustards"  are  cut  to  the 
size  of  "quarter  oils"  the  waste  is  again  large  for  the  fish  are 
sometimes  cut  in  two  in  the  middle  in  order  to  make  them  short 
enough  for  the  purpose.  This  latter  practice  is  resorted  to,  how- 
ever, only  when  particular  orders  for  "quarter  oils"  must  be 
filled  regardless  of  the  size  of  the  fish.  An  attempt  to  utiUze 
some  of  this  waste  is  being  made  in  some  factories  by  canning 
it  as  "deviled  fish,"  but  most  of  the  waste  is  sold  at  a  dollar 
and  a  half  per  hogshead  to  the  fertilizer  factories  where  the  oil 
is  pressed  out  and  the  pomace  used  in  fertiUzer. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  135 

The  two  most  important  questions  which  have  been  studied 
are  the  cause  of  swells,  that  is,  cans  swelled  out  by  inside  pressure 
caused  by  fermentation,  and  the  breaking  of  the  fish  during  the 
process  of  preparation  for  the  cans. 

By  correspondence  with  packers  and  by  investigation  in  the 
factories  it  seems  evident  that  the  cause  of  the  swells  is  imper- 
fect sealing  rather  than  imperfect  or  incomplete  processing  or 
bathing.  Experiments  with  four-ounce  cans  ("quarter  oils") 
and  with  eleven  ounce  cans  ("three-quarter  mustards")  were 
made  at  several  factories  and  it  was  found  that  in  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  minutes  after  the  cans  were  immersed  in  the  boiling 
bath  the  temperature  had  risen  at  the  middle  of  the  can  to 
100  degrees  C.  The  smaller  cans  are  bathed  in  the  various  facto- 
ries from  one  and  a  quarter  to  two  hours,  and  the  larger  cans  from 
one  and  a  half  to  three  hours,  the  time  varying  in  the  different 
factories  and  with  different  conditions  of  the  different  catches. 
This  would  seem  to  be  long  enough  to  thoroughly  sterilize  the 
contents  of  the  can.  That  this  time  is  sufiicient  for  such  ster- 
ilization is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  in  all  cases  where  the 
hermetically  sealed  cans  are  now  put  out  there  is  practically  no 
complaint  from  swelled  cans.  This  fact,  taken  in  connection 
with  the  other  fact  that  with  the  ordinary  roll  sealed  cans  leaks 
often  occur  and  are  found  even  before  the  goods  have  left  the 
factory,  would  seem  to  place  the  blame  for  the  swelled  cans 
almost  entirely  upon  the  sealing  machines  which  do  not  thoroughly 
close  the  cans.  Corroborative  evidence  is  furnished  by  the  fur- 
ther fact  that  practically  no  living  organisms  were  found  on 
opening  thoroughly  sealed  cans. 

There  are  at  least  six  different  causes  contributing  to  the 
breaking  of  the  fish  during  the  process  of  preparation  for  the 
market. 

First.  Fish  that  have  lain  in  a  shallow  bay  or  over  mud  flats 
for  several  days  will  have  softer  flesh  than  those  taken  from 
deeper,  cooler  water,  and  are,  of  course,  much  more  easily 
broken. 

Second.  Fish  which  are  very  fat  are  naturally  more  tender 
than  fish  which  are  lean  and  will  break  more  easily,  especially 
if  they  are  not  properly  salted. 


136        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International      [vol. 

Third.  The  rough,  careless  handling  which  many  of  the  fish 
receive  would  break  even  the  firmest  fish  before  they  were 
finally  placed  in  the  cans. 

Fourth.  If  fish  are  over  salted  they  tend  to  break  transversely 
across  the  side  after  steaming  and  drying. 

Fifth.  When  the  fish  have  undigested  food  in  them  softening 
and  breaking  commences  quicker  than  otherwise. 

Sixth.  When  the  fish  are  kept  too  long  out  of  water  without 
sufficient  salt,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  they  naturally  begin  to 
soften  and  decompose. 

It  has  appeared  to  some  that  the  breaking  of  sardines  indi- 
cates that  they  are  unfit  for  food.  That  this  is  not  so  is  evident 
from  the  above.  Of  the  six  reasons  given  for  the  breaking  only 
the  two  last  could  be  considered  as  evidence  of  unfitness  for 
food,  and  that  the  first  of  these  is  sufficient  evidence  of  unfitness 
is  questioned.  That  those  which  have  burst  from  the  last  cause 
are  unfit  for  food  is,  of  course,  unquestioned  and,  as  their  unfit- 
ness is  at  once  made  evident  by  the  odor,  they  should  be  sent  to 
the  fertilizer  factory.  The  breaks  which  occur  in  these  fish  are 
somewhat  characteristic  of  the  cause  of  the  breaking.  For 
example,  as  above  stated,  over  salted  fish  after  steaming  and 
drying  tend  to  break  transversely  along  one  side;  fat  fish  tend 
to  break  along  the  backbone  where  the  fat  is  deposited  thickly 
and  the  skin  is  tender;  feedy  fish,  that  is  fish  with  undigested 
food  in  them,  soften  very  rapidly  and  tend  to  break  along  the 
under  side  where  the  flesh  is  thinnest.  Rough  and  careless 
handling  increases  the  tendency  to  break  in  all  the  other  cases. 
That  the  breaking  along  the  under  side  of  feedy  fish  does  not 
necessarily  indicate  unfitness  for  food  would  appear  from  the 
fact  that  regardless  of  thorough  salting  and  careful  handling 
the  breaks  begin  to  appear  in  about  three  hours  after  the  fish 
are  taken  out  of  the  water,  but  fish  so  breaking  give  no  evidence 
whatever  of  either  decomposition  or  decay,  are  as  sweet  and 
palatable,  and,  aside  from  appearance  seem  as  good  as  those 
not  broken. 

Feedy  fish,  above  mentioned,  are  usually  full  of  either  one  or 
the  other  of  two  kinds  of  food  known  to  the  fishermen  as  "shrimp  " 
and  "red  feed."    This  latter  is  the  bane  of  the  sardine  industry 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  137 

as  it  has  long  been  known  that  fish  containing  it  deteriorate 
much  more  rapidly  than  fish  in  any  other  condition.  They  often 
begin  to  break  open  before  reaching  the  factory,  and,  if  they 
contain  much  of  this  material,  by  the  time  they  are  ready  for 
the  can  they  are  broken  so  badly  that  a  large  percentage  of  the 
catch  is  entirely  unfit  in  appearance  for  packing.  The  study 
of  the  subject  of  breaking  involved  the  questions:  "What  is 
'red  feed'?    Why  does  it  cause  this  deterioration?" 

This  "red  feed"  we  have  identified  as  one  of  the  copepods, 
Temora  longicornis,  a  microscopic  crustacean  of  the  family 
Centropagidce.  It  is  quite  abundant  in  the  region  of  Woods 
Hole,  Mass.,  during  the  winter  months  and  is  described  by  Dr. 
William  Morton  Wheeler  in  a  bulletin  of  the  United  States  Fish 
Commission  for  1900.  Dr.  Wheeler  speaks  of  it  as  an  essentially 
boreal  form  rarely  seea  in  the  above  locality  during  the  months 
of  July  and  August.  These  are  the  months  in  which  it  is  most 
abundant  along  the  coast  of  Maine.  Dr.  F.  H.  Moore  of  the 
United  States  Fish  Commission  in  a  report  of  his  investigations 
in  the  herring  fisheries  of  Maine  some  years  ago  speaks  of  this 
crustacean  as  one  of  the  copepods  but  apparently  the  species 
was  not  determined.  He  calls  it  in  his  bulletin  "red  seed"  but 
this  is  evidently  an  error  either  in  printing  or  in  information. 

It  has  loag  been  recognized  by  sardine  canners  that  fish  con- 
taining "red  feed"  deteriorate  much  more  rapidly  than  those 
containing  any  other  kind  of  food  but  why  this  is  so  no  one  to 
our  knowledge  has  ever  before  attempted  to  determine. 

Althougth  the  sardines  were  never  more  abundant  on  our 
coast  than  during  the  season  just  passed,  "red  feed"  was  not 
particularly  troublesome,  so  that  not  enough  was  obtained  upon 
which  to  make  thorough  investigations,  but  two  possible  answers 
to  the  second  question,  the  cause  of  the  rapid  deterioration, 
have  suggested  themselves.  First,  that  the  deterioration  is 
due  to  auto-digestion  induced  by  some  particular  enzyme. 
Second,  and  this  seems  more  likely  in  the  light  of  present  knowl- 
edge, that  a  methylamine  is  responsible  for  the  trouble.  This 
compound  has  been  identified  in  various  fish  and  crustaceans. 
It  was  reported  many  years  ago  as  being  present  in  the  roe  of 
herring  and  it  is  not  impossible  that  in  this  case  "red  feed"  was 

6 


138         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

mistaken  for  roe.  It  has  been  reported  very  recently  by  Bigelow 
and  Bacon  as  being  present  in  considerable  amount  ia  the 
shrimps  which  are  canned  so  extensively  in  Mississippi.  In  their 
investigation  of  this  problem  which  was  reported  in  the  Journal 
of  Industrial  and  Engineering  Chemistry  for  November  1911, 
it  was  noted  that  this  compound  affected  the  hands  of  the 
workmen  and  had  a  corrosive  effect  upon  materials  which  came 
in  contact  with  the  shrimp  containiag  it.  A  parallel  case  seems 
to  be  found  in  the  sardine  industry,  for  at  times  when  "red 
feed"  is  abundant  the  hands  of  the  operatives  who  work  upon 
the  fish  are  made  sore  and  at  times  also  a  strong  odor  of  ammonia 
is  noted  during  some  of  the  processes.  Either  auto-digestion 
produced  by  enzymic  action,  or  the  presence  of  a  methylamine, 
would  probably  cause  the  rapid  breaking  down  of  the  tissues 
and  the  consequent  softening  and  breaking  of  the  sardines 
containing  "red  feed"  and  it  is  hoped  soon  to  further  investigate 
the  question. 

In  closing  it  should  be  stated  that  the  credit  for  a  large  part 
of  the  foregoing  should  be  given  to  A.  M.  Buswell,  Instructor 
in  Industrial  Chemistry  in  the  University  of  Maine,  who  acted 
as  field  agent  during  the  summer  of  1911,  and  thanks  are  also  due 
Dr.  0.  A.  Johannsen  of  the  Maine  Experiment  Station  for  aid 
in  identifying  the  "red  feed." 

Maine  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Orono,  Me.,  U.  S.  A. 


ETUDE     CHIMIQUE     DES     FRUITS     DE     SORINDEIA 

OLEOSA 

Par  M.  Alexandre  Hebert 
Paris,  France 

I. — La  matiSre  premiere  de  cette  6tude  consistait  en  fruits 
s^ch^s  au  soleil  de  Sorindeia  Oleosa  A.  Chev.  qui  nous  avaient 
6t6  adress^s  par  M.  Augusts  Chevalier  et  qui  provenaient  d'un 
arbre  commun  au  Soudan.  Ce  sont  des  fruits  k  noyau  entour6 
de  pulpe  et  de  la  grosseur  d'une  cerise;  ils  ont  deux  usages  et 
ont  6t6  examines  k  deux  points  de  vue : 

1° — La  pulpe  ou  p6ricarpe  du  fruit  est  tihs  sucr^e;  dans  le 
pays  d'origine,  on  fait  fermenter  ces  fruits  pour  en  obtenir  une 
boisson  analogue  au  cidre;  2°  I'amande  de  la  graine  propreraent 
dite,  qui  forme  le  noyau  du  fruit,  est  tr^s  ol6agineuse;  on  en 
extrait  de  I'huile  et  on  en  prepare  du  savon. 

II  convenait  done  de  verifier,  d'une  part,  la  nature  et  la  pro- 
portion du  sucre  existant  dans  la  pulpe  du  fruit;  d'autre  part, 
la  quantity  et  les  propri^t^s  de  la  mati^re  grasse  contenue  dans 
les  amandes. 

II.— Pour  effectuer  I'^tude  chimique  de  ces  fruits  aux  points 
de  vue  qui  nous  int6ressaient,  nous  avons  commencd  par  s^parer 
les  pulpes  et  les  noyaux.  A  cet  effet,  500  grammes  de  ces  fruits 
s^ch^s  ont  6t6  mis  en  contact  avec  une  quantity  d'eau  froide 
suflBsante  pour  les  recouvrir,  aprSs  24  heures  de  s^jour,  ils 
s'^taient  gonfl^s  et  ^taient  d'une  consistance  telle  qu'ils  pou- 
vaient  ^tre  malaxes  dans  I'eau  sans  risquer  d'^craser  les  noyaux. 
Ceux-ci,  s6par6s  ainsi  des  pulpes,  ont  6t6  dess^ch^s  k  I'air  et 
mis  de  c6td  pour  un  examen  ult^rieur.  On  les  a  trouv6s  en  pro- 
portion de  40  pour  100  des  fruits  sees  accusant  ainsi  60  pour  100 
de  pulpes. 

liCs  pulpes  gonfl^s  ont  6t€  6puis6es  a  trois  reprises  par  I'eau 
froide  pour  dissoudre  toutes  les  mati^res  solables  et  notamment 
les  sucres  qui  s'y  trouvaient.    Finalement  le  r^sidu  a  €t4  press6 

139 


140        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

et  le  liquide  provenant  de  ce  pressurage  a  et6  joint  aux  liqueurs 
d'^puisement.  Celles-ci  ont  6t6  d6f^qu6es  par  le  sous-ace- 
tate de  plomb  et  le  liquide  filtr4  a  6t4  d^barrass^  de  I'exc^s  de 
plomb  par  I'hydrog^De  sulfur^.  La  solution  incolore  ainsi 
obtenue  a  ^t^  concentr^e  dans  le  vide  au  bain-marie  k  tr^s  basse 
temp^rat.ire  jusqa'a  consistance  sirupeuse,  puis  abandonn^e  k 
elle-meme.  Elle  a  refas6  de  cristalliser,  malgr^  to  us  les  subter- 
fuges habituels  employes  dans  ce  but:  concentrations  diverses, 
reprises  par  I'alcool  traitement  au  noir  animal,  etc.  Le  sirop 
r^duisait  ^nergiquement  la  liqueur  de  Fehling,  donnait  avec 
I'ac^tate  de  ph^nyl-hydrajine  une  osazone  cristallis^e  en  aiguilles 
groupies  en  forme  d'^ventail,  fusibles  k  200°  et  correspondant 
aux  propri^t^s  de  la  ph^nyl-glucosazone,  deviait  enfin  k  gauche 
le  plan  de  polarisation  de  la  lumi^re,  mais  cette  deviation  cor- 
respondait  k  une  quantity  de  sucre  r^ducteur  bien  plus  faible  que 
celle  indiqu^e  par  le  titrage  k  la  liqueur  de  Fehling.  Somme 
toute,  ces  caractSres  r^pondaient  au  sucre  interverti. 

D'autre  part,  on  a  trouv6  dans  une  quantite  donn^e  des 
fruits  sees,  ^puis^s  par  I'eau  froide  comme  nous  I'avons  indiqu^, 
et  par  titrage  k  la  liqueur  de  Fehling,  une  proportion  de  22  pour 
100  de  sucres  r^ducteurs  et  une  quantity  nulle  de  sucres  non 
r^ducteurs.  Si  nous  admettons  dans  ces  fruits,  k  I'^tat  frais, 
une  teneur  en  eau  igale  k  90  ou  95  pour  100,  teneur  qu'on  retrouve 
g^n^ralment  dans  les  fruits  de  ce  genre,  la  proportion  de  sucres 
r^ducteurs  correspondraic  k  1:10  ou  2:20  pour  100  des  m^mes 
fruits  k  retat  frais. 

II  r^sulterait  de  ces  i.xp^riences  que  les  mati^res  sucr^es  des 
fruits  de  Sorindeia  Oleosa  A  Chev.  seraient  constitutes  par  du 
sucre  interverti,  melange  de  glucose  et  de  l^vulose,  ce  qui  justi- 
fierait  leur  emploi  indigene  pour  la  preparation  d'une  boisson 
plus  ou  moins  alcoolique,  et  du  genre  du  cidre,  mais  qui,  en  tons 
cas,  ne  peut  certainment  etre  que  trSs  peu  riche  en  alcool. 

III. — Les  noyaux,  obtenus  comme  nous  I'avons  dit,  et  qui 
constituaient  40  pour  100  des  fruits  sees,  renferment  24  pour 
100  de  ces  memes  fruits  sees  en  amandes.  Celles-ci,  aprSs  broyage 
et  extraction  k  la  benzine,  lui  abandonment  une  matiSre  grasse 
dont  la  proportion  atteient  25  pour  100  des  fruits  sees. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  141 

La  matifere  grasse  obtenue  est  solide  k  la  temperature  ordi- 
naire, de  couleur  brun^tre  et  pr^sente  les  constantes  suivantes: 

Density  ^17° 0.889 

Point  de  fusion 16-17° 

Point  de  congelation 12-13° 

Indice  d'acidite 4.90 

Indice  de  saponification 185.00 

Indice  de  Reichert 7 .  92 

Indice  d'Hehner 91 .75 

Indice  d'iode 132.00 

La  graisse  de  Sorindeia  Oleosa  A.  Chev.,  saponifiee  par  la 
soude  alcoolique  et  acidifi^e,  fournit  92  pour  100  environ  d'acides 
gras,  jaunitres,  solides  k  la  temperature  ordinaire,  fusibles  k 
39-40°.  La  separation  des  acides  gras  satures  et  incomplets 
effectuee  par  I'epuisement  k  I'ether  des  sels  de  plomb,  a  donne 
24  pour  100  d'acides  incomplets,  liquides,  de  couleur  jaune 
brunitre,  et  76  pour  100  d'acides  satures,  solides,  colores  en 
jaune  brun,  fondant  k  44-45°.  Ce  point  de  fusion  assez  bas 
indique  I'existence,  dans  la  graisse  etudiee,  d'acides  gras  rela- 
tivement  inferieurs.  L'usage  de  la  graisse  de  Sorindeia  Oleosa 
A.  Chev.  pour  la  preparation  du  savon  se  comprend  ainsi  par- 
faitement,  cette  substance  grasse  d'une  part,  ne  paraissant  pas 
comestible,  et  d' autre  part,  donnant  des  acides  gras  k  point  de 
fusion  trop  bas  pour  servir  k  la  fabrication  de  bougies  ou  m^me 
de  chandelles. 


SUR  LA  COMPOSITION  DE  DIVERS  PRODUITS, 
GRAINES  OU  TUBERCULES  AMYLACES  OU  FECUL- 
ENTS  DE  L'AFRIQUE  OCCIDENTALE  FRANgAISE 

Pab  M.  Alexandre  Hubert 
Paris,  France 

Au  cours  de  sa  demifere  mission  en  Afrique  occidentale  fran- 
gaise,  M.  Aug.  Chevalier  a  rapports  un  certain  nombre  de  pro- 
duits,  graines  ou  tuberciiles,  de  nature  amylac^e  ou  f^culeate, 
qu'il  nous  a  remis  pour  en  determiner  la  composition  chimique, 
en  appr^cier  la  valeur  nutritive  et  en  fixer  I'emploi  industriel 
possible.    Ce  sont  ces  diverses  recherches  que  nous  r&umons  ici. 

GRAINES. — Mais  blanc  du  Dahomey. — Ce  mais  nous  a  6t6 
remis  sous  forme  d'^pis  dont  une  certaine  quantity  ^taient  mal- 
heureusement  charangonn^s;  nous  avons  pu  cependant  en 
trouver  quelques-uns  intacts  sur  lesquels  nous  avons  efifectu^ 
I'analyse.  Nous  avons  s6par6  dans  les  6pis  les  glumes  et  glu- 
melles,  les  rachis  et  les  graines  dont  nous  avons  determine  la  com- 
position.    Nos  dosages  nous  ont  conduit  aux  r^sultats  suivants: 

SicMs  a  I'air  S^cMs  d  110° 

Poids  moyen  d'un  6pi  entier 120  gr.  110  gr. 

Decomposable  en  glumes  et  glumelles.  ...16.6  16.6 

graines 88 . 3  78 . 3 

rachis 15.0  15.0 

Analyse  de  la  graine  s^chee  et  moulue 

Humidite  restant 1 .  63% 

MatiSres  min^rales .  .  . .   1.96    dont  0.49  solubles  dans  I'eau. 

Matififies  grasses 3 .  70 

Mati^res  azot^es 11 .  55    dont  0 .  98  solubles  dans  I'eau. 

Sucres  r^ducteurs .  .    . .  0 .  36 
Sucres  non  r^ducteurs  .   0 .  95 
Gommes,  tannins, 
acides  v6g6taux.  ...    0.24 

Amidon 76.30 

Cellulose 1.36 

Vaaculose 1 .  90 

Total 99.95 

143 


144        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Cette  graine  peut  done  ^tre  comparfe,  au  point  de  vue  de  sa 
valeur,  k  nos  produits  indigenes.  EUe  est  d'autant  plus  int^res- 
sante  qu'il  s'en  exporte  d'Afrique  des  quantity  importantes 
dont  I'introduction  pourrait  rendre  service  a  diverses  industries. 

Voandzeia  Poissonni  A.  Chev. — Ces  grain es  qui  proviennent 
d'Ouaga  dougou  (Mossi),  pr^sentaient  la  composition  ci-dessous. 

Humidity 10.38 

Matieres  minerales 4 .  34 

Mati^res  grasses 1.91 

MatiSres  azot^es 21.41 

Sucres  r^ducteurs traces 

Sucres  non  r^ducteurs 0.41 

Amidon 48 .  77 

Cellulose 12.74 


,  Total 99.96 

Cette  graine,  riche  en  matieres  azot^es,  renferme  moins 
d'amidon  que  les  graines  amylac6es  de  nos  pays;,  elle  peut 
n^anmoins  etre  employee  au  point  de  vue  alimentaire  au  moins 
dans  les  contr^es  d'origine. 

TUBERCULES. — Ignames. — Ces  tubercules  qui  nous  ont 
6te  envoyfe  k  I'^tat  dess^ch^,  provenaient  de  la  cote  d'lvoire; 
lis  ont  donn6  k  I'analyse  les  r^sultats  suivants : 

Humidity 13.80 

Matieres  minerales 2 .  40 

Matieres  grasses 0 .  40 

Matieres  azot^es 5 .  75 

Sucres  r^ducteurs 1 .  00 

Sucres  non  r^ducteurs 1 .  00 

Amidon 73 .  80 

Cellulose 1 .  25 

Vasculose 0 .  60 

Total 100.00 

Ces  tubercules  sont  assez  comparables  comme  composition 
k  la  pomme  de  terre.    Ceux  qui  ont  6t6  exp6di6s  en  Europe  ont 


XVIII 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


145 


6t6  trouv^s  de  valeur  au  moins  ^gale  au  manioc  sec.  Le  com- 
merce des  ignames  africains  pourrait  done  prendre  de  I'exten- 
sion  comme  produit  alimentaire  sous  une  forme  quelconque. 

DIEGEMTENGUERE  (Vulg.  Mossi).— Les  tubercules  de 
cette  plante  qui  nous  ont  6t6  remis  provenaient  d'Ouagadougou 
dans  le  Soudan  frangais.  Leur  poids  avait  it^  d6termin6  k 
I'^tat  frais  ce  qui  nous  a  permis  de  fixer  leur  composition  exacte 
k  r6tat  frais  et  k  I'^tat  sec: 


Eau 

Matidres  min^rales .  .  . 

Mati^res  grasses 

Matidres  azotdes 

Sucres  rfiducteurs .... 
Sucres  non  r6ducteiirs 

Amidon 

Cellulose 


99.94 


Etat  frais 

Etat  sec 

67.90% 

0.00% 

2.02 

4.80 

0.21 

0.50 

4.47 

10.62 

N6ant 

N6ant 

2.69 

6.40 

28.80 

68.40 

3.85 

9.15 

99.87 


Cette  composition  ratifie  parfaitement  I'emploi  de  cette  plante 
qui  est  cultiv^e  au  Mossi,  dans  la  boucle  du  Niger,  pour  ses 
tubercules  alimentaires. 

MOELLE  d'ENCEPHALARTOS  BARTER!.— Ce  produit 
est  extrait  d'une  plante  de  la  famille  des  Cycadac^es,  dont  la 
tige  est  pourvue  d'une  moelle  abondante  qui  poss^de  la  compo- 
sition suivante : 

Humidity 12.80 

Mati^res  min^rales 2 .  80 

Mati^res  grasses 0. 60 

Mati^res  azot^es 6 .  43 

Sucres  r^ducteurs 10 .  00 

Sucres  non  r^ducteurs 1 .  10 

Amidon 60 .  52 

Cellulose 4.25 

Vasculose 1-50 

Total 100.00 


146        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Cette  moelle  est,  comme  on  le  voit,  riche  surtout  en  hydrates 
de  carbone :  sucres  et  anaidon ;  cette  richesse  justifie  parfaitement 
I'emploi  indigene  que  I'on  fait  de  cette  moelle  en  fabriquant 
une  sorte  de  pain  avec  la  f^cule  qu'on  en  extrait. 


(Abstract) 


ON  THE  TASTE  OF  THE  SALT  OF  GLUTAMIC   ACID 

KiKUNAE    IkEDA 

College  of  Science,  Imperial  University  of  Tokyo,  Tokyo,  Japan 

The  glutamates  having  the  general  formula  C6H8NO4M'  are 
mostly  soluble  in  water  and  all  of  them  have  a  very  distinct 
peculiar  taste,  the  quality  of  which  differs  from  all  other  well 
defined  taste  qualities  hitherto  known.  Numerous  food  materials 
present  this  taste,  but  so  much  overshadowed  by  others,  that  no 
clear  conception  of  this  quality  has  hitherto  been  formed,  although 
it  contributes  largely  to  the  flavor.  For  this  taste  quality  the 
name  "glutamic  taste"  is  proposed. 

This  taste  is  then  demonstrated  to  be  that  of  the  monovalent 
glutamate  ion  C^HsNO^.  For  this  purpose  the  threshold  value  of 
the  taste  has  been  carefully  measured  for  the  salts  of  sodium, 
potassium,  magnesium,  calcium  and  barium.  The  value  has 
been  found  to  be  ^^^u  normal  for  all  the  five  salts.  The  taste- 
imparting  power  of  the  glutamates  is  very  great. 

The  author  was  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  taste  of  glutamates 
by  his  investigation  on  the  constituents  of  a  certain  sea-weed, 
which  is  used  in  Japan  as  a  flavoring.  He  isolated  glutamic  acid 
from  it  and  found  that  it  is  the  salts  of  this  acid  that  give  the  weed 
its  peculiar  flavor. 

There  are  numerous  flavoring  substances  which  give  glutamic 
taste,  and  among  them  meat-extract  and  allied  preparations. 
But  from  obvious  reasons  a  pure  glutamate  is  much  to  be  pre- 
ferred over  them.  Of  all  the  glutamates  of  non-poisonous 
metallic  radicals  the  sodium  salt  is  the  most  suitable.  Within  the 
last  three  years  the  manufacture  of  this  salt  has  arisen  in  Japan 
and  it  is  now  rapidly  becoming  an  article  of  general  consumption. 

There  is  hardly  any  doubt  that  the  glutamate  will  come  to  be 
manufactured  in  a  large  scale  in  Europe  and  America.  As  the 
raw  material  for  the  manufacture  is  the  hydrolytic  products  of 
proteins,  there  is  a  prospect  that  the  chemical  industry  of  these 
products  will  be  greatly  developed,  bringing  in  its  train  numerous 
problems  of  great  interest. 

147 


PROGRESS  REPORT  OF  NUTRITION  INVESTIGATIONS 
IN  THE  UNITED   STATES 

By  C.  F.  Langworthy,  Ph.D. 
Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  Department  of  Agriculture 

Introduction 

For  many  years,  continuous  progress  has  been  made  in  the 
United  States  in  the  study  of  various  questions  concerned  with 
human  nutrition.  In  this  summary,  the  attempt  has  been  made 
to  bring  together  articles  on  this  subject  which  have  appeared  in 
the  United  States,  since  the  7th  International  Congress  of 
Applied  Chemistry,  thus  supplementing  a  paper  of  similar 
scope  presented  at  the  7th  Congress. 

A  survey  of  the  literature  under  consideration  shows  that  a 
considerable  part  of  it  represents  work  carried  on  under  govern- 
mental or  institutional  auspices,  a  considerable  part  represent- 
ing the  work  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  and 
other  branches  of  the  general  Government  and  the  agricultural 
experiment  stations.  University  laboratories  and  the  labora- 
tories of  endowed  institutions  are  also  large  contributors  as  are 
also  state  boards  of  health. 

In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  judging  by  the  amount  of  work 
which  is  published  annually,  interest  in  the  experimental  study 
of  human  nutrition  is  growing  very  rapidly.  The  fact  is  rec- 
ognized that  the  record  of  work  here  presented  is  by  no  means 
complete  but  it  is  believed  that  it  is  sufficiently  extended  to  show 
the  character  and  scope  of  the  work  which  is  being  done. 

For  convenience  the  material  has  been  arranged  under  the 
following  heads:  Studies  of  Food  and  Food  Products;  Special 
Studies  of  Ash,  Protein,  and  Other  Food  Constituents;  Cooking 
in  Its  Relation  to  Nutritive  Value;  Canning,  Preserving,  Han- 
dhng  and  Storage;  Dietary  Studies  and  Dietetics;  Digestion; 
Metabolism;  Respiration  Calorimeters,  Bomb  Calorimeters,  and 
Experiments  with  Them;  Foods  and  Their  Relation  to  Problem 
of  Hygiene;  and  Cost  of  Living  and  Other  Statistical  Data. 

149 


150        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Studies  of  Food  and  Food  Products. 

As  is  usuaEy  the  case,  considerable  attention  has  been  given 
to  the  proximate  composition  of  food  products  and  to  the  effect 
of  various  processes  of  manufacture  or  handling  upon  nutritive 
value  and  quality.  Many  hundreds  of  proximate  analyses,  more 
or  less  complete  in  character,  have  accumulated  during  the 
periods  under  consideration,  in  connection  with  inspection  work 
under  national  and  state  pure  food  laws  and  as  a  part  of  other 
work  undertaken  for  some  special  purpose  aside  from  analysis. 

Many  milling  and  baking  tests  with  different  varieties  of  wheat 
have  been  reported,  this  question  being  one  which  is  of  great 
interest  particularly  in  wheat-growing  regions.  E.  F.  Ladd  and 
Emily  E.  May  (North  Dakota  Sta.  Spec.  Buls.  19,  pp.  105-114; 
24,  pp.  179-194,  fig.  1)  have  carried  on  extensive  work  of  this 
sort  with  durum  wheat  flour.  Their  studies  showed  that  more 
power  was  required  to  grind  durum  than  Fife  or  Bluestem  but 
the  yield  was  as  large  and  the  bread  made  equal  to  that  produced 
from  other  flours,  though  not  quite  so  white  in  color.  It  was 
found  to  hold  moisture  better  than  that  from  commercial  flours. 
A  study  of  milling  and  baking  of  durum  wheat  flour  was  reported 
by  L.  M.  Thomas  of  the  North  Dakota  Experiment  Station. 

The  effect  of  climatic  conditions  on  the  composition  of  durum 
wheat  has  been  discussed  on  the  basis  of  a  number  of  analytical 
and  other  studies  carried  on  bj-  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
by  J.  A.  LeClerc  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Year  Book,  1906,  pp.  199-212, 
pis.  2.)  Several  hundred  analyses  of  spring  and  winter  wheat  of 
different  varieties  grown  in  different  States  showed  an  average 
protein  content  of  12.2  per  cent  as  compared  with  14.7  per  cent 
for  over  100  samples  of  durum  wheat  analyzed  by  the  author. 

E.  F.  Ladd  and  C.  H.  Bailey  (North  Dakota  Sta.  Buls.  89,  pp. 
14-80;  93,  pp.  204-253,  dgms.  5)  have  reported  an  extended 
study  of  the  milling  quality  of  wheats  of  different  varieties  and 
crops. 

Similar  tests  of  wheat  of  different  kinds  and  crops  grown  in 
different  localities  have  also  been  made  by  R.  W.  Thatcher 
(Washington  Sta.  Bui.  84,  pp.  48,  figs.  3)  and  L.  R.  Waldron 
(North  Dakota  Sta.,  Rpt.  Dickinson  Substa.  1910,  pp.  43,  44), 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  151 

and  with  California  wheats  by  G.  W.  Shaw  and  A.  J.  Gaumnitz 
(California  Sta.  Bui.  212,  pp.  315-394,  figs.  18,  dgms.  3),  and 
with  a  variety  of  wheats  by  F.  D.  Gardner  (Roller  Mill,  28  (1909), 
No.  5,  pp.  201-204). 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  discussion  of  the  future  wheat 
supply  of  the  United  States  by  M.  A.  Carleton  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr. 
Yearbook  1909,  pp.  259-272,  figs.  2),  which  is  based  on  a  digest 
of  statistical  data. 

With  respect  to  the  effect  of  soaking  and  germination  of  wheat 
on  the  distribution  and  yield  of  milling  products,  the  quality  of 
flour,  and  bread-making  properties,  G.  A.  Olson  (Amer.  Food 
Jour.,  6  (1911),  No.  4,  pp.  36-39,  figs.  4)  found  that  water-soaked 
wheat  is  not  necessarily  spoiled  and  can  be  used  for  milling  pur- 
poses, providing  it  has  been  thoroughly  cleaned  and  dried.  Using 
small  quantities  of  germinated  wheat  flour  with  other  flour  in- 
creased the  volume  of  the  loaf,  according  to  the  author,  without 
impairing  its  texture.  Each  particular  flour  required  a  different 
amount  of  germinated  flour  to  produce  the  best  results.  Too 
large  an  amount  of  diastatic  flour  is  less  beneficial  than  none. 

Analyses  of  a  number  of  sorts  of  gluten  flour  manufactured 
in  the  United  States  and  of  foreign  diabetic  products  were  re- 
ported in  comparison  with  wheat  flour  by  D.  W.  Fetterolf  (Univ. 
Penn.  Med.  Bui.,  22  (1909),  No.  7,  pp.  217-222). 

From  an  experimental  study  of  the  starch  grain,  H.  Kraemer 
(Amer.  Jour.  Pharm.,  79  (1907),  pp.  217-229,  pi.  1,  figs.  3)  con- 
cludes that  "the  starch  grain  consists  of  colloidal  and  crystal- 
loidal  substances,  these  being  arranged  for  the  most  part  in  dis- 
tinct and  separate  lamellae,  that  is,  at  the  point  of  origin  of  growth 
and  in  the  alternate  lamellae  the  colloidal  substance  preponder- 
ates, associated  with  the  crystalloid  cellulose;  whereas  in  the 
other  layers  the  crystalloidal  substance,  consisting  for  the  most 
part  of  granulose,  occurs  in  greater  proportion." 

Several  studies  of  cane  sugar  and  maple  sugar  have  been  car- 
ried on. 

C.  A.  Browne,  Jr.,  and  R.  E.  Blouin  (Louisiana  Stas.  Bui.  91, 
pp.  103)  have  summarized  a  large  amount  of  data  collected  dur- 
ing recent  years  by  the  Louisiana  Sugar  Experiment  Station, 
which  have  to  do  with  the  composition  of  the  stalk,  sesd,  root. 


152         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

and  leaves  of  sugar  cane  and  of  the  plant  ash.  The  work  as  a 
whole  is  an  exhaustive  study  of  the  chemical  composition  of  sugar 
cane,  with  reference  to  its  use  for  sugar  making,  and  of  the  phy- 
siology of  the  growth  and  ripening  of  the  cane.  Experimental 
work  on  sugar  making  is  also  reported. 

From  a  study  of  the  question  of  the  influence  of  micro-organ- 
isms upon  the  quality  of  maple  sirup,  H.  A.  Edson  (Abs.  in 
Science,  n.  ser.,  31  (1910),  No.  791,  p.  308)  was  able  to  show  by 
isolation  and  inoculation  experiments  that  to  certain  groups  of 
micro-organisms  is  ascribable  the  abnormal  type  of  sap  of  the 
late  runs  characterized  by  green,  red,  milky,  and  stringy  appear- 
ance. 

A.  H.  Bryan  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Bui.  134,  pp.  110, 
pi.  1,  figs.  4,  map  1),  in  connection  with  a  study  of  maple  sap 
sirup,  repoits  analyses  of  481  samples  of  sirup  of  known  purity 
collected  in  maple-producing  States  in  the  United  States  and  in 
Canada,  the  data  being  gathered  as  a  basis  for  comparing  and 
grading  maple  sirups. 

Considering  the  395  samples  from  the  United  States,  the  aver- 
age moisture  content  was  34.19,  sucrose  62.64,  invert  sugar  1.49, 
ash  0.66,  and  undetermined  material  1.02  per  cent.  The  polar- 
ization values  were:  Direct,  at  20°C.,-f60.93;  and  invert,  at 
20°C.,— 22.16.  The  average  values  for  the  86  Canadian  sam- 
ples were:  Moisture  content  34.34,  sucrose  62.24,  invert  sugar 
1.41,  ash  0.62,  and  undetermined  material  1.59  per  cent.  The 
polarization  values  were:  Direct,  at  20°C.,-|- 59.33;  and  invert, 
at20''C.,-23.17. 

The  results  of  a  special  study  of  the  constituents  of  maple- 
sirup  ash  are  also  reported.  The  average  results  for  100  sam- 
ples from  different  States  showed  that  the  ash  contained  38.07 
per  cent  potash,  21.88  per  cent  lime,  5.39  per  cent  phosphoric 
acid,  and  1.59  per  cent  sulphates. 

Considering  the  samples  from  both  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  the  average  basic  lead  value  of  2.70,  calculated  to  dry 
substance,  and  the  average  neutral  lead  number  was  0.79.  The 
average  malic  acid  value  determined  by  the  modified  calcium 
chloride  method  was  0.84,  and  by  the  calcium  acetate  method, 
1.01. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  153 

Factors  which  influence  the  character  of  the  sap  and  the  sirup 
and  related  questions  are  discussed. 

Experimental  work  carried  on  in  an  attempt  to  isolate  flavor- 
ing substances  present  in  maple  sap  is  described  by  A.  P.  Sy 
(Jour.  Franklin  Inst.,  166  (1908),  pp.  249-280);  Abs.  in  Chem. 
Abs.,  2  (1908),  No.  24,  p.  3376),  in  a  publication  dealing  with 
history,  manufacture,  and  analysis  of  maple  products,  and  work 
reported  on  the  analysis  of  maple  products. 

Housekeepers  and  manufacturers  of  food  products  often  ex- 
press the  opinion  that  there  is  a  difference  in  the  culinary  quality 
of  cane  sugar  and  beet  sugar.  The  matter  was  studied  by  G.  W. 
Shaw  (California  Sta.  Circ.  33,  p.  4),  of  the  California  Experi- 
ment Station.  The  sugar  is  being  used  for  sirup  making,  for 
canning  fruit,  and  for  jelly  making.  The  beet  sugar  produced 
more  froth  in  making  sirup,  but  investigation  led  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  this  was  due  to  the  finer  granulation  of  the  beet  sugar, 
which  caused  more  air  to  become  entangled  during  the  starting 
than  was  the  case  with  cane  sugar.  No  differences  were  ob- 
served in  the  keeping  quality  of  canned  goods  or  the  jelly  made 
with  the  two  sorts  of  sugar  from  his  experimental  data  and 
other  evidence  the  author  concludes  that  under  commercial  and 
household  conditions,  beet  sugar  and  cane  sugar  give  equally 
satisfactory  results  for  these  uses. 

An  exhaustive  study  was  made  of  the  composition  of  Ameri- 
can honeys  by  C.  A.  Browne  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Bui. 
110,  pp.  1-69,  89-93,  pi.  1,  fig.  1),  of  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry, 
and  a  microscopical  study  of  honey  pollen  by  W.  J.  Young  (U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Bui.  110,  pp.  70-88,  pis.  5). 

A  number  of  studies  of  meat,  eggs,  cheese,  and  other  animal 
foods  have  appeared. 

The  glycogen  content  of  beef  flesh  and  the  factors  which  in- 
fluence it  were  studied,  in  animals  recently  slaughtered,  by  P.  F. 
Trowbridge  and  C.  K.  Francis  (Jour.  Indus,  and  Engin.  Chem., 
2  (1910),  No.  1,  pp.  21-24).  The  length  of  time  which  elapses 
after  feeding  before  the  animal  is  slaughtered,  the  authors  con- 
sider an  important  factor  in  determining  the  amount  of  glycogen 
which  remains  stored  in  the  organs  and  muscles.  Their  results 
indicate  that  there  is  a  rapid  enzymatic  hydrolysis  of  glycogen 


154        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

in  flesh  under  many  conditions,  but  that  at  10°C.  or  lower,  it 
did  not  take  place  appreciably. 

In  connection  with  an  extended  study  of  market  classes  and 
grades  of  meat,  L.  D.  Hall  (Illinois  Sta.  Bui.  147,  pp.  147-290, 
figs.  75;  Abstract,  pp.  15,  figs.  4)  has  described  and  illustrated 
by  diagrams  or  figures  the  standard  grades  of  beef,  veal,  mutton, 
and  pork  as  they  are  found  in  the  Chicago  wholesale  trade.  Tech- 
nical terms  are  defined.  The  bulletin  as  a  whole  furnishes  a 
large  amount  of  data  on  the  subject  which  is  of  importance  in 
discussing  meat  in  relation  to  dietetics  as  well  as  for  other  pur- 
poses. 

Some  data  of  a  similar  character  have  been  published  by  P.  F. 
Trowbridge  (Missouri  Bd.  Agr.  Mo.  Bui.,  9  (1911),  No.  2,  pp. 
69-78). 

W.  D.  Richardson  (Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc.  29  (1907),  No.  12, 
pp.  1757-1767)  reports  the  results  of  the  examination  of  a  large 
number  of  samples  of  animal  and  vegetable  foods  with  a  view  to 
securing  data  regarding  the  occurrence  of  nitrates  in  vegetable 
foods,  cured  meats,  and  elsewhere.  He  concludes  that  nitrates 
are  quite  generally  distributed. 

F.  C.  Cook  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Ciro.  62,  pp.  7),  of 
the  Bureau  of  Chemistry  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  has 
reported  a  large  number  of  analyses  of  beef  extracts  and  yeast 
extiacts  of  known  origin.  According  to  the  author,  "the  yeast 
extracts  contain  approximately  1  per  cent  ether-soluble  mate- 
rial and  the  beef  extracts  larger  amounts.  Cholesterol  was  not 
found  in  the  ether  extracts,  and  sarcolactic  acid  only  in  the  yeast 
extracts. 

"The  phosphorus  of  beef  is  largely  water-soluble,  consequently 
a  considerable  percentage  of  the  ash  of  beef  extracts  is  composed 
of  this  constituent.  Approximately  one  half  of  the  sulphur  of 
beef  is  water-soluble.  Yeast  extracts  derived  from  yeast  rich 
in  phosphorus  also  contain  a  large  amount  in  the  ash.  The 
total  amount  present  is  larger  than  the  ash  content,  showing  that 
some  phosphoric  acid  is  volatilized  on  ashing.  The  organic 
phosphorus  determined  by  the  Siegfried-Singewald  method  gives 
approximately  the  1:10  ratio  compared  with  the  total  as  sug- 
gested by  those  authors. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  155 

"The  total  nitrogen  of  the  beef  extracts  on  the  water-free  and 
fat-free  basis  averages  11.82  per  cent,  that  of  the  yeast  extracts 
averages  7.44  per  cent.  The  amino  nitrogen  figures  for  the  beef 
preparations  are  nearly  double  those  of  the  yeast  extracts. 

"Although  the  water-soluble  nitrogen  of  beef,  which  consti- 
tutes 25  per  cent  of  the  total  nitrogen,  consists  of  approximately 
two  thirds  and  one  third  amino  nitrogen,  the  samples  of  beef 
extracts  analyzed  average  72  per  cent  of  amino  nitrogen  and  28 
per  cent  of  protein  nitrogen. 

"The  general  appearance  and  odor  of  the  two  varieties  of  ex- 
tracts are  very  similar.  As  a  food  both  are  extremely  limited  in 
value.  The  beef  extracts  contain  more  nitrogenous  extractives 
than  the  yeasc  preparations,  otherwise  their  general  composition 
is  much  the  same." 

A  large  number  of  analyses  of  samples  of  meat  extract,  meat 
juices,  yeast  extracts,  and  similar  goods  are  reported  and  dis- 
cussed by  W.  D.  Bigelow  and  F.  C.  Cook  (U.S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur. 
Chem.  Bui.  114,  pp.  7-56),  the  methods  followed  being  described. 

Meat  extracts,  yeast  extracts,  and  similar  goods  were  also 
tudised  by  J.  P.  Street,  et.  al.  (Connecticut  State  Sta.  Rpt.  1907-8, 
pt.  9,  pp.  573-716). 

On  the  basis  of  numerous  tests,  I.  A.  Field  (U.S.  Dept.  Com. 
and  Labor,  Bur.  Fisheries  Bui.,  28  (1908),  pt.  1,  pp.  243-257; 
Doc.  655,  1910,  pp.  243-257)  reaches  the  conclusion  that  the 
common  sea  mussel  {Mytilus  edulis)  is  nutritious,  palatable, 
and  easily  digested.  From  tests  of  culinary  qualities,  made 
under  a  variety  of  conditions,  of  the  smooth  and  horned  dogfish, 
he  concludes  further  that  the  flesh  of  these  fishes  is  cheap,  pala- 
table, nutritious,  and  easily  preserved,  and  he  believes  further 
that  it  is  as  digestible  as  that  of  other  fishes. 

In  a  paper  on  unutilized  fishes  and  their  relation  to  the  fishing 
industries,  I.  A.  Field  (U.  S.  Dept.  Com.  and  Labor,  Bur.  Fish- 
eries Doc.  622,  pp.  50,  pi.  1)  discusses  methods  of  proficably  using 
dogfish  of  different  sorts,  sand  shark,  toad-fish,  etc.,  summarizes 
data  regarding  the  use  of  fresh,  canned  and  dried  dogfish,  and 
gives  some  results  of  tests  of  its  culinary  quality,  which  he  be- 
lieves indicate  that  such  dogfish  flesh  is  both  palatable  and 
wholesome. 


156        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  uniformity  with  which  copper  was  found  in  oysters  ex- 
amined by  J.  T.  Willard  (Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc,  30  (1908), 
No.  5,  pp.  902-904)  led  him  to  conclude  that  it  is  to  be  regarded 
as  a  normal  constituent. 

J.  T.  Willard  and  R.  H.  Shaw  (Kansas  Sta.  Bui.  159,  pp.  143- 
177)  analysed  all  the  eggs  laid  in  6  weeks  by  4  lots  of  pure-bred 
chickens.  On  an  average  the  thickness  of  the  shells  was  0.0139 
in.  In  addition  to  usual  determinations,  they  report  data  re- 
garding the  percentage  of  phosphoric  acid,  the  ash  in  the  yolk, 
and  the  ratio  of  phosphoric  acid  to  ash.  The  average  amount 
of  ash  was  1.57  per  cent  and  of  phosphoric  acid  1.43  per  cent, 
the  ratio  of  phosphoric  acid  to  ash  being  1:1.09. 

"It  is  evident  that  the  ash  consists  almost  entirely  of  phos- 
phoric acid.  This  is  doubtless  produced  almost  entirely,  if  not 
altogether,  from  the  lecithin  of  the  egg  yolk." 

Mary  E.  Pennington  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  7  (1910),  No.  2,  pp. 
109-132)  has  reported  the  results  of  an  extended  chemical  and 
bacteriological  study  of  fresh  eggs,  which  was  reported  at  the 
London  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry,  in  June,  1909,  and  later 
published  in  full. 

L.  L.  Van  Slyke  and  A.  W.  Bosworth  (New  York  State  Sta. 
Tech.  Bui.  4,  pp.  1-16,  17-22)  at  the  New  York  State  Station 
have  studied  some  of  the  early  chemical  changes  which  take  place 
in  the  proteids  and  in  the  calcium  and  phosphoric  acid  compounds 
of  Cheddar  cheese,  and  also  the  acidity  of  the  water  extract  of 
Cheddar  cheese. 

A.  W.  Bosworth  (New  York  State  Sta.  Tech.  Bui.  5,  pp.  23-39) 
has  also  reported  the  results  of  chemical  studies  of  Camembert 
cheese. 

The  manufacture  of  a  food  product  called  buttermilk  is  de- 
scribed by  J.  L.  Sammis  (Wisconsin  Sta.  Bui.  211,  pp.  3-17,  figs. 
7),  in  a  bulletin  of  the  Wisconsin  Experiment  Station  and  some 
data  given  regarding  its  fat  content,  keeping  qualities,  etc. 

An  experimental  study  of  the  production  of  a  dairy  product 
called  "whey  butter"  has  been  reported  by  C.  F.  Doane  (U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Anim.  Indus.  Circ.  161,  pp.  7). 

G.  A.  Olsen  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  5  (1908),  No.  2-3,  pp.  261-281) 
reports  data  regarding  a  proteid  found  in  milk,  cream,  and  but- 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  157 

ter  which  he  considers  new.  The  chemical  and  physical  char- 
acter of  this  proteid  are  described. 

The  majority  of  investigations  with  fruits  and  nuts  carried  on 
in  the  United  States  have  had  to  do  with  the  methods  of  culti- 
vation, transportation,  and  shipment  rather  than  with  compo- 
sition, food  value,  and  use  in  the  home. 

Cactus  fruits,  particularly  tuna  or  the  fruit  of  the  prickly  pear, 
which  is  used  in  southwestern  United  States  and  to  a  greater 
extent  in  Mexico  as  a  foodstuff,  were  studied  with  respect  to  its 
composition  and  nutritive  value,  by  R.  F.  Hare  and  D.  Griffiths 
(New  Mexico  Sta.  Bui.  64,  pp.  88,  pis.  7,  figs.  2). 

In  the  study  of  the  tuna  as  food  for  man,  by  D.  Griffiths  and 
R.  F.  Hare  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Plant  Indus.  Bui.  116,  pp. 
73,  pis.  6),  information  is  given  regarding  the  use  of  the  fruit  for 
jelly  making  and  preserves  as  well  as  for  other  purposes. 

Italian  lemons  and  their  by-products  and  methods  of  produc- 
ing lemon  oil  and  citric  acid  commercially  are  discussed  in  a  sum- 
mary of  data  by  E.  M.  Chace  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Plant  Indus. 
Bui.  160,  pp.  35-50,  pis.  3,  figs.  2). 

In  connection  with  a  summary  of  data  on  the  dietetic  value  of 
fruit,  W.  R.  Lazenby  (Trans.  Mass.  Hort.  Soc,  1910,  pt.  1,  pp. 
89-97)  reports  data  regarding  the  water  content  of  well-devel- 
oped and  undeveloped  specimens.  Less  than  80  per  cent 
water  was  found  in  undeveloped  strawberries,  peaches,  and  ap- 
ples, as  compared  with  90  per  cent  in  fine  but  not  overgrown 
specimens.  It  is  further  stated  that  92  per  cent  of  water  was 
found  in  fine  large  peaches,  in  comparison  with  84  per  cent  in 
small  peaches  of  the  same  variety. 

Data  were  also  recorded  regarding  the  percentage  of  shell  or 
waste,  and  edible  portion  in  nuts,  and  similar  factors.  According 
to  the  author,  there  is  a  loss  of  nearly  2  per  cent  of  the  total  weight 
of  kernels  in  milling  or  cracking  some  of  the  larger  sorts  of  nuts. 

Various  topics  concerned  with  the  composition,  nutritive  value, 
and  use  of  fruit  as  food  have  been  discussed  in  a  summary  pre- 
pared by  C.  F.  Langworthy  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Farmers'  Bui. 
293,  pp.  38,  fig.  1). 

The  occurrence  of  sucrose  in  grapes  was  studied  by  W.  B. 
Alwood  and  his  associates  (Jour.  Indus,  and  Engin.  Chem.,  2 


158        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

(1910),  No.  11,  pp.  481,  482)  with  a  number  of  varieties.  The 
quantities  found  in  the  juice  of  3  well-known  varieties  ranged  from 
4.49  and  5.66  gm.  per  100  cc.  of  juice.  In  the  juice  of  a  new 
seedling  it  was  considerably  larger. 

In  a  later  report,  W.  B.  Alwood  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem. 
Bui.  140,  pp.  24)  states  that  he  and  his  co-workers  have  examined 
practically  all  the  wine  and  table  grapes  grown  in  eastern  United 
States,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  varieties  mentioned  (Hayes, 
Pocklington,  and  Worden  and  a  seedling),  they  did  not  find 
sucrose  in  appreciable  quantities.  Extended  studies  were  also 
made  of  varieties  grown  in  other  regions  and  the  variations  in 
sugar  and  acid  content  studied  during  ripening.  In  Catawba 
grapes  the  sugar  more  than  doubled  after  the  berries  began  to 
color,  while  the  acid  was  only  about  half  as  great.  Similar  data 
are  reported  for  many  other  varieties. 

W.  P.  Kelly  (Jour.  Indus,  and  Engin.  Chem.,  3  (1911),  No.  6, 
pp.  403-405)  has  studied  the  composition  of  Hawaiian  pineap- 
ples and  found  them  to  vary  considerably,  the  sugar  content 
ranging  from  9.15  to  15.23  per  cent,  and  the  acidity  from  0.22  to 
1.16  per  cent,  and  increasing  generally  as  the  sugar  increased. 
On  the  whole,  Hawaiian  pineapples  show  much  the  same  average 
composition  as  thos";  grown  elsewhere. 

"Green  pineapples  contain  less  acidity  that  the  ripe  fruit  and 
also  a  small  percentage  of  fiber,  reducing  sugar,  and  sucrose. 
Dextrin  and  starch  do  not  occur  in  important  quantities  in  pine- 
apples at  any  stage.  The  reducing  sugars  and  sucrose  stand  in 
inverse  ratio  to  that  of  the  ripe  fruit.  In  the  ripening  of  pine- 
apples gathered  green,  the  most  important  chemical  change  chat 
takes  place  is  the  conversion  of  reducing  sugars  into  sucrose,  but 
the  total  sugar  content  appears  not  to  be  increased.     .     .     . 

"During  the  normal  ripening  of  the  pineapple,  a  rapid  accu- 
mulation of  sugais  and  a  slight  increase  in  acidity  take  place. 
When  the  fruit  becomes  approximately  half  ripe,  it  contains  at 
least  three-fourths  of  its  maximum  sugars." 

Bread,  milk,  vegetables,  bananas,  and  rhubarb  were  included 
by  H.  Ackroyd,  (Bio-Chem.  Jour.,  5  (1911),  No.  8-9,  pp.  400- 
406)  in  a  study  of  the  presence  of  allantoin  in  certain  foods. 

His  general  conclusions  are  that  "the  whole  quantity  of  allan- 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  159 

toin  excreted  by  man  on  a  milk  and  vegetable  diet  may  be  derived 
directly  from  the  food.  Milk,  white  bread,  French  beans,  green 
peas,  all  contain  small  quantities  of  allantoin,  while  none  could 
be  isolated  from  eggs,  bananas,  or  rhubarb." 

The  food  value  of  nuts  and  the  various  ways  in  which  they  may 
be  used  in  the  diet  have  been  discussed  by  M.  E.  Jaffa  (U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.  Yearbook  1906,  pp.  295-312,  pi.  1,  fig.  1;  Farmers' 
Bui.  332,  pp.  28,  fig.  1),  in  a  bulletin  published  in  connection 
with  the  nutrition  investigations  of  the  Office  of  Experiment 
Stations. 

In  connection  with  a  study  of  pecan  culture,  the  marketing  of 
pecans,  and  related  questions  by  W.  N.  Hutt  (Bui.  N.  C.  Dept. 
Agr.,  30  (1909),  No.  9,  pp.  50,  figs.  25),  the  use  of  pecans  as  food 
is  considered,  and  instructions  given  for  cracking  these  nuts  par- 
ticularly for  commercial  purposes. 

The  care  and  marketing  of  vegetables  have  been  more  often 
studied  than  their  composition  and  nutritive  value. 

Canned  peas  and  beans  of  different  grades  were  analyzed  by 
W.  L.  Dubois  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Circ.  54,  pp.  9), 
in  connection  with  commercial  canning,  and  particularly  with 
reference  to  the  use  of  soaked  peas  and  beans  in  place  of  the 
fresh  vegetables.  In  general,  the  soaked  peas  had  a  higher 
water  and  starch  comeni,  and  a  somewhat  higher  specific 
gravity  than  the  fiesh  canned  peas.  The  author  is  of  the 
opinion  that  such  determinations  may  prove  useful  in  connec- 
tion with  physical  examinations  in  judging  of  the  character  of 
such  canned  goods. 

The  crude  fiber  and  the  crude  search  content  of  the  soaked 
were  higher  than  in  the  case  of  the  fresh  canned  beans,  though 
the  differences  were  less  pronounced  when  the  results  were  re- 
duced to  a  dry  matter  basis. 

The  recorded  data  furnished  some  information  regarding  the 
changes  which  take  place  during  the  growth  and  ripening  of  peas. 

"As  the  pea  matures  the  ash  decreases,  the  starch  increases,  and 
the  crude  fiber  decreases  as  a  rule,  while  the  conclusions  to  be 
drawn  from  the  determinations  of  nitrogen  and  ether  extract 
are  less  decisive.  In  the  peas  from  one  locality  the  amount  of 
nitrogen  decreases  as  the  pea  matured,  whereas  in  the  same  vari- 


160        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

ety  from  another  locality  this  variation  was  not  so  apparent. 
Similar  changes  in  composition  appear  in  the  canned  vegetables. 
The  analyses  seem  to  indicate  that  during  the  process  of  canning 
the  peas  take  up  from  2  to  10  per  cent  of  water.  It  is  difficult 
from  these  results  to  draw  any  conclusions  as  to  the  changes 
taking  place  during  processing.  The  principal  value  of  the  work 
.  .  .  is  to  afford  data  for  the  comparison  of  commercial 
grades." 

Marine  algse  are  important  articles  of  diet  of  native  Hawaiians. 
In  connection  with  the  work  of  the  Hawaii  Experiment  Stations, 
Minnie  Reed  (Hawaii  Sta.  Rpt.  1906,  pp.  61-88,  pis.  4)  studied 
the  economic  importance  and  food  value  of  a  large  number  of 
these  marine  algae,  reporting  cooking  tests  in  addition  to  analyti- 
cal work  and  studies  of  the  value  of  seaweed  mucilage,  gelatin, 
etc. 

A  digest  of  data  on  insoluble  carbohydrates,  particularly  those 
of  marine  algse,  and  a  summary  of  digestion  experiments  car- 
ried on  in  the  author's  laboratory  with  such  foods  in  comparison 
with  raw  ItaUan  chestnuts,  have  been  briefly  reported  by  L.  B. 
Mendel  (Zentbl.  Gesam.  Physiol,  u.  Path.  Stoffwechsels,  n.  ser., 
3  (1908),  No.  17,  641-654). 

The  character  and  nutritive  value  of  carbohydrates  of  lichens, 
algse,  and  related  substances,  particularly  marine  algae,  as  studied 
by  Mary  D.  Swartz  (Proc.  Amer.  Soc.  Biol.  Chem.,  1  (1910), 
No.  5,  pp.  257,  258;  Trans.  Conn.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  16  (1911), 
pp.  247-382),  the  hemicelluloses  from  10  species  of  algse  were 
found  to  contain  pentosans  and  galactans.  The  pentosans,  with 
one  exception,  were  largely  found  insoluble  in  cold  water,  while 
the  gelactans  were  soluble  and  characterized  by  their  gelatinous 
nature.  Small  quantities  of  soluble  pentosans  were  associated 
with  them  in  every  case. 

The  resistance  to  bacterial  action  was  studied,  and  digesti- 
bility was  studied  in  vitro,  and  in  other  ways. 

They  were  found  to  be  very  resistant  to  the  action  of  animal 
and  vegetable  enzyms.  Experiments  showed  that  galactans 
were  not  affected  by  the  ordinary  aerobic  bacteria  of  the 
alimentary  tract,  or  by  mixtures  of  soil  and  fecal  aerobes, 
of  soil  and  fecal  anaerobes,  or  of  powerful  putrefactive  organ- 


xvni]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  161 

isms  such  as  Bacillus  anthracis  ^mptomatid  and  B.  maliqni 
aedematis.  Pentosans,  mannans,  and  levulans  were  found  to  be 
gradually  decomposed  by  soil  and  fecal  bacteria  and  by  putre- 
factive anaerobes,  sometimes  with  the  formation  of  reducing 
substances. 

"  When  introduced  parenterally,  either  subcutaneously  or 
intravenously,  they  are  not  retained  or  altered  by  che  organ- 
isms, but  are  gradually  excreted  in  the  urine.  Feeding  experi- 
ments on  dogs  and  human  subjects  show  that  those  hemicelluloses 
most  readily  attached  by  bacteria  disappear  most  completely 
from  the  alimentary  tract.  Galactans,  which  are  unaffected  to 
any  appreciable  extent,  are  excreted  in  amounts  averaging  75 
per  cent;  pentosans  and  mannans,  hydrolyzed  by  bacteria, 
disappear  almost  entirely  during  the  processes  of  digestion. 

"  The  experiments  give  little  justification  for  considering 
these  carbohydrates  as  typical  nutrients  for  man." 

A  popular  digest  of  data  regarding  the  composition,  food 
value,  digestibility,  and  place  in  the  diet  of  potatoes  and  other 
root  crops  used  as  food  is  prepared  by  C.  F.  Langworthy  (U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.,  Farmers'  Bui.  295,  pp.  45,  figs.  4). 

Proprietary  foods  are  made  and  marketed  in  large  variety. 
Their  composition  and  food  value  seem  to  have  been  studied 
much  less  frequently  chan  many  other  commercial  food  products 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  a  knowledge  of  their  real  value 
would  seem  to  be  particularly  important  as  they  are  chiefly 
recommended  by  the  makers  for  use  in  infant  feeding  and  in 
invalid  dietetics. 

The  composition  and  true  nutritive  value  of  a  number  of  pro- 
prietary foods  and  food  products  are  discussed  in  a  paper  by 
Graham  Lusk  (Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc,  49  (1907),  No.  3,  pp. 
201,  202,  270),  dealing  with  the  general  subjecc  of  the  nutritive 
value  of  such  foods. 

D.  L.  Edsall  (Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc,  54  (1910),  No.  3,  pp. 
193-196)  also  discusses  this  general  question,  as  has  J.  Rowland 
(Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc,  54  (1910),  No.  3,  pp.  196-201),  who 
pays  particular  attention  to  predigested  foods. 

A  published  paper  gives  data  regarding  predigested  foods  and 
similar  goods  (Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc,  48  (1907),  pp.  1612- 


162        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

1614,  1694;  49  (1908),  pp.  1294,  1295;  abs.  in  Chem.  Abs.,  2 
(1908),  No.  12,  pp.  1740,  1741). 

G.  F.  Richmond  and  W.  E.  Musgrave  (Philippine  Jour.  Sci., 
3  (1909),  No.  2,  pp.  87-90)  report  a  study  of  the  composition  of 
malted  milk,  particularly  its  fat  content,  which  was  found  to  be 
8.18  per  cent. 

Experiment  station  investigators  have  given  much  attention 
to  the  breeding  of  cereal  crops,  the  influence  of  fertilizers  on  com- 
position, and  other  related  questions.  This  work  is  perhaps 
more  appropriately  considered  in  coimection  with  agricultural 
chemistry  than  with  nutrition,  though  some  of  it,  notably  that 
with  wheat  and  with  corn,  has  an  obvious  relation  to  questions 
of  human  nutrition. 

It  is  interescing  to  note  that  comparatively  wide  variations 
are  observed  in  the  composition  of  light  and  heavy  kernels  of 
wheat  of  the  same  variety,  in  the  grain  from  well  developed  and 
imperfectly  developed  ears  of  corn,  and  in  the  kernels  in  different 
parts  of  the  ear. 

In  a  study  of  the  improvement  of  com,  by  A.  M.  Soule  and 
P.  0.  Vanatter  (Virginia  Sta.  Bui.  165,  pp.  91-185,  figs.  48),  it 
was  observed  that  many  of  the  best  yielding  ears  did  not  have 
as  high  a  protein  content  as  the  undesirable  ones. 

C.  L.  Penny  (Delaware  Sta.  Rpt.  1904-1906,  pp.  13-33) 
found  a  wide  range  in  protein  content,  the  minimum  being  6.25 
in  one  crop  and  the  maximum  12.69.  The  smaller  kernels  at 
the  end  of  the  ear  were  found  to  contain  on  an  average  0.3  per 
cent  less  protein  than  the  large  and  well  formed  kernels. 

These  matters  have  been  extensively  studied  at  the  Illinois 
Experiment  Station.  In  a  report  of  investigations  regarding 
ten  generations  of  com  breeding,  L.  H.  Smith  (Illinois  Sta.  Bui. 
128,  pp.  457-575,  figs.  2)  summarizes  data  covering  the  range  in 
protein  and  fat  content.  The  results  obtained  show  that  start- 
ing with  a  single  variety  it  was  possible  in  ten  generations  to 
increase  the  protein  content  "from  10.92  per  cent  to  14.26  per 
cent,  a  gain  of  3.34  per  cent,  while  by  breeding  in  the  opposite 
direction  it  has  been  possible  to  reduce  the  protein  content  from 
10.92  to  8.64  per  cent,  a  reduction  of  2.28  per  cent,  making  a 
total  difference  between  the  two  strains  of  5.62  per  cent.    It  is 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  163 

further  shown  that  the  high-oil  com  has  increased  from  4.70  per 
cent  to  7.30  per  cent  of  oil,  while  a  low-oil  com  has  decreased 
from  4.70  per  cent  to  2.66  per  cent,  the  difference  between  the 
two  strains  in  1906  being  4.71  per  cent. 

"High  protein  and  low  protein  seed  were  planted  together  on 
one  plat  and  high-oil  and  low-oil  seed  on  another.  These  plats 
were  continued  for  3  years,  and  the  results  secured  did  not  indi- 
cate that  the  soil  influences  the  protein  or  the  oil  content. 

"A  study  of  the  secondary  effects  produced  by  selection  to 
change  the  composition  of  the  grain  indicated  that  the  change 
in  the  composition  of  the  grain  has  produced  no  very  marked 
effect  upon  the  composition  of  other  parts  of  the  corn  plant." 

The  composition  of  corn  and  corn  products,  including  green 
com,  their  nutritive  value  and  place  in  the  diet,  and  similar  ques- 
tions have  been  discussed  in  a  popular  summary  by  C.  D.  Woods 
(U.  S.  Depc.  Agr.,  Farmers'  Bui.  298,  pp.  40,  figs.  2),  published 
in  conneccion  with  the  nutrition  investigations  of  the  Ofl&ce  of 
Experiment  Stations,  which  contains  some  individual  work  re- 
garding the  composition  and  digestibility  of  hulled  com  and 
com  bread  and  some  work  regarding  the  composition  of  pop- 
corn popped  and  unpopped. 

Alice  R.  Thompson  (Hawaii  Sta.  Rpt.  1908,  pp.  51-58),  of 
the  Hawaii  Experiment  Station,  has  reported  the  results  of 
studies  of  Japanese  rice  and  Hawaiian-grown  rice,  both  polished 
and  unpolished,  and  rice  paddy  and  straw  from  imported  and 
Hawaiian  rice  and  from  rice  grown  under  different  conditions, 
the  nitrogenous  constituents  being  determined  in  every  case, 
and  proximate  and  ash  analyses  in  the  case  of  rice  grain  and  rice 
straw  and  paddy. 

Little  variation  was  noted  in  the  chemical  composition  of  the 
different  varieties  of  rice,  and  the  author  is  of  the  opinion  that  the 
claim  for  superiority  of  Japanese  imported  over  Hawaiian-grown 
rice  is  not  substantiated  so  far  as  nutritive  value  is  concemed. 

Comparisons  of  the  analyses  of  polished  and  unpolished  grain 
showed  that  the  unpolished  rice  contained  about  four  times  as 
much  fat  as  the  polished,  as  well  as  more  protein,  crude  fiber, 
and  ash.  Practically  all  the  nitrogen  of  the  rice  grain  was  found 
to  be  proteid  nitrogen. 


164        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

The  question  of  the  wholesomeness  of  polished  and  unpolished 
rice  and  the  more  specific  question  of  the  possible  relation  of 
pohshed  rice  to  beri-beri  are  matters  which  have  been  given  much 
experimental  study  in  recent  years  as  a  part  of  the  general  ques- 
tion of  the  possible  connection  between  the  presence  or  absence 
of  particular  mineral  constituents,  protein  radicals,  or  other  con- 
stituents and  the  occurrence  of  the  disease. 

The  matter  of  the  possible  relation  of  rice  to  beri-beri  is  of 
particular  importance  in  the  regions  of  the  Orient  where  rice  is 
the  principal  carbohydrate  foodstuff,  so  naturally  the  question 
has  been  studied  as  a  part  of  the  scientific  work  undertaken  by 
the  Philippine  Department  of  Science.  H.  Aron  and  F.  Hoc- 
son  (Biochem.  Ztschr.,  32  (1911),  No.  3-4,  pp.  189-203),  in  an 
investigation  on  rice  as  a  foodstuff,  have  reported  experimental 
studies  in  which  the  balance  of  income  and  outgo  of  nitrogen  was 
determined  on  a  rice  diet  supplemented  by  other  foods  chiefly  of 
vegetable  origin,  including  such  material  as  bananas,  rice  polish, 
and  phytin. 

Analyses  of  a  large  number  of  samples  showed  that  relatively 
more  phosphorus  than  nitrogen  was  lost  by  polishing  rice.  The 
unpolished  rice  contained  on  an  average  from  0.7  to  0.8  per  cent 
P^O^,  undermilled  rice  from  0.4  to  0.6  per  cent,  and  overmilled 
rice  from  0.15  to  0.4  per  cent. 

The  authors  conclude  thao  an  exclusive  rice  diet  will  not  sup- 
ply protein  enough  to  meet  man's  demands,  and  that  therefore 
it  must  be  supplemented  by  vegetable,  or  better,  animal  foods 
rich  in  protein.  Such  a  mixed  diet  is  satisfactory  from  an  hy- 
gienic standpoint,  provided  the  rice  has  noc  lost  too  much  phos- 
phoius  by  overmilling  or  polishing.  From  their  experimental 
studies  they  conclude  further  that,  for  a  man  weighing  50  kg., 
a  diet  made  up  of  rice  supplemented  by  vegetable  foods  must 
contain  at  least  75  gm.  protein  in  order  to  meet  hygienic  require- 
ments, and  that  a  diet  of  rice  supplemented  by  fish  or  meat  must 
contain  at  least  65  gm.,  of  which  at  least  |  is  supplied  by  animal 
foods. 

Information  gained  from  practical  experience  with  beri-beri 
and  unpolished  rice  in  the  Philippines  was  summarized  by  V.  G. 
Heiser  (Philippine  Jour.  Sci.,  B.  Med.  Sci.,  6  (1911),  No.  3,  pp. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  165 

229-233),  particularly  regarding  the  efforts  which  have  been 
made  to  encourage  the  local  use  of  unpolished  rice  and  the  suc- 
cess which  has  attended  it. 

For  purposes  of  convenience,  "a  rice  containing  less  than  0.4 
per  cent  of  phosphorus  pentoxid  is  regarded  as  polished  and  that 
which  contains  a  greater  percentage  of  phosphorus  pentoxid  as 
unpolished  rice." 

An  attempt  to  secure  legislation  regarding  the  use  of  unpol- 
ished rice  in  the  Philippines  is  briefly  discussed. 

The  question  of  cotton  seed  as  human  food  has  been  consid- 
ered by  G.  S.  Fraps  (Texas  Sta.  Bui.  128,  pp.  5-15),  who  reports 
analyses  of  cotton-seed  flour,  cotton-seed  flour  bread,  and  other 
cotton-seed  bakery  products.  The  general  conclusion  is  that 
cotton-seed  flour  is  rich  in  protein  and  that  it  may  be  used  alone 
or  mixed  with  wheat  flour  for  the  preparation  of  appetizing  foods. 
In  the  author's  opinion,  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  cotton- 
seed flour  will  not  prove  a  wholesome  product  when  used  in  small 
amounts. 

In  his  discussion,  the  author  draws  attention  to  the  fact  that 
cotton  seed  has  more  or  less  proved  harmful  when  used  as  food 
for  domestic  animals,  particularly  pigs,  but  he  is  of  the  opinion 
that  the  quantities  likely  to  be  used  would  not  prove  harmful  to 
man.    Nevertheless,  he  cautions  against  using  too  large  amounts. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  F.  Russell  (Ann.  Rpt.  Bur.  Amer. 
Ethnol.,  26  (1904-5),  pp.  66-92,  figs.  7)  states  that  cotton  seed 
was  formerly  used  as  foodstuff  by  the  Pima  Indians  of  southern 
Arizona. 

The  widespread  interest  at  the  present  time  in  the  possibility 
of  using  cotton-seed  meal  as  a  food  for  man  lends  a  special  in- 
terest to  the  investigations  which  have  been  undertaken  to  de- 
termine the  reason  why  it  proves  harmful  to  domestic  animals, 
particularly  pigs,  when  fed  a  considerable  time  in  fairly  g'^nerous 
quantities.  Such  studies  will  probably  be  referred  to  in  detail 
elsewhere.  It  may  be  noted  here  that  it  seems  to  be  the  case 
that  the  renal  disturbances  or  other  pathological  conditions  ob- 
served when  it  is  fed  to  pigs  may  be  postponed  or  even  in  some 
cases  materially  lessened  by  feeding  a  large  proportion  of  green 
fodder  with  the  cotton  seed. 


166        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Interesting  investigations  on  the  general  question  of  the  pois- 
onous properties  which  cotton  seed  sometimes  exhibits  when  fed 
to  farm  animals  have  been  carried  on  in  the  Bureau  of  Animal 
Industry  and  reported  by  A.  C.  Crawford"  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr., 
E.  S.  R.,  22  (1910),  No.  6,  pp.  501-505).  His  conclusion  is  that 
the  poisonous  principle  is  not  an  alkaloid  but  probably  an  inor- 
ganic compound,  namely,  a  salt  of  pyrophosphoric  acid.  Phos- 
phoric acid  has  long  been  known  to  be  present  in  cotton-seed 
meal  in  considerable  quantity,  and  has  been  suggested  as  having 
a  possible  relation  to  its  toxicity,  but  the  methods  of  study  fol- 
lowed have  not  been  such  as  to  bring  out  this  relationship  or 
lend  support  to  the  hypothesis. 

The  conclusions  advanced  are  supported  by  a  large  amount  of 
data  from  a  systematic  series  of  laboratory  studies  and  physiolo- 
gical tests  and  have  been  further  confirmed  by  feeding  experi- 
ments with  dogs  carried  on  by  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry 
which  were  not  reported  in  the  preliminary  account  of  the  work. 

Not  all  cotton  seeds  exhibit  poisonous  properties,  particu- 
larly being  influenced  in  this  respect  by  variety  and  by  method 
of  cultivation. 

To  quote  from  Dr.  Crawford's  conclusions,  "the  chief  poison- 
ous principle  in  certain  cotton-seed  meals  is  a  salt  of  pyrophos- 
phoric acid.  In  some,  this  salt  seems  to  be  a  simple  one,  pre- 
sumably inorganic,  while  in  others,  it  is  more  complex,  perhaps 
an  organic  one.  Probably  this  difference  in  the  combinations  of 
pyrophosphoric  acid  may  aid  in  explaining  the  variation  in  tox- 
icity of  different  meals.  In  certain  cotton-seed  meals  one  would 
expect  to  find  salts  of  metaphosphoric  acid  entering  into  this 
action.  To  be  harmful,  the  pyrophosphates  must  be  in  such 
a  form  that  they  can  be  absorbed,  or  the  phosphoric  acid  ionized 
in  the  gastro-intestinal  tract.  The  harmlessness  of  certain  cot- 
ton seeds  and  meal  is  mainly  due  to  the  fact  that  in  them  the 
phosphoric  acid  exists  largely,  if  not  entirely,  as  a  compound  of 
ortho,  and  not  as  one  of  the  other  phosphoric  acids.  Small 
amounts  of  pyrophosphates  can  apparently  be  borne  without 
injury.  The  amount  of  the  salt  which  may  be  permitted  in  cot- 
ton-seed meal  should  be  determined." 

("Jour.  Pharmacol,  and  Expt.  Ther.,  1  (1910),  No.5,  pp.  519-548). 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  167 

Many  summaries  of  data  regarding  the  composition  of  foods 
have  appeared,  such  work  not  infrequently  forming  a  part  of 
treatises  on  food  and  nutrition. 

A  set  of  fifteen  colored  food  charts,  prepared  by  C.  F.  Lang- 
worthy  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office  Expt.  Stas.  Food  and  Diet  Chart 
15),  has  been  issued  in  connection  with  the  nutrition  investiga- 
tions of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  which  are  designed  to 
show  graphically  the  composition  and  energy  value  of  the  common 
food  materials  and  to  summarize  some  general  data  regarding 
the  functions  and  uses  of  food. 

Special  Studies  op  Ash,  Protein,  and  Other  Food  Con- 
stituents 

No  new  products  of  particular  importance  have  appeared  dur- 
ing the  period  under  consideration  in  this  summary,  though 
many  of  more  or  less  general  importance  have  been  studied, 
including  dairy  products,  fruits,  meats,  cereal  grains  and  other 
materials.  Methods  of  analysis  as  usual  have  received  a  great 
deal  of  attention. 

Much  work  has  been  reported  in  connection  with  inspection  of 
food  under  government  and  state  pure  food  laws.  No  attempt 
can  be  made  here  to  summarize  this.  As  taken  in  connection 
with  other  pure  food  work,  it  constitutes  a  subject  in  itself. 

In  addition  to  studies  of  the  composition  of  food  already  cited, 
a  number  of  investigations  have  been  reported  which  have  to  do 
with  some  detailed  study  of  food  constituents.  For  instance,  the 
solubility  relations  of  milk  sugar,  the  vapor  pressures  of  saturated 
solutions  of  hydrated  milk  sugar,  the  influence  of  concentration 
on  the  equilibrium  between  the  forms  of  milk  sugar,  and  other 
similar  questions  were  studied  by  C.  S.  Hudson  (Jour.  Amer. 
Chem.  Soc,  30  (1908),  No.  11,  pp.  1767-1783,  figs.  2). 

A  bulletin  by  E.  B.  Forbes  (Ohio  Sta.  Bui.  207,  pp.  23-52), 
of  the  Ohio  Station,  on  the  balance  between  inorganic  acids 
and  bases  in  animal  nutrition,  endeavors  to  show  the  bearing 
on  practical  animal  nutrition  of  the  relationship  between  those 
mineral  elements  of  our  foodstuffs  and  of  living  animal  tissues, 
which  in  the  body  give  rise  to  inorganic  acids,  and  the  various 


168        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

means  at  the  disposal  of  the  animal  for  accomplishing  protection 
from  these  acids  through  effecting  their  neutralization.  The  rela- 
tion of  ash  constituents  to  human  nutrition  in  general  is  also 
considered.  The  investigations  are  reviewed  in  detail  and  a 
number  of  general  deductions  are  drawn. 

The  available  alkali  in  the  ash  of  human  and  cow's  milk  in  its 
relation  to  infant  nutrition  was  studied  by  J.  H.  Kastle  (Amer. 
Jour.  Physiol.,  22  (1908),  No.  2,  pp.  28^308).  The  salient 
points  of  difference  between  the  ash  of  the  two  kinds  of  milk,  the 
author  points  out,  are:  "Human  milk  contains  relatively  more  of 
its  mineral  matter  in  utilizable  form  than  cow's  milk;  it  can  supply 
the  organism  of  the  child  with  relatively  larger  amounts  of 
available  alkali  in  proportion  to  the  proteid  than  cow's  milk;  it 
contains  much  less  proteid;  and  it  contains  a  more  readily  absorb- 
able variety  of  fat." 

The  nature  of  the  chemical  combinations  of  potassium  in  the 
tissues  was  investigated  by  W.  Koch  and  C.  C.  Todd  (Abs.  in 
Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  9  (1911),  No.  2,  pp.  XV,  XVI;  Proc.  Amer. 
Soc.  Biol.  Chem.,  2  (1910),  No.  1,  pp.  9,  10).  The  results  thus 
far  obtained  indicate  that  "sodium  and  potassium  phosphatid 
compounds  exist  in  all  the  tissues  of  the  body  and  are  probably 
of  much  more  importance  than  the  hitherto  assumed  ion-protein 
combination." 

H.  S.  Grindley  and  E.  L.  Ross  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  8  (1910), 
No.  6,  pp.  483— i93)  have  studied  the  determination  of  organic 
and  inorganic  phosphorus  in  meats.  Judging  from  the  data 
which  they  recorded,  it  appears  that  the  coagulation  of  the  pro- 
tein of  the  aqueous  extracts  of  flesh  by  heat  does  not  change 
organic  phosphorus  to  the  inorganic  form  to  any  appreciable 
extent. 

The  subject  has  also  been  studied  by  P.  F.  Trowbridge  and 
Louise  M.  Stanley  (Jour.  Indus,  and  Engin.  Chem.,  2  (1910), 
No.  5,  pp.  212-215;  abs.  in  Analyst,  35  (1910),  No.  412,  p.  311). 
The  proportion  of  soluble  organic  phosphorus  in  total  soluble 
phosphorus  in  meat  was  found  to  vary  considerably  in  different 
animals  and  in  different  parts  of  the  carcass  of  the  same  animal. 
The  lowest  recorded  value  (26  per  cent)  was  observed  with  an 
emaciated  steer,  and  the  highest  (91  per  cent)  with  a  fat  show 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  169 

steer.  "  During  cooking,  a  progressive  splitting  up  of  the  organic 
phosphorus  compounds  takes  place,  and  in  well-cooked  meats 
practically  the  whole  of  the  phosphorus  is  present  in  inorganic 
combination." 

Data  are  presented  by  C.  K.  Francis  and  P.  F.  Trowbridge 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  7  (1910),  No.  6,  pp.  481-501;  8  (1910),  No. 
1,  pp.  81-93)  regarding  investigations  of  the  kind  and  amount 
of  phosphorus  present  in  beef  cattle  in  different  conditions  of 
fatness.  The  results  were  not  uniform  enough  to  warrant  general 
deductions.  No  relation  was  evident  between  phosphorus  and 
total  ash. 

The  question  was  also  studied  with  reference  to  the  kind  of 
phosphorus  present  in  different  cuts. 

"The  round  cut  of  beef  contains  more  phosphorus,  in  forms 
which  are  soluble  in  cold  water  than  any  of  the  other  cuts. 
Phosphorus  is  found  chiefly  in  the  muscular  or  connective  tissue; 
the  fats  contain  but  little.  The  flesh  of  a  thin  animal  contains 
more  soluble  phosphorus  than  that  of  a  fat  animal.  The  quan- 
tity decreases  with  increasing  fatness  even  when  it  is  expressed 
on  a  moisture  and  fat-free  basis." 

The  nature  of  the  phosphorus  compounds  of  the  brain,  both 
normal  and  diseased,  was  studied  by  W.  Koch  (Jour.  Amer.  Med. 
Assoc,  52  (1909),  No.  18,  pp.  1381-1383),  the  work  in  considerable 
part  dealing  with  the  phosphorus  supply  in  the  diet.  The  phos- 
phorus required  for  the  growth  of  the  brain  the  author  concludes 
is  amply  supplied  by  the  phosphorus  of  our  daily  diet.  "If 
desired,  the  addition  of  phosphorus-rich  foods,  such  as  eggs, 
sweetbreads  (pancreas),  liver,  and  some  meats,  can  be  made  to 
meet  further  requirements,  and  will  far  exceed  in  amount  the 
phosphorus  obtained  in  less  natural  form  from  the  prescribed 
doses  of  any  of  the  various  drugs  in  commercial  use.  The  use  of 
such  foods  is,  however,  limited  by  their  richness  and  their  tend- 
ency, on  account  of  their  rich  fat  content  to  interfere  with  gastric 
digestion. 

"As  far  as  the  nervous  system  is  concerned,  the  addition  to 
the  diet  of  commercial  phosphorus  compounds,  such  as  hypo- 
phosphites,  glycerophosphate,  phytin,  lecithin,  etc.,  is  to  be 
discouraged  because,  in  the  first  place,  there  is  no  conclusive 


170        Original  Communications:  Eighth  InternaUonal       [vol. 

evidence  that  they  have  any  effect  on  the  growth  of  the  brain, 
and,  second,  the  amount  usually  recommended  means  only  a 
very  insignificant  addition  to  the  amount  of  phosphorus  (even 
in  its  special  forms  such  as  lecithin)  taken  with  the  daily  food/' 

The  relation  of  brain  phosphatids  to  tissue  metabolites  was 
studied  by  W.  Koch  and  W.  W.  Williams  (Jour.  Pharmacol, 
and  Expt.  Ther.,  2  (1910),  No.  3,  pp.  253-264).  Some  of  the 
conclusions  follow,  which  were  drawn  from  experiments  with 
substances  which  may  be  regarded  as  of  food  value  to  the 
tissues,  including  amino  acids,  glycocoU  and  glucose,  and  with 
substances  having  a  characteristic  physiological  action,  includ- 
ing among  others  adrenalin,  caffein,  and  theobromin : 

"The  changes  in  state  of  aggregation  of  lecithin  produced  by 
sodium  chlorid  are  the  result  of  the  independent  action  of  the 
sodium  and  chlorin  ions,  whose  effects  are  in  opposite  directions. 
Below  the  concentration  of  a  physiological  salt  solution  (0.12 
molecular)  the  action  of  the  chlorin  ion,  which  decreases  the 
state  of  aggregation  of  the  lecithin,  predominates.  Above  the 
concentration  of  a  physiological  salt  solution,  the  action  of  the 
sodium  ion,  which  tends  to  increase  the  state  of  aggregation  of 
lecithin,  comes  more  and  more  into  prominence. 

"It  has  been  suggested  that,  when  the  phenomenon  of  chlorid 
retention  occurs,  some  change  has  taken  place  in  the  state  of 
aggregation  of  the  cell  lipoids  which  allows  this  action  of  the 
chlorin  ion  to  predominate  to  a  still  greater  extent. 

"Ammonia  and  bile  salts  possess  the  power  of  altering  the 
physical  state  of  aggregation  of  lecithin  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
permit  of  the  conclusion  that  they  can  be  of  functional  sig- 
nificance in  altering  the  permeability  of  cell  membranes.  .  .  . 
"The  ability  of  the  tissue  metabolites  to  combine  with  lecithin, 
as  measured  by  the  changes  in  the  physical  state  of  aggregation 
produced  by  their  presence,  is  in  some  cases  considerable,  in 
other  cases  entirely  lacking.  Thus  hypoxanthin,  creatin,  creat- 
inin,  adrenalin,  and  ammonia  salts  show  evidence  of  combi- 
nation.    Inosit  is  doubtful  and  urea  is  negative. 

"The  amino  acids  show  varying  powers  of  combination. 
The  dicarboxy-acids,  like  acids  in  general,  tend  to  increase  the 
state  of  aggregation  of  lecithin." 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  171 

In  connection  with  the  nutrition  investigations  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  H.  C.  Sherman  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office 
Expt.  Stas.  Bui.  185,  pp.  80)  studied  iron  in  food  and  its  functions 
in  nutrition,  and  reported  the  results  of  three  metabolism  experi- 
ments in  which  the  balance  of  income  and  outgo  of  nitrogen  and 
iron  and  other  mineral  constituents  was  determined,  as  well  as 
the  results  of  two  dietary  studies  undertaken  with  special  refer- 
ence to  the  iron  content  of  the  food  consumed.  Estimates  were 
also  made  of  the  amounts  of  iron  taken  per  man  per  day  in  20 
dietary  studies  made  in  connection  with  earlier  nutrition  investi- 
gations of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations. 

"Increase  of  iron,"  it  is  pointed  out,  "in  the  diet  without  a 
corresponding  increase  of  protein  is  readily  accomplished  by  the 
use  of  vegetable,  fruits,  and  the  coarser  mill  products  of  the 
cereal  grains.  In  the  experimental  dietary  here  reported,  the 
free  use  of  such  foods  with  milk  but  without  meat  or  eggs  resulted 
in  an  increase  of  30  per  cent  in  the  iron  content  of  the  diet,  while 
the  protein,  the  fuel  value,  and  the  cost  remained  practically  the 
same  as  in  the  ordinary  mixed  diet  obtained  under  the  same 
market  conditions." 

In  continuation  of  the  work  on  mineral  constituents,  H.  C. 
Sherman,  A.  J.  Mettler,  and  J.  E.  Sinclair  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr., 
Office  Expt.  Stas.  Bui.  227,  pp.  70)  have  studied  calcium,  mag- 
nesium, and  phosphorus  in  food  and  nutrition,  reporting  the 
results  of  6  experiments  on  the  metabolism  of  these  constituents 
and  a  study  of  the  amounts  present  in  typical  American  dietaries. 
In  general,  the  investigations  show  the  importance  in  the  diet  of 
calcium,  magnesium,  and  phosphorus  and  the  possibility  of 
securing  them  by  the  use  in  proper  proportion  of  ordinary  food 
materials. 

To  quote,  "it  is  entirely  feasible  to  increase  largely  the  calcium 
and  phosphorus  intake  by  making  a  more  liberal  use  of  milk  in 
the  dietary.  The  same  may,  of  course,  be  said  of  the  various 
milk  products  in  which  the  calcium  and  phosphorus  compounds 
are  largely  or  wholly  retained,  such,  for  example,  as  cheese, 
junket,  kumiss,  buttermilk,  or  cream.  This  is  probably  the 
simplest  and  more  effective  means  of  improving  the  dietary  as 
regards  calcium  and  phosphorus  compounds,  without  decreasing 


172        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

its  aooeptability  or  materially  increasing  its  cost  and  with  distinct 
advantages  in  other  directions." 

The  balance  of  acid-forming  and  base-forming  elements  in 
foods,  was  studied  by  H.  C.  Sherman  and  J.  E.  Sinclair  (Jour. 
Biol.  Chem.,  3  (1907),  No.  4,  pp.  307-309).  Peas,  milk,  and 
prunes  are  the  foods  studied  containing  an  excess  of  base-forming 
over  acid-forming  elements.  With  beef,  oatmeal,  and '  entire 
wheat  grain  the  reverse  was  the  case.  It  is  obvious,  the  authors 
note,  that  "by  the  free  use  of  meats  and  breadstuffs  on  the  one 
hand  or  of  fruits,  vegetables,  and  milk  on  the  other,  the  net  excess 
of  acid  or  base  introduced  into  the  body  through  the  food  may 
be  varied  at  will  within  wide  limits." 

The  very  important  work  of  T.  B.  Osborne  and  his  associates 
on  the  cleavage  products  of  protein  has  been  continued,  the 
studies  reported  having  to  do  with  the  hydrolysis  of  excelsin 
(Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  19  (1907),  No.  1,  pp.  53-60,  pi.  1);  hordein 
(Amer.  Jour.  Physiol,.  19  (1907),  No.  1,  pp.  117-124);  legumin 
from  the  pea  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.  3  (1907),  No.  3,  pp.  219-225); 
glycinin  from  the  soy  bean  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  19  (1907),  No. 
4,  pp.  468-474);  the  crystalline  globulin  of  the  squash  seed 
(Cucurhita  maxima)  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  19  (1907),  No.  4,  pp. 
475-481) ;  amandin  from  the  almond  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  20 
(1908),  No.  4,  pp.  470-476);  the  proteins  of  maize  {Zea  mays) 
(Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  20  (1908),  No.  4,  pp.  477^93);  gliadin 
from  rye  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  20  (1908),  No.  4,  pp.  494-499); 
vicilin  from  the  pea  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  5  (1908),  No.  2-3,  pp. 
187-195);  legumelin  from  the  pea  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  5  (1908), 
No.  2-3,  pp.  197-205) ;  fish  muscle  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  23  (1908) 
No.  2,  pp.  81-89) ;  viteUin  from  the  hen's  egg  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol, 
24  (1909),  No.  1,  pp.  153-160);  muscle  of  scallop  (Amer.  Jour. 
Physiol.,  24  (1909),  No.  1,  pp.  161-169) ;  crystalized  albumen  from 
hen's  egg  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  24  (1909),  No.  2,  pp.  252-262);  ox 
muscle  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  24  (1909)  No.  5  pp.  437-446);  casein 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  9  .(1911),  No.  3-4,  pp.  333-353);  and 
wheat  gliadin  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  9  (1911),  No.  5,  pp.  425- 
438). 

These  very  important  invesagations  are  too  extended  for 
summary  here. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  173 

Supplementing  his  work  on  the  cleavage  products  of  protein 
T.  B.  Osborne  and  H.  G.  Wells  (Jour.  Infect.  Diseases,  8  (1911), 
No.  1,  pp.  66-124)  have  studied  the  biological  reactions  of  the 
vegetable  proteins,  using  the  globulin  from  castor  bean,  flax  seed, 
and  squash  seed,  edestin  from  the  hemp  seed,  excelsin  from  the 
Brazil  nut,  proteins  from  the  cocoanut,  legumin  from  the  vetch, 
legiunin  and  vicilin  from  the  pea^  vignin  from  the  cowpea, 
glycinin  from  the  soy  bean,  gliadin  from  wheat  and  rye  flour, 
hordein  from  barley,  and  zein  from  maize.  All  of  these  were 
found  to  produce  typical  anaphylaxis  in  sensitized  animals,  the 
condition  possessing  all  of  the  characteristics  which  are  present 
when  anaphylaxis  is  produced  with  serum  or  other  animal  sub- 
stances containing  soluble  proteins. 

It  was  found  that  considerable  differences  in  toxicity  were  pro- 
duced by  the  various  proteins.  "The  most  toxic  proteins,  as 
measured  by  the  frequency  of  severe  and  fatal  reactions,  were  the 
globulin  of  the  squash  seed,  vignin,  excelsin,  and  castor-bean 
globulin,  which  usually  caused  death  when  given  in  0.1  gm.  doses 
to  properly  sensitized  animals.  Edestin  caused  the  least  severe 
reactions  of  any  of  the  proteins,  while  hordein  and  glycinin  seldom 
caused  fatal  reactions;  nevertheless,  the  minimum  sensitizing  and 
intoxicating  doses  of  edestin  and  squashseed  globulin  are  essen- 
tially the  same." 

The  expeiiments  showed,  furthermore,  that  where  continuous 
feeding  was  done  with  the  proteins,  the  guinea  pigs  became 
immune  to  the  proteins  and  could  not  be  sensitized  to  them. 
There  was  a  marked  specificity  shown  within  certain  limits  by  the 
proteins,  and  a  close  similarity,  if  not  identity,  of  the  legumins  of 
the  pea  and  vetch  and  the  close  relation  to  the  vicilin  of  the  pea 
was  shown  by  the  interaction  of  these  proteins.  The  probable 
identity  of  the  gliadin  from  wheat  and  rye,  or  at  least  their  near 
reaction,  was  also  established.  "In  some  instances  doubtful 
results  were  obtained,  for  example,  with  some  guinea  pigs  castor- 
bean  globulin  and  flax-seed  globulin  interacted  strongly,  while 
with  others  similarly  treated,  no  reactions  were  obtained." 

The  structure  of  proteids,  enzyms  and  their  relation  to  biological 
problems,  and  related  questions  are  discussed  in  a  paper  by  R.  H. 
Chittenden  (Science,  n.  ser.,  27  (1908),  No.  685,  pp.  241-254). 


174        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

D.  D.  Van  Slyke  and  P.  A.  Levene  (Proc.  Soc.  Expt.  Biol,  and 
Med.,  6  (1908),  No.  1,  pp.  11-13)  have  reported  studies  of  the 
cleavage  products  of  plastein,  the  "protein-like  substance  or 
substances  precipitated  from  concentrated  albumose  solutions 
by  the  action  of  enzyms."  Their  results  "indicate  that  the 
plastein  is  related  to  the  higher  albumoses,  and  apparently, 
from  the  resistance  of  alkali,  to  the  antialbumoses  rather  than 
to  the  native  proteins." 

T.  B.  Robertson  (Jour.  Phys.  Chem.,  13  (1909),  No.  6,  pp. 
469-489)  reported  data  which  showed  that  the  concentration  of 
casein  solutions  can  be  very  accurately  studied  by  determining 
their  refractive  indices.  His  investigations  are  discussed  at 
length.  He  later  reported  the  results  of  studies  of  the  refractive 
indices  of  solutions  of  certain  proteins  including  the  para-nucleins 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  8  (1910),  No.  4,  pp.  287-295),  serum  globulin 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  8  (1910),  No.  6.  pp.  441-448),  casen  in  alcohol- 
water  mixtures  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  8  (1910),  No.  6  pp.  507-511), 
and  gliadin  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  9  (1911),  No.  3-4,  pp.  181-184). 

Cooking  in  its  Relation  to  Nutritive  Value. 

The  chemical  changes  involved  in  cooking  processes  have  been 
investigated  with  a  considerable  number  of  materials. 

Some  data  regarding  army  rations,  field  ranges,  ovens,  fireless 
cookers,  the  kitchen  touring  car,  portable  gas  cooker  for  army 
use,  etc.,  are  included  in  a  report  of  the  U.  S.  Commissary  General, 
H.  G.  Sharpe  (Rpt.  Commis.  Gen.  [U.  S.  Army],  1909,  pp. 
11-15). 

Suggestions  for  a  diet  kitchen  equipment,  particularly  with  refer- 
ence to  naval  hospitals,  are  presented  in  a  paper  by  W.  Wierzbicki 
(U.  S.  Naval  Med.  Bui.,  4  (1910),  No.  2,  pp.  161-163,  dgms.  2). 

Studies  of  housekeeping  efficiency  as  a  private  enterprise,  by 
C.  Barnard  (Housekeeping  Expt.  Sta.  [Conn.]  Bui.  11,  pp.  20, 
pis.  3)  form  the  basis  of  a  discussion  of  the  increased  efficiency 
through  correct  house  planning,  the  use  of  conveniences  and  labor 
saving  devices,  the  elimination  of  needless  work,  and  similar 
questions.  Some  data  are  recorded  regarding  the  labor  involved 
in  performing  a  definite  household  task  by  different  methods. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  175 

Studies  of  the  supposed  connection  between  protein  coagula- 
tion and  the  heat  shortening  of  muscles  were  reported  by  E.  B., 
Meigs  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  24  (1909),  No.  1,  pp.  178-186 
dgms.  6),  and  are  interesting  not  only  from  the  standpoint  of 
physiological  chemistry  but  also  because  of  their  possible  bearing 
on  the  changes  which  take  place  in  animal  foods  during  cooking 
processes.  The  facts  reported,  as  the  author  points  out,  do  not 
preclude  "the  possibility  that  the  precipitation  of  protein  from 
its  solutions  and  the  shrinkage  of  animal  tissues  under  the  influ- 
ence of  heat  may  be  fundamentally  more  or  less  similar  processes. 
They  do  show,  however,  that  the  shortening  of  striated  muscle 
at  temperatures  above  50°  is  independent  of  the  coagulation 
of  myogen,  and  they  make  it  seem  probable  that  the  heat  short- 
ening of  most  animal  tissues  is  dependent,  not  on  the  aggregation 
of  the  particles  of  coagulable  protein,  but  on  some  other  process." 

Elizabeth  C.  Sprague  and  H.  S.  Grindley  (Univ.  111.,  Univ. 
Studies,  2  (1907)  No.  4,  pp.  37,  pis.  4,  dgms.  10)  studied  the 
cooking  of  beef  with  a  view  to  formulating  methods  which  would 
give  imiform  results.  In  connection  with  this  work,  tempera- 
tures were  recorded  of  the  interior  of  the  beef  during  cookery. 
If  the  temperature  ranges  from  55  to  65°C.,  the  beef  will  be  imder- 
done  or  rare  and  red  in  color.  At  a  temperature  of  65  to  70°, 
it  sill  be  medium  underdone,  and  at  a  temperature  of  70  to  80°, 
it  will  be  well  done. 

In  connection  with  his  work  showing  the  palatability  and 
wholesomeness  of  spleens,  and  studies  of  their  preparation  for  the 
table,  E.  T.  Williams  (Amer.  Med.,  n.  ser.,  2  (1907),  No.  9,  pp. 
522,  523)  points  out  that  although  the  raw  spleens  do  not 
keep  well,  the  cooked  material,  particularly  boiled,  has  excellent 
keeping  qualities.  Attention  is  directed  to  the  high  iron  and 
phosphoric  acid  content  of  spleens. 

The  economical  use  of  meat  in  the  home  and  many  questions 
which  have  to  do  with  the  nutritive  value  of  meat  and  the  pre- 
paration of  meat  for  the  table,  have  been  discussed  in  a  popular 
summary  by  C.  F.  Langworthy  and  Caroline^L.  Hunt  (U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.,  Farmer's  Bui.  391,  pp.  43   II). 

The  question  of  cooking  the  cheaper  cuts  of  meat  is  considered 
on  the  basis  of  the  author's  experimental  study  of  the  problem, 


176        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

by  C.  Barnard  (Housekeeping  Expt.  Sta.  [Conn.]  Bui.  6,  pp.  17, 
dgm.  1). 

The  results  of  an  extended  series  of  artificial  digestion  experi- 
ments on  starch  of  different  sorts  as  affected  by  cooking  were 
reported  by  Edna  D.  Day  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office  Expt.  Stas. 
Bui.  202,  pp.  42,  figs.  6)  in  a  bulletin  of  the  Office  of  Experiment 
Stations.  Different  sorts  of  ferments  were  used  with  potato, 
wheat,  com,  and  other  starches.  The  conclusion  was  reached 
that  potato,  arrowroot,  and  probably  tapioca  and  sago  starches, 
are  made  not  more  easily  digestible  by  long  continued  cooking, 
while  the  reverse  is  true  wioh  cereal  starches,  though  the  changes 
occur  very  slowly.  In  general,  the  experimental  data  reported 
are  discussed  with  reference  to  household  problems. 

The  effect  of  cooking  on  cellulose  was  studied  by  Edna  D.  Day 
(Jour.  Home  Econ.,  1  (1909),  No.  2,  p.  177),  who  did  not  find 
that  cell  walls  of  potatoes  when  boiled  or  baked  are  ruptured, 
as  is  generally  seated  to  be  the  case.  When  cells  from  cooked 
potatoes  were  examined,  it  was  found  that  the  middle  lamella 
which  holds  the  cells  together  had  dissolved  and  that  the  cells 
had  separated  from  each  other,  but  the  cell  walls  were  not 
ruptured.  "If,  however,  saliva  is  added  to  these  unbroken 
cells,  the  starch  filling  them  is  very  quickly  digested,  as  shown 
by  the  fact  that  they  no  longer  give  the  blue  color  with  iodin, 
proving  that  the  breaking  of  the  cell  wall  is  not  at  all  essential 
for  ease  of  digestion." 

Studies  of  the  etiology  of  pellagra  reported  by  W.  H.  Buhlig 
(111.  Bd.  Health  Mo.  Bui.,  5  (1909),  No.  7,  pp.  417-435,  figs.  2), 
particularly  with  reference  to  the  possible  connection  of  Indian 
com  with  this  disease,  did  not  lead  to  definite  results.  In  con- 
nection with  culture  tests  with  moldy  corn,  some  cooking  tests 
were  made,  as  certain  molds  are  known  to  be  resistant  to  heat, 
and  the  idea  has  been  advanced  thaD  such  enzyms  may  survive 
cooking.  Com  meal  mush  and  hominy  made  in  the  usual  way, 
by  boiling  about  2  hours,  was  found  to  be  sterile. 

In  other  experiments  carried  on  in  the  same  public  institution 
as  Buhlig's  work,  the  question  was  further  studied  by  J.  F.  Siler 
and  H.  J.  Nichols  (111.  Bd.  Health  Mo.  Bui.,  5  (1909),  No.  7, 
pp.  437-478,  figs.  8),  who  repeatedly  found  in  corn  meal  and 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  177 

hominy  a  spore-bearing  bacterium  which  survived  steaming  for 
2  hours. 

A  brief  note  on  the  effects  of  adding  sugar  to  acid  fruit  at  the 
beginning  and  end  of  the  cooking  period  was  published  by  Edna 
D.  Day  (Jour.  Home  Econ.,  2  (1910),  No.  1,  p.  94),  as  the  result 
of  tests  with  cranberries,  grapes,  and  apples,  and  also  of  the  com- 
parative sweetness  of  solutions  of  the  same  strength  of  cane  sugar 
and  a  mixture  of  levulose  and  dextrose. 

The  conclusion  is  reached  chat  "in  cooking  such  fruits  as 
apples,  cranberries,  and  grapes,  while  the  product  is  slightly 
less  sweet  if  the  sugar  is  added  at  the  beginning  than  it  is  if  it 
is  added  at  the  end,  still  the  difference  is  too  small  to  be  of 
practical  importance." 

The  problems  of  cookery  at  high  altitudes  (diminished  air 
pressure)  are  discussed  on  the  basis  of  experiments,  by  Mrs.  A. 
Anderson  (Boston  Cooking-School  Mag.,  14  (1910),  No.  8,  pp. 
372,  373,  XVI,  XVIII,  XX).  Data  on  this  subject  have  been 
summarized  in  a  recent  paper  (Jour.  Home  Econ.,  3  (1911), 
No,  2,  pp.  176-178). 

According  to  experiments  briefly  reported  by  Olive  G.  Patter- 
son and  Clara  C.  Benson  (Jour.  Home  Econ.,  2  (1910),  No.  6, 
pp.  656,  657)  on  the  setting  of  gelatin,  this  material  may  be  freed 
from  its  mineral  matter  and  tyrosin-holding  impurities  without 
affecting  the  gelatinizing  power  of  its  solutions.  Boiling  for  1 
hour  did  not  prevent  gelatinization  though  long-continued  boiling 
diminished  it.  With  respect  to  the  effect  of  citric  and  acetic 
acids,  it  was  found  that  4  per  cent  gelatin  solutions  containing 
citric  acid  to  a  concentration  of  1  per  cent  would  gelatinize  in  the 
cold  after  15  minutes'  boiling,  but  that  after  10  minutes'  boiling 
of  a  3  per  cent  solution  wich  0.5  per  cent  citric  acid  the  gelatin- 
izing power  had  considerably  decreased. 

The  question  of  bread  has  received  less  attention  from  inves- 
tigacors  than  it  did  a  few  years  ago. 

The  relation  of  yeast  to  flavor  in  bread  has  been  studied 
experimentally  by  Ruth  A.  Wardall  (Jour.  Home  Econ.,  2 
(1910),  No.  1,  pp.  75-91),  who  concludes  that  the  flavor  of  bread 
can  not  be  determined  by  yeast  and  possibly  is  not  even  affected 
by  it. 


178        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Since  for  obvious  reasons  the  time  allotted  for  fermenting 
bread  is  short,  she  regards  it  as  quite  possible  that  an  insufficient 
opportunity  to  develop  flavor  is  given. 

Some  experiments  were  also  made  upon  the  effects  of  adding 
malt  extract  to  bread  dough. 

The  leavening  agent  in  salt-rising  bread  was  studied  experi- 
mentally by  Winona  Woodward  (Jour.  Home  Econ.,  3  (1911), 
No.  1,  pp.  100,  101),  who  isolated  an  organism  which  was  not  a 
yeast. 

H.  A.  Kohman  (Nat.  Assoc.  Master  Bakers  [Proc],  13  (1910), 
pp.  29-37,  fig.  1)  studied  salt-rising  bread  making,  reaching  che 
conclusion  thao  the  fermentation  is  due  to  a  bacterium  and  not 
a  yeast.    The  bacterium  was  isolated  and  studied  in  pure  culture. 

Among  general  discussions  of  bread  may  be  mentioned  a  paper 
by  M.  E.  Jaffa  (Nat.  Baker,  14  (1909),  No.  166,  pp.  52,  54), 
which  devotes  considerable  attention  to  the  use  of  raisins  in 
bread  making. 

A  large  amount  of  data  regarding  the  character  and  nutritive 
value  of  bread  of  different  sorts  and  similar  topics  is  included  in  a 
popular  summary,  entitled  "Bread  and  Bread  Making,"  by 
Helen  W.  Atwater  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Farmer's  Bui.  389,  pp.  47, 
figs.  7). 

A  large  amount  of  data  has  been  reported  regarding  the  prin- 
ciples and  practice  of  ice  cream  making,  by  R.  M.  Washburn 
Vermont  Sta.  Bui.  155,  pp.  92,  dgm.  1).  The  work  is  based  on  an 
exhaustive  study  of  the  subject,  particularly  from  a  commercial 
standpoint. 

The  question  of  cooking  naturally  involves  the  relative  value 
of  different  kinds  of  equipment  and  other  similar  topics. 

Labor  and  money-saving  appliances  are  discussed  in  a  publi- 
cation of  the  American  School  of  Home  Economics  (Bui.  Amer. 
School  Home  Econ.,  Ser.  1,  1908,  No.  11,  pp.  47,  figs.  54),  and 
numerous  other  discussions  have  appeared  in  journals  and 
reports  which  have  to  do  with  such  topics. 

The  matter  of  fireless  cookers  has  been  studied  by  a  number  of 
investigators. 

Fireless  cookers''  of  special  construction  have  been  tested  in 
connection  with  experiments  on  the  preparation  of  food  made 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  179 

by  the  subsistence  department  of  the  U.  S.  Army.  This  work 
and  data  regarding  foods  supplied  in  the  Philippines  are 
reported  by  H.  G.  Sharpe  (Rpt.  Commis.  Gen.  [U.  S.  Army], 
1907,  pp.  10-14). 

The  value  of  different  materials  for  the  construction  of  fireless 
cookers  and  the  effects  of  amounts  and  density  of  material  upon 
the  conservation  of  heat  were  studied  experimentally  by  Ellen 
A.  Huntington  (Bui.  Univ.  Wis.,  No.  217,  pp.  38,  figs.  10),  the 
article  as  a  whole  being  an  interesting  contribution  to  the  subject. 

The  construction  and  use  of  the  fireless  cooker  from  a  practical 
standpoint  have  been  studied  by  Caroline  B.  Lovewell,  Frances 
D.  Whittemore,  and  Hannah  W.  I^yon  (Topeka,  1908,  pp.  211, 
figs.  11). 

A  similar  summary  is  also  included  in  the  volume  dealing  with 
fireless  cookers  prepared  by  Margaret  J.  Mitchell  (New  York, 
1909,  pp.  XII  +  315,  figs.  18). 

Canning,  Preserving,  Handling  and  Storage 

The  question  of  canning  and  preserving  food,  the  changes 
brought  about  by  cold  storage,  and  related  matters  have  been 
studied  by  a  number  of  investigators. 

An  exhaustive  summary  of  data  regarding  the  question  of 
storage  of  food  products  in  the  District  of  Columbia  is  contained 
in  che  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives  report  (Report  of  hearings 
on  H.  R.  16925,  to  regulate  the  storage  of  food  products  in  the 
District  of  Columbia — Washington:  U.  S.  House  of  Representa- 
tives Committee  on  District  of  Columbia,  1910,  pts.  1-14,  pp. 
1-279). 

The  gases  contained  in  swollen  canned  goods  were  studied 
experimentally  by  F.  0.  Tonney  and  J.  B.  Gooken  (Amer.  Food 
Jour.,  3  (1908),  No.  6,  pp.  20-23,  figs.  3).  In  general,  the 
authors  note  that  the  presence  of  nitrogen  indicates  putrefaction 
and  carbon  dioxid,  fermentation,  the  two  processes  being  often 
found  to  be  distinct  from  each  other. 

0  .W.  Shaw  (California  Sta.  Circ.  33,  pp.  4-8,  figs.  3)  compared 
cane  sugar  and  beet  sugar  with  a  view  bO  determining  whether 
or  not  there  is  ground  for  the  belief  that  beet  sugar  is  inferior  to 


180        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

cane  sugar  for  jelly  making  and  preserving  purposes.  His  con- 
clusion was  that  such  is  not  the  case  and  that  beet  sugar  is  entirely 
satisfactory  for  such  purposes. 

Information  regarding  packing  house  methods,  shipping,  keep- 
ing quality,  and  similar  subjects  is  included  in  a  summary 
of  the  results  of  field  investigations  in  pomology  by  G.  H. 
Powell  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,Bur.  Plant  Indus.  [Circ],  June  7, 
1907,  pp.  4). 

In  a  volume  by  G.  T.  Hamel,  entitled  "Modem  Practice  of 
Caiming  Meats"  (St.  Louis,  1911,  pp.  100,  figs.  19,  dgm.  1),  the 
theories  of  canning  are  discussed,  equipment  described,  and  recipes 
and  formulas  given.  The  subject  is  considered  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  small  plant  as  well  as  from  that  of  the  large  estab- 
lishment. 

The  principles  of  canning  are  discussed  a;nd  directions  for 
canning  a  large  number  of  fruits  and  vegetables  and  for 
pickling  and  preserving  meats  and  fish  are  included  in  a  bulletin 
by  G.  McCarthy  (N.  C.  Dept.  Agr.,  Biol.  Div.,  1907,  pp.  37), 
designed  for  the  use  of  housekeepers. 

An  extended  summary  of  statistics  regarding  canning  and  pre- 
serving fruits  and  vegetables,  fish,  and  oysters  was  presented  by 
E.  K.  Ellsworth  (Bur.  of  the  Census  [U.  S.J  Bui.  61,  pp.  9-48), 
in  a  pubUcation  of  the  U.  S.  Census  Bureau. 

The  culinary  qualities  of  dehydrated  eggs,  fruits,  vegetables, 
and  milk  were  reported  upon  by  H.  A.  Dent  (Navy  Dept.,  Bur. 
Supplies  and  Accts.,  Mem.  Inform.  Off.  Pay  Corps)  [etc.J,  No. 
85,  pp.  626,  627),  of  the  U.  S.  Navy  Department. 

The  general  question  of  canning  vegetables  in  the  home  is 
discussed  in  a  popular  summary  prepared  by  J.  F.  Breazeale 
(U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Farmers'  Bui.  359,  pp.  16,  figs.  9),  of  the 
Bureau  of  Chemistry. 

A.  W.  Bitting  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Bui.  119,  pp.  37, 
pis.  2,  figs.  5)  discusses  the  problem  of  catsup  making  in  connection 
with  an  experimental  study  of  the  spoilage  of  tomato  catsup. 

The  cause  of  cloudy  Hquor  on  peas  was  investigated  by  E.  W. 
Duckwell  (Canner  and  Dried  Fruit  Packer,  29  (1909),  No.  1, 
pp.  34,  36),  who  reached  the  conclusion  that  it  was  caused  by 
starch  from  the  peas  and  overheating  in  canning. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  181 

A  popular  summary  of  data  on  canning  peaches  has  been 
published  by  H.  P.  Gould  and  W.  F.  Fletcher  (U.  S.  Dept. 
Agr.,  Farmers'  Bui.  426,  pp.  26,  figs.  14),  of  the  Bureau  of 
Chemistry. 

A  study  of  the  preparation  of  sugared  and  dried  pineapple  has 
been  reported  by  H.  C.  Gore  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Giro. 
57,  pp.  8,  fig.  1). 

An  experimental  study  of  packing  prunes  in  cans,  with  satis- 
factory results,  was  also  reported  by  G.  W.  Shaw  (California 
Sta.  Circ.  33,  pp.  1-3). 

Studies  of  jelly  and  jelly  making  have  been  reported  by  Nellie 
E.  Goldthwaite  (Jour.  Indus,  and  Engin.  Chem.,  2  (1910),  No. 
11,  pp.  457-462,  fig.  1).  A  number  of  small  fruits  were  used  as 
well  as  orange  juice,  skins,  and  whole  fruit. 

According  to  the  author's  summary,  "in  what  is  usually  a  waste 
product  (the  white  inner  skins  of  oranges  and  lemons)  we  have  an 
abundant  source  of  pectin  from  which  excellent  jelly  can  be  made 
if  properly  acidified. 

"It  was  noteworthy  that  the  purest  pectin  yet  prepared  in 
this  research  was  obtained  from  oranges  and  lemons.  It  was 
isolated  .  .  .  and  was  reprecipitated  three  times.  By 
long  manipulation  of  the  precipitated  pectin  (supported  on  a 
very  fine  cloth  suspended  from  the  corners)  the  liquid  was  so 
completely  worked  out  of  the  substance  that  a  powdery  white 
body,  somewhat  starch-like  in  appearance,  was  obtained.  This 
was  dried  in  a  current  of  dry  hydrogen  over  sulphuric  acid. 

"Ash  determinations  of  orange  pectin  so  obtained  showed  less 
than  0.5  per  cent  of  ash — of  lemon  pectin  about  3.5  per  cent.  . 
.  .  No  melting  point  of  this  pectin  could  be  obtained,  but  the 
substance,  when  out  of  contact  with  air,  chars  strongly  at  170  C. 
It  is  hoped  to  continue  this  work  on  the  isolation  and  examination 
of  pure  pectin." 

A  chemical-physical  study  of  jelly  maldng  was  carried  on  at  the 
Florida  Experiment  Station,  by  J.  Belling  (Florida  Sta.  Rpt. 
1908,  pp.  CV-CIX),  the  investigations  having  particularly  to  do 
with  the  influence  of  preliminary  heating,  final  temperature,  and 
the  percentage  of  water,  sugar,  and  acid  upon  appearance  and 
quality  of  guava  jelly. 


182        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

"In  boiling  of  guava  jelly,  some  acid  (the  natural  acid  of  the 
ripe  fruit)  is  absolutely  necessary  to  change  much  of  the  sucrose 
into  invert  sugar,  and  if  this  does  not  take  place  then  the  sucrose 
crystallizes  out.  Too  much  acid  (and  probably  too  prolonged 
boiling)  seems  to  make  the  jelly  sticky  from  the  excess  of  invert 
sugar,  and  also  to  alter  the  pectin  so  that  it  will  not 
gelatinize. 

"  The  depth  of  color  seems  to  be  increased  by  additional  amount 
of  acid,  prolonged  boiling,  and  higher  temperature  at  which  the 
boiling  is  stopped." 

f-  Experiments  of  great  value  with  reference  to  the  handling  and 
marketing  of  fruits  have  been  carried  on  at  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  and  elsewhere. 

Many  questions  which  have  to  do  with  the  preparation  for 
shipment  and  marketing  in  fresh  condition  of  fruits  of  different 
sorts  have  been  studied  in  a  paper  by  A.  V.  Stubenrauch  (U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.  Yearbook  1909,  pp.  365-374,  pis.  3),  of  the  Bureau  of 
Plant  Industry. 

The  method  of  pre-cooling  fruit  for  shipment  is  discussed  by 
G.  D.  Kellogg  (Cal.  Fruit  Grower,  40  (1909),  No.  1120,  p.  1)  in 
comparison  with  results  obtained  by  ordinary  methods  of  shipment. 

The  problem  of  time  and  temperature  in  cold  storage,  partic- 
ularly with  reference  to  the  Kieffer  pear,  was  studied  by  G.  H, 
McKay  (Proc.  N.  J.  Hort.  Soc,  32  (1907),  pp.  127-135). 

Experiments  on  the  processing  of  persimmons  to  render  them 
nonastringent,  carried  on  by  H.  C.  Gore  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur. 
Chem.  Bui.  141,  pp.  31,  pis.  3,  figs.  5),  though  regarding  as  pre- 
liminary, tend  to  show  that  carbonic  acid  gas  may  be  substituted 
for  sake  fumes  for  this  purpose  with  Japanese  persimmons,  and 
that,  combined  with  the  use  of  dry  starch  to  prevent  cracking  of 
the  fruit  during  the  processing,  should  lead  to  the  perfection  and 
use  of  this  method  for  the  production  of  nonastringent  persim- 
mons which  may  be  pared  and  eaten  like  an  apple. 

A.  E.  Vinson  (Plant  World,  10  (1«07),  No.  11,  pp.  259-262) 
has  studied  exhaustively  the  composition  of  dates  with  special 
reference  to  stages  of  ripening,  the  possibility  of  stimulating  ripen- 
ing, and  related  questions.  As  a  part  of  his  woik,  a  special  study 
of  the  endo-  and  ektoininvertase  of  the  date  isreported  by  A.  E. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  183 

Vinson  (Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soo.,  30  (1908),  No.  6,  pp.  1005- 
1020).  The  invertase  of  the  date,  he  notes,  remains  "insoluble 
in  all  ordhaary  solvents  throughout  its  green  stages,  but  becomes 
readily  soluble  on  ripening.  The  change  in  the  behavior  of  the 
invertase  towards  solvents  coincides  very  closely  in  point  of  time 
with  the  passage  of  the  tannin  into  the  insoluble  form." 

The  influence  of  chemicals  in  stimulating  the  ripening  of  fruits 
has  been  studied  further  by  Vinson  (Science,  n.  ser.,  30  (1909), 
No.  774,  pp.  604,  605),  who  found  that  dates  could  be  success- 
fully ripened  by  exposing  them  to  a  vapor  of  acetic  acid  for  12 
or  15  hours.  "At  the  end  of  this  time  they  have  become  trans- 
parent nearly  to  the  seed  and  will  then  ripen  naturally  without 
further  treatment.  The  process  can  be  accelerated  by  exposing 
them  to  sunshine,  or  more  rapidly  by  heating  for  some  hours  to 
45°C.  The  process,  it  is  anticipated,  will  permit  the  shipping  of 
dates  green  and  ripening  them  at  their  destination  as  bananas 
are  now  handled. 

"After  moderate  treatment  with  acetic  acid,  the  tannin  of  the 
date  has  not  yet  become  entirely  insoluble  but  all  astringency 
disappears  in  the  next  few  hours.  The  intracellular  invertase, 
however,  passes  into  solution  to  quite  an  appreciable  extent  im- 
mediately after  the  treatment,  and  probably  other  intracellular 
or  insoluble  catalytic  agents  are  released  simultaneously." 

The  fresh  ripe  date  is  very  soft  and  will  not  bear  shipment. 
The  author  believes  that  by  treatment  with  acetic  acid  vapor, 
it  may  be  successfully  ripened  after  shipment,  a  deduction  of 
much  commercial  importance. 

Continuing  his  study  of  the  stimulation  of  premature  ripening 
by  chemical  means,  the  author  has  studied  the  effect  of  many 
other  substances  beside  acetic  acid  vapor  on  the  ripening  of  dates 
and  finds  that  a  comparatively  large  proportion,  including 
among  other  proprionic  acids,  ethyl  chlorid,  chloroform,  gasoline, 
ether,  acetone,  and  volatile  oils.  A.  E.  Vinson  (Jour.  Amer. 
Chem.  Soc,  32  (1910),  No.  2,  pp.  208-212). 

Studies  of  the  artificial  ripening  of  dates  by  the  aid  of  chemical 
substances  were  later  reported  in  greater  detail  by  A.  E.  Vinson 
(Arizona  Sta.  Bui.  66,  pp.  403^35),  and  of  ripening  by  incuba- 
tion by  G.  F.  Freeman  (Arizona  Sta.  Bui.  66,  pp.  437-456). 


184        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

In  a  study  of  methods  of  canning  meat  with  reference  to  pro- 
per disposal  of  defective  cans,  C.  N.  McBryde  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr., 
Bur.  Anim.  Indus.  Rpt.  1907,  pp.  279-296,  fig.  1)  draws  a  number 
of  general  conclusions  regarding  putrefactive  and  fermentative 
changes  in  the  contents  of  cans,  and  similar  matters. 

Packing  oysters  with  and  without  ice  and  similar  questions 
were  studied  by  the  Indiana  State  Board  of  Health,  (Mo.  Bui.  Ind. 
Bd.  Health,  10  (1908),  No.  11,  pp.  134-136,  fig.  1)  with  reference 
to  the  pecuniary  loss  to  the  consumer  and  the  melting  of  ice  in 
the  oysters,  analytical  data  being  reported. 

The  possibility  of  preserving  eggs  with  a  number  of  substances, 
including  sodium  silicate  of  different  grades,  was  studied  by  R. 
Berger  (Jour.  Indus,  and  Engin.  Chem.,  3  (1911),  No.  7,  pp. 
493-495;  Reprint,  pp.  4;  Pure  Products,  7  (1911),  No.  8,  pp. 
423-425),  who  reports  data  regarding  the  permeability  of  the 
shells  of  preserved  eggs  and  their  loss  in  weight  when  kept  in 
the  open  air  after  preservation  ia  comparison  with  unpreserved 
eggs. 

Bacteriological  studies  which  have  to  do  with  the  infection 
and  preservation  of  eggs  were  carried  on  by  G.  H.  Lamson, 
Jr.  (Connecticut  Storrs  Sta.  Bui.  55,  pp.  203-214,  figs.  7)  at 
the  Connecticut  Storrs  Station,  with  reference  to  the  cause  of 
decomposition  and  sources  of  infection  of  eggs,  the  part  played 
by  temperature,  and  the  precautions  to  be  observed  in  preserving 
eggs. 

The  diastatic  enzym  of  ripening  meat  was  studied  by  A.  W. 
Peters  and  H.  A.  Mattill  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  6  (1909),  No.  2, 
pp.  XXIX,  XXX).  When  muscle  is  autolyzed,  the  sugar 
becomes  greater,  they  conclude,  provided  the  meat  is  fresh  and 
edible;  otherwise,  the  amount  diminishes. 

The  nature  of  so-called  "black  spots"  on  chilled  beef  was 
studied  by  E.  Klein  (Meat  Trades'  Jour.,  30  (1909),  Nos.  1113, 
p.  234;  1114,  pp.  260,  261,  figs.  2),  who  attributes  much  to  the 
growth  of  a  fungus  {Oidium  carnis),  which  is  described. 

R.  Hoagland  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Anim.  Indus.  Rpt. 
1908,  pp.  301-314),  of  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  has  studied 
the  action  of  saltpeter  upon  the  color  of  salted  meat.  The  red 
color  of  uncooked  salted  meat,  to  which  saltpeter  has  been  added 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  185 

as  a  preservative  agent,  is  due,  he  concludes,  to  the  presence  of 
NO  hemoglobin  which  is  formed  by  the  action  on  hemoglobin  of 
nitric  acid  due  to  the  reduction  of  nitrites  within  the  meat. 
The  reduction  of  saltpeter  to  nitrites  takes  place  in  the  meat 
equally  well  in  either  an  acid,  or  an  alkaline  medium.  Neither 
saltpeter  nor  nitrites  exercise  a  color-preserving  action  in  meat. 
The  brown  color  observed  when  meat  is  cured  with  an  excessive 
amount  of  saltpeter  is  due  to  the  action  of  nitrites  upon  hemo- 
globin. 

In  connection  with  a  study  of  deterioration  and  commercial 
preservacion  of  flesh  foods,  W.  D.  Richardson  and  E.  Scherubel 
(Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc,  30  (1908),  No.  10,  pp.  1515-1564) 
report  the  results  of  a  study  of  experiments  on  frozen  beef,  from 
which  the  conclusion  is  drawn  that  no  decomposition  is  shown 
in  frozen  beef  stored,  for  a  long  period,  judging  by  the  values 
obtained  for  ammonia  nitrogen,  and  hence  that  no  bacterial 
decomposition  occurred  in  the  stored  meat.  They  conclude 
further  that  the  stored  meat  did  not  differ  in  flavor  from  the 
fresh  meat  and  that  cold  storage  below  -9°r.  is  an  adequate 
and  satisfactory  method  for  the  preservation  of  beef  for  long 
periods. 

W.  D.  Richardson  and  E.  F.  Scherubel  (Jour.  Indus,  and  Engin. 
Chem.,  1  (1909),  No.  2,  pp.  95-102)  also  reported  an  extended 
series  of  analyses  of  meat  kept  at  room  temperature  with  and 
without  preservatives  and  of  meat  stored  at  2  to  4°C.,  and  in 
some  cases  afterward  frozen  and  held  at  -9  to  -12°C. 

"While  there  are  some  contradictory  figures  in  the  analyses  of 
the  samples  which  were  frozen  afucr  being  stored  at  2  to  4°C., 
from  the  results  the  conclusion  may  fairly  be  drawn  that  freezing 
of  meats  at  -9  to  -12°C.  arrests  bacterial  decomposition,  but  can 
not  in  any  degree  restore  the  product  to  its  original  condition." 

The  results  of  an  extended  study  of  the  effects  of  cold  storage 
upon  beef  and  poultry  are  reported  by  A.  D.  Emmect  and  H.  S. 
Grindley  (Jour.  Indus,  and  Engin.  Chem.,  1  (1909),  Nos.  7,  pp. 
413-436;  8,  pp.  580-597),  as  part  of  an  experimental  study  of  the 
chemistry  of  flesh.  The  samples  included  uncooked  refrigerated 
beef  stored  for  22  days  and  for  43  days  and  frozen  drawn  and 
undrawn  fowl.  Tests  were  also  made  of  the  relative  losses  in  the 


186        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

cooking  of  refrigerated  beef  held  in  cold  storage  for  varying  lengths 
of  time,  and  the  chemical  changes  resulting  therefrom.  The 
cooked  meats  from  the  sample  stored  43  days  were  higher  in  their 
moisture  conteat  than  the  sample  stored  6  days  and  were  therefore 
juicier,  higher  in  soluble  and  insoluble  dry  substance,  in  nitro- 
genous, nonnitrogenous  and  total  organic  extractives,  in  fat,  in 
total  ash,  and  in  soluble  inorganic,  total  soluble,  and  total  phos- 
phorus. "Further,  the  percentages  of  total  nitrogen,  insoluble 
and  total  protein  were  practically  the  same  as  were  those  for  the 
samples  from  the  6-day  storage  meat.  Therefore,  the  cooked 
meats  from  the  43-day  samples,  judging  from  the  chemical  com- 
position, were  at  least  as  nutritous  as  were  those  from  the  samples 
stored  for  the  shorter  period  of  time." 

The  dietetic  value  of  refrigerated  foods  as  a  whole  is  discussed 
by  S.  Rideal  (Cold  Storage  and  Ice  Trade  Jour.,  36  (1908),  No. 
4,  pp.  32,  33)  on  the  basis  of  experimental  data.  The  action  of 
diastase,  he  concludes,  is  not  entirely  prevented  by  cold,  but  is 
very  much  retarded.  The  tenderness  and  maturing  of  refiig- 
eraoed  meat  he  attributes  not  only  to  the  action  of  sarcolactic 
acid  but  also  to  the  gradual  and  limited  work  of  natural  enzyms 
(pepsin  and  trypsin)  which  cause  a  certain  amount  of  pre- 
digescion. 

The  changes  which  take  place  in  chickens  in  cold  storage  have 
been  exhaustively  studied  by  Mary  E.  Pennington  (U.  S.  Dept. 
Agr.  Yearbook  1907,  pp.  197-206,  pis.  7),  of  the  Bureau  of  Chem- 
istry, which  led  to  the  general  conclusion  that  both  microscopic 
study  and  the  taste  of  the  cooked  fowl  confirmed  the  fact  that 
microscopically  visible  degeneration  does  take  place  during  long- 
continued  storage. 

The  effects  of  different  methods  of  handling  and  storing  poultry, 
particularly  with  reference  to  the  subject  of  drawing  poultry, 
and  the  storage  of  poultry  and  eggs  have  been  discussed  by  Mary 
E.  Pennington  (Ice  and  Refrig.,  40  (1911),  No.  2  pp.  59-62, 
charts  6;  Nat.  Provisioner,  42  (1910),  Nos.  4,  pp.  16,  23,  24;  5, 
pp.  23,  24;  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Circ.  64,  pp.  42, 
figs.  9). 

A  chemical  study_of  drawn  and  undrawn  poultry  kept  in  cold 
storage  was  also  reported  by  W.  F.  Boos  (Aim.  Rpt.  Bd.  Health 


xvm]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  187 

Mass.,  39  (1907),  pp.  263-283),  and  a  bacteriological  examination 
of  such  poultry  by  H.  R.  Brown  (Ann.  Rpt.  Bd.  Health  Mass., 
39  (1907),  pp.  285-336).  According  to  Brown's  conclusions, 
"decomposition  depends  largely  upon  the  presence  of  moisture 
in  the  tissues,  for  moisture  is  absolutely  essential  to  bacterial 
growth.  In  freshly  killed  birds,  ordinarily  or  properly  drawn, 
the  surfaces  quickly  become  dry.  In  cold  storage  birds,  no 
matter  how  they  are  drawn,  the  tissues  will  be  moist,  because 
of  the  melting  of  the  crystals  of  ice.  If  properly  drawn,  there 
would  be  but  few  bacteria  present  capable  of  causing  decom- 
position." 

Much  attention  has  been  devoted  to  the  question  of  the  relative 
wholesomeness  of  drawn  versus  undrawn  poultry,  by  E.  W. 
Burke  (Amer.  Food  Jour.,  3  (1908),  No.  9,  pp.  7-10). 

A  study  of  the  effects  of  cold  storage  on  eggs,  quail,  and  chicken 
was  reported  by  H.  W.  Wiley,  et  al.  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem. 
Bui.  115,  pp.  117,  pis.  13),  the  general  results  being  unfavorable 
to  this  process  when  long  continued. 

The  effect  of  low  temperatures  on  ground  chicken  meat  was 
studied  by  H.  W.  Houghton  (Jour.  Indus,  and  Engin.  Chem.,  3 
(1911),  No.  7,  pp.  497-505),  in  comparison  with  the  original 
chicken  meat.  The  chemical  changes  which  apparently  take 
place  "are  (1)  slight  variations  in  the  case  of  moisture  and  other 
ejrtract;  (2)  a  small  increase  of  ammonia,  especially  in  the  case  of 
the  light  chicken  meat;  (3)  a  decided  increase  of  water-soluble 
nitrogen,  total  solids,  and  organic  extractives  in  the  light  chicken 
meat,  with  a  slight  decrease  of  the  same  constituents  in  the  dark 
meat;  (4)  a  decrease  of  coaguable  nitrogen  in  both  varieties  of 
chicken  meat  during  the  first  30  days,  followed  by  a  rise  which 
did  not  reach  that  of  the  fresh  sample;  (5)  an  increase  of  amino 
acids  in  both  kinds  of  chicken  meat,  with  an  increase  and  decrease 
of  the  proteoses  and  peptones  respectively  in  the  light  and  dark 
chicken  meat." 

Chicken  fat  has  been  studied  extensively  at  the  Bureau  of 
Chemistry.  Mary  E.  Pennington  and  J.  S.  Hepburn  (U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Circ.  75,  pp.  11)  report  the  occurrence  of 
lipase  in  the  crude  fat  of  chickens,  and  find  that  it  can  resist 
freezing  for  as  long  a  period  as  89  months,     (pp.  1-7). 


188        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  oxidation  of  chicken  fat  by  means  of  hydrogen  peroxid  was 
studied  by  J.  S.  Hepburn  (pp.  8-11),  particularly  with  reference 
to  the  effect  of  prolonged  freezing. 

"The  changes  in  the  fat  of  chickens  during  prolonged  freezing 
are  similar  to  the  changes  called  forth  by  oxidation  of  the  fat  with 
hydrogen  peroxid.  The  Hehner  number  and  the  saponification 
number  increase  simultaneously,  and  aldehydes  are  formed. 
The  increase  in  saponification  number  may,  therefore,  be  ascribed 
to  the  formation  of  slightly  lower  homologues  of  the  fatty  acids 
of  fresh  chicken  fat,  while  the  increase  in  Hehner  number  is 
doubtless  due  to  the  formation  of  aldyhdes  and  ketones  of  high 
carbon  content.  These  changes  in  ^he  chicken  fat  in  situ  are 
probably  produced  by  the  action  of  enzyms." 

The  preparation  of  cod  and  other  salt  fish  for  the  market  was 
studied  by  A.  W.  Bitting  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Bui.  133, 
pp.  63,  pis.  6,  figs.  4),  of  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry,  who  also 
reports  the  results  of  a  study  of  the  cause  of  reddening  in  fish. 
This  change  was  found  to  be  due  to  a  micro-organism,  a  remedy 
being  extreme  cleanUness. 

The  bulletin  gives  information  regarding  the  composition  of 
salt  used  in  curing,  losses  in  weight  during  curing,  the  amount  of 
salt  taken  up  by  fish  marketed  in  different  forms,  and  variations 
in  moisture  and  salt  content  due  to  season,  style  of  packing,  and 
other  conditions. 

L.  W.  Thomas  (North  Dakota  Sta.  Spec.  Bui.  24,  pp.  179-194, 
fig.  1)  has  reported  a  study  of  wrapped  and  unwrapped  loaves, 
with  reference  particularly  to  moisture  content  and  keeping 
quality.  The  general  conclusions  drawn  are  as  a  whole  plainly 
in  favor  of  wrapping  bread,  though,  as  the  author  points  out, 
wrapping  did  not  prevent  loaves  from  becoming  stale  after  36 
or  48  hours. 

H.  L.  White  continued  this  work  by  studying  the  moisture 
and  acidity  of  samples  of  wrapped  and  unwrapped  bread.  Ac- 
cording to  his  summary,  bread  made  under  cleanly  conditions 
from  good  quality  materials  did  not  grow  acid,  when  wrapped 
or  unwrapped,  even  after  108  hours.  Bread  wrapped  while  warm 
and  while  hot  showed  a  slight  increase  in  acidity  in  the  inside 
of  the  loaf. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  189 

C.  A.  A.  Utt  (Bui.  Kans.  Bd.  Health,  7  (1911),  No.  3,  pp.  52- 
60)  has  also  reported  tests  of  the  effecc  of  wrapping  bread  upon  its 
quality.  In  general,  the  unwrapped  bread,  when  kept  for  4  or  5 
days,  lost  about  twice  as  much  moisture  as  the  wrapped  loaf,  while 
the  acidity  remained  practically  the  same.  The  wrapped  bread 
was  in  edible  condition  for  twice  the  ordinary  period. 

As  pointed  out  by  H.  G.  Bell  (Amer.  Miller,  37  (1909),  No.  4, 
pp.  280,  281,  fig.  1),  ui  a  paper  on  stored  flour,  fungi  and  bacteria 
are  the  chief  destructive  agencies.  Flour  of  different  grades  was 
studied  with  reference  to  the  presence  of  bacteria  and  as  pro- 
tection against  the  growth  of  these  low  forms  of  Ufe,  the  author 
suggests  storage  in  well-lighted  rooms. 

The  changes  in  the  weight  of  stored  flour  and  butter  were 
studied  in  detail  by  J.  T.  Willard  (Bui.  Kans.  Bd.  Health,  7  (1911) 
No.  1,  pp.  9-14).  The  greatest  loss  in  flours  stored  for  a  year  was 
0.79  lb.  per  sack  of  about  48  lbs.  Loss  of  weight  in  butter  was 
determined  by  the  method  of  packing.  Prints  wrapped  in  parch- 
ment paper  and  placed  in  paraffin  cartons,  packed  in  cases, 
remained  practically  constant  in  weight.  The  loss  in  weight  is 
chiefly  due  to  loss  of  moisture  by  evaporation  or  in  other  ways. 

Changes  which  take  place  in  the  composition  of  unground 
cereals  during  storage  were  studied  by  S.  Leavitt  and  J.  A.  Le 
Clerc  (Jour.  Indus,  and  Engin.  Chem.,  1  (1909),  No.  5,  pp.  209- 
302).  The  investigations  extended  over  2  years.  The  results 
demonstrated  that  "there  is  more  or  less  change  in  all  cereals 
under  the  influence  of  aging.  These  changes  seem  to  take  place 
whether  the  cereal  is  stored  in  the  whole  grain  or  is  ground  to  a 
fine  powder  before  storage.  In  the  latter  case,  however,  the 
changes  take  place  more  rapidly.  We  notice  that  the  principal 
products  which  seem  most  susceptible  to  change  are  first  the 
sugars  and  then  the  70  per  cent  alcohol-soluble  proteins,  the  5  per 
cent  KjSOi-soluble  protein  and  the  water-soluble  proteins 
coagulated  by  so-called  Stutzer's  reagent. 

"Com,  barley,  and  oats  are  most  subject  to  loss  of  sugar  during 
aging.  On  the  other  hand,  many  samples  of  wheat  show  a  slight 
loss  the  first  year  and  then  quite  a  rapid  gain  in  the  sugar  content, 
in  some  cases  a  gain  24  per  cent  of  the  total  sugar  present  being 
noted  at  the  end  of  two  years." 


190         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Dietary  Studies  and  Dietetics 

General  dietary  problems  have  been  considered  by  many 
writers  with  a  view  to  making  the  work  of  the  laboratory  available 
and  useful  to  the  housewife. 

Methods  of  calculating  the  results  of  dietary  studies  and 
similar  topics  are  discussed  in  a  publication  of  the  American 
School  of  Home  Economics  (Bui.  Amer.  School  Home  Econ., 
Ser.  1,  1909,  No.  13,  pi.  1,  figs.  13),  especially  with  reference 
to  the  use  of  the  so-called  100-calorie-portion-method  of  cal- 
culating. 

Emma  S.  Jacobs  (Jour.  Home  Econ.,  3  (1911),  No.  2,  pp. 
162-168)  in  a  discussion  of  family  dietetics  gives  menus  for  what 
she  believes  accurately  planned  dietaries  for  families,  and  a  table 
of  weight  and  cost  of  protein  and  energy  in  different  food  mater- 
ials designed  to  facilitate  the  computation  of  the  nutritive  value 
of  such  dietaries. 

Food  customs  and  diet  in  American  homes  have  been  discussed 
in  a  popular  summary  of  data  by  C.  F.  Langworthy  (U.  S.  Dept. 
Agr.,  Office  Expt.  Stas.  Circ.  110,  pp.  32),  which  proposes  dietary 
standards  for  mineral  constituents  as  well  as  for  protein  and 
energy,  and  discusses  dietary  standards  as  distinguished  from 
physiological  requirements. 

Nellie  M.  Dickinson  (III.  Agr.,  12  (1908),  No.  5,  pp.  142-145) 
gives  data  regarding  the  preparation  of  a  day's  ration  designed  to 
conform  to  dietary  standards. 

Information  regarding  dietary  habits,  food  supply,  and  living 
conditions  of  native  tribes  often  appears  in  descriptive  articles, 
books  of  travel,  reports  of  ethnological  investigations,  and  other 
publications  not  directly  concerned  with  nutrition,  which  is  of 
importance  in  discussions  of  nutrition  problems  as  well  as  of 
general  interest.  As  illustrations  of  such  work  the  following 
may  be  cited: 

The  food  of  natives  of  the  upper  Yukon  has  been  described 
by  F.  Schmitter  (Smithsn.  Misc.  Collect.,  56,  No.  4,  pp.  6,  7). 
The  diet  of  these  natives  consists  of  fish,  game,  and  berries, 
supplemented  at  the  present  time  by  vegetables  bought  at 
local  stores,  though  until  recently  they  lived  on  animal  food. 


xvui]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  191 

The  Mackenzie  River  natives,  it  is  pointed  out,  live  almost 
exclusively  on  meat,  and  the  author  states  that  they  are  robust 
and  healthy. 

A  study  of  the  food  supply  of  Pima  Indians  has  been  reported 
by  F.  Russell  (Ann.  Rpt.  Bur.  Amer.  Ethnol.,  26  (1904-5),  pp. 
66-92,  figs.  7).  These  Indians  subsist  on  a  mixed  diet  in  which 
vegetable  food  predominates,  buc  it  would  seem  probable  that 
the  proportion  of  meat  used  was  greater  in  the  past  than  at 
present. 

Much  information  regarding  the  kind  and  amount  of  food  used 
by  native  Indian  tribes  in  the  southwestern  United  States  and 
northern  Mexico  is  included  in  a  physiological  and  medical  study 
of  the  Indians  by  A.  Hrdlicka  (Smithsn.  Inst.,  Bur.  Amer. 
Ethnol.  Bui.  34,  pp.  IX.  +  460,  pis.  28,  figs.  2).  Meat,  corn, 
some  vegetables,  and  other  foods  make  up  a  simple  mixed 
diet.  Cooking  processes  are  described  as  well  as  dietary  habits 
and  customs. 

In  a  volume  on  "Mexico"  (New  York  and  London,  1909,  pp. 
213-218,  pi.  1)  C.  R.  Enock  reports  data  regarding  the  Mexican 
peons,  or  country  people.  Corn  meal,  the  native  beans,  fat, 
and  meat  when  it  can  be  obtained,  are  the  principle  articles 
of  diet. 

Of  popular  summaries  which  contain  data  of  interest  from  the 
standpoint  of  diet  may  be  mentioned  a  paper  by  C.  W.  Furlong 
(Harpers'  Mo.  Mag.,  120  (1910),  No.  716,  pp.  217-229,  pi.  1,  figs. 
7,  map  1),  which  gives  considerable  information  regarding  the 
character  of  the  diet  of  the  natives  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  which 
consists  almost  entirely  of  the  meat  of  wild  animals,  birds,  the 
blubber  from  stranded  whale,  fish,  and  mussels. 

In  a  later  paper  by  Furlong  (Harpers'  Mo.  Mag.,  122  (1911), 
No.  732,  pp.  813-827,  pi.  1,  figs.  9,  maps  2)  additional  informa- 
tion is  given  on  the  subjecc,  parcicularly  regarding  the  food  cus- 
toms and  living  conditions  of  the  Tehuelches  of  the  Patagonian 
pampas.  Apparently,  these  natives  live  very  largely  upon  the 
meat  of  mares  and  game. 

Less  work  pertaining  to  the  food  consumption  of  fanulies 
and  groups  has  been  reported  ihan  in  some  other  branches  of 
dietetics. 


192        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

From  data  regarding  the  food  of  a  poor  family  in  Buffalo  and 
one  in  Boston  published  by  Emma  0.  Lundberg  (Survey  23, 
(1910),  No.  20,  pp.  728-730)  the  protein  and  energy  in  the  daily 
food  have  been  calculated. 

As  part  of  its  nutrition  investigations  the  Office  of  Experiment 
Stations  has  reported  the  results  of  4  dietary  studies  of  farmers' 
families  in  Vermont  (J.  L.  Hills),  70  in  mountain  regions  in  Ten- 
nessee (C.  E.  Wait),  and  14  in  Georgia  (H.  C.  White).  The  cost 
of  nutrients  and  energy,  peculiarities  of  the  diet,  adequacy  of  the 
food  supply,  and  similar  questions  are  discussed,  the  results 
being  compared  with  earlier  work  of  a  similar  nature.  As  a 
whole  the  bulletin  supplies  a  large  amount  of  statistical  and  other 
data  regarding  living  conditions  in  rural  regions,  particularly 
those  remote  from  large  centers  of  population  where  conditions 
are  very  different  from  those  which  prevail  in  towns,  cities,  and 
farms  which  are  otherwise  situated.  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office 
Expt.  Stas.  Bui.  221,  pp.  142,  pis.  4). 

The  report  of  E.  T.  Wilson  (Ann.  Rpt.  Isthmian  Canal  Com., 
1910,  pp.  323-325),  the  subsistence  officer  in  charge  of  the  sub- 
sistence department.  Isthmian  Canal  Commission,  contains 
data  regarding  the  kind  and  amount  of  food  served  to  laborers 
in  the  Panama  Canal  Zone.  Using  the  average  values  for  the 
composition  of  foods  as  purchased,  it  has  been  calculated  that 
the  European  laborers'  messes  would  supply  201  gm.  protein 
and  5,428  calories  energy  per  person  per  day,  and  the  common 
laborers'  kitchens  148  gm.  protein  and  4,680  calories  energy. 
The  amounts  actually  eaten  were  not  calculated,  as  no  data 
regarding  the  waste  and  refuse  were  available. 

The  scientific  work  organized  under  government  auspices  in 
the  Philippines  has  provided  an  opportunity  for  important  stud- 
ies of  the  native  dietary.  E.  D.  Merrill  (Philippine  Jour.  Sci.,  B. 
Med.  Sci.,  4  (1909),  No.  4,  pp.  219-223)  has  studied  the  principal 
foods  used  by  the  natives  of  Taytay,  and  H.  Aron  (Philippine 
Jour.  Sci.,  B.  Med.  Sci.,  4  (1909),  No.  4,  pp.  225-231)  has  studied 
their  food  from  a  physiological  standpoint.  Rice  is  the  staple 
nonnitrogenous  food  and  is  supplemented  by  fish,  fruits,  and  some 
similar  foods.  The  composition  of  a  number  of  sorts  of  food  was 
determined. 


xvin]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  193 

The  matter  has  also  been  studied  by  V.  G.  Heiser  (Ann. 
Rpt.  Bur.  Health  Philippine  Islands,  1909,  pp.  25-29),  his 
paper  being  entitled  "Diet  and  Nutrition  of  the  Filipino 
People." 

That  the  diet  in  public  institutions  may  now  be  passed  upon 
by  an  expert  in  a  manner  profitable  to  the  institution  as  well 
as  of  interest  to  the  investigator  is  one  of  the  important,  results 
of  the  nutrition  work  of  the  last  25  years  or  more.  This  has  been 
obtained  very  largely  as  a  result  of  the  numerous  investigations 
of  dietaries  in  general  and  public  institutions  dietaries  in  partic- 
ulai,  carried  on  as  a  part  of  the  nutrition  investigations  of  the 
Office  of  Experiment  Stations  and  related  enterprises. 

A  report  of  work  of  this  character  issued  recently  by  the  De- 
parcmeat  of  Agriculture  contains  the  results  of  studies  in  a  home 
for  old  ladies  and  an  orphan  asylum  in  Philadelphia  (Emma 
Smedley  and  R.  D.  Mihier)  and  in  orphan  asylums,  homes  for 
the  aged,  and  a  public  home  whose  inmates  are  chiefly  middle- 
aged  or  aged  people,  in  Baltimore  (H.  L.  Knight,  H.  A.  Pratt, 
and  C.  F.  Langworthy).  On  the  basis  of  the  data  reported  the 
dietaries  are  critically  considered  and  some  changes  suggested. 
The  general  problem  of  the  dietary  of  children  and  the  dietary 
of  aged  persons  is  discussed  at  length  particularly  with  reference 
to  pubHc  institutions.  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  OflSce  Expt.  Stas. 
Bui.  223,  pp.  98). 

Considerable  information  is  given  regarding  the  character  of 
the  diet  in  a  state  hospital  for  the  insane  in  Illinois  in  connection 
with  a  study  of  the  occurrence  of  pellagra  at  the  institution, 
carried  on  by  J.  F.  Siler  and  H.  J.  Nichols  (111.  Bd.  Health  Mo. 
Bui.,  5  (1909),  No.  7,  pp.  437-478,  figs.  8).  On  an  average  the 
simple  mixed  diet  supplied  approximately  30  gm.  of  protein  and 
2,000  to  2,500  calories  per  day. 

In  connection  with  an  exhaustive  and  important  investigation 
of  the  methods  of  fiscal  control  of  state  institutions  carried  on 
for  the  Sage  Foundation,  H.  C.  Wright  (State  Charities  Aid 
Assoc.  [N.  Y.]  Pub.  122,  1911,  pp.  353)  reports  the  calculated 
food  suppUed  per  man  per  year  and  per  man  per  day  in  insti- 
tutions in  New  York,  Indiana,  and  Iowa,  including  hospitals  for 
the  insane,  soldiers'  homes,  industrial  schools,  reformatories. 


194        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

prisons,  and  institutions  for  the  feeble-minded  and  for  epilep- 
tics.   The  results  are  summarized  as  follows: 


Average  Food  peb  Man  peb  Yeab  and  NtrTRiTivE  Value  of  Dailt  Ration 
IN  Public  Institutions 


Location  of  institutions 

Food  per  man  per 
year 

Food  per  man  per 
day- 

Total 
amount 

Cost 

Protein 

Energy 

New  York 

Pounds 
1,227 
1,176 
1,423 

$45.05 
43.03 
55.48 

Grams 

104.62 

98.78 

106.47 

Calories 
3,313 
3,429 
3,691 

InfliaTia 

Iowa 

Numerous  investigations  of  the  food  and  diet  of  children  have 
been  made  during  the  period  under  consideration.  Though  all 
that  pertains  to  food  from  infancy  to  maturity  is  obviously  of 
interest  and  value,  special  studies  of  infant  feeding  have  not  been 
included  in  this  summary,  since  they  are  commonly  regarded  as 
pertaining  to  the  subject  of  medicine  rather  than  to  dietetics. 

The  bearing  of  food  during  early  life  upon  the  normal  develop- 
ment of  the  body  is  a  question  which  has  received  attention  from 
a  number  of  investigators,  the  problem  having  been  studied  with 
young  animals  as  well  as  with  children. 

In  an  investigation  of  this  sort  experimental  studies  with  dogs 
were  reported  by  H.  Aron,  together  with  the  results  of  general 
observations  on  nursing  children  (Philippine  Jour.  Sci.,  B.  Med. 
Sci.,  6  (1911),  No.  1,  pp.  1-52,  pis.  4,  dgms.  5). 

He  concludes  that  "a  growing  animal  which  receives  only 
sufficient  food  to  keep  its  body  weight  constant,  or  to  allow 
slight  increase,  is  in  a  condition  of  severe  starvation.  If  by  a 
restriction  of  food  the  increase  in  weight  is  inhibited,  the  skeleton 
grows  at  the  expense  of  other  parts  of  the  body,  expecially  of  the 
flesh.  Most  of  the  organs  retain  their  weight  and  size,  while  the 
brain  grows  to  reach  its  normal  weight.  The  composition  of  the 
body — when    at    a    constant    weight — undergoes    remarkable 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  195 

changes.  Fat  is  consumed  more  or  less  entirely,  the  quantity 
of  protein,  especially  of  the  muscles  but  not  of  the  organs,  is 
diminished  and  a  great  proportion  of  the  body  tissues  is  replaced 
by  water;  thus,  this  water  and  the  increase  of  the  skeleton 
together  replace  the  body  materials  lost.  The  caloric  value  of 
1  gm.  body  weight  of  an  animal  which  has  undergone  such  a 
process  to  its  extreme  limit  may  amount  to  only  one-third  of  the 
normal  value. 

"It  is  possible  by  supplying  suitable  amounts  of  food  to  main- 
tain a  dog  in  an  emaciated  condition,  apparently  in  good  health, 
and  at  the  weight  of  a  puppy,  for  nearly  1  year,  while  its  weight 
at  the  end  of  the  year  should  be  3  times  as  greac.  If  such  an 
animal  is  thereupon  fed  amply,  it  fattens  and  rounds  out,  but 
does  not  reach  the  size  of  a  control  animal  which  from  the  begin- 
ning has  been  normally  fed.  It  is  unable  to  make  good  the  growth 
suspended  by  the  long  restriction  of  food. 

"The  'growth'  principally  depends  on  the  tendency  to  grow 
possessed  by  the  skeleton.  The  skeleton  loses  its  capability 
of  growing  in  more  advanced  age  regardless  of  the  size  which  the 
animal  has  reached." 

A  paper  of  importance  in  considering  the  question  of  physio- 
logical requirement  and  dietary  standard  has  been  published  by 
H.  J.  Waters  (Proc.  Soc.  Prom.  Agr.  Sci.,  30  (1909),  pp.  70-98; 
Separate,  pp.  29,  figs.  6),  who  discusses  the  influence  of  nutrition 
upon  the  animal  form,  as  the  result  of  a  large  number  of  experi- 
ments made  with  farm  animals  (beef  cattle).  In  general,  the 
results  clearly  show  that  a  decreased  supply  of  nourishment  in 
the  young  animals  hinders  body  development.  The  matter  is 
also  taken  up  in  a  later  paper  (Quart.  Rpt.  Kans.  Bd.  Agr.,  29 
(1910),  No.  113,  pp.  59-86,  figs.  7). 

The  relationship  of  food  to  physical  development  is  discussed 
by  D.  McCay  (Philippine  Jour.  Sci.,  B.  Med.  Sci.,  5  (1910),  No. 
2,  pp.  163-170),  on  the  basis  of  his  investigations,  his  conclu- 
sion being  that  there  is  a  close  relationship  between  the  nutritive 
value  of  the  diet,  and  particularly  its  protein  content,  and  physi- 
cal development.  This  he  believes  is  clearly  brought  out  in  a 
comparison  of  the  degree  of  nitrogenous  interchanges  of  a  num- 
ber of  native  races,  arranged  according  to  the  amount  of  nitro- 


196         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International      {vol. 

gen  per  kilogram  of  body  weight.  At  the  head  of  the  list  as 
regards  physical  development  are  the  Nepalese  Bhutias,  with 
0.42  gm.,  and  the  Tibetan  and  Bhotan  Bhutias,  with  0.35  gm., 
respectively,  of  nitrogen  per  kilogram  of  body  weight  and  with 
a  large  amount  of  animal  food  in  the  diet,  and  at  the  bottom  of 
the  list  are  the  Bengalis  and  Ooriyas,  with  0.116  gm.  of  nitrogea 
per  kilogram  of  body  weight. 

Few  dietary  studies  with  children  have  been  reported  in  the 
United  States  during  the  period  under  consideration. 

The  general  question  of  the  feeding  of  yoimg  children  has  been 
discussed  in  a  popular  way  by  Mary  Swartz  Rose  (Teachers 
Col.  [N.  Y.]  BuL,  2.  ser.,  1911,  No.  10,  pp.  10)  and  by  others. 

The  dietary  studies  made  in  orphan  asylums  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office  Expt.  Stas.  Bui. 
223)  have  been  referred  to  elsewhere.  The  report  of  this  work 
contains  a  discussion  of  children's  dietaries  and  proposed  dietary 
standards. 

An  extended  summary  of  data  regarding  the  daily  meals  of 
school  children  was  prepared  by  Caroline  L.  Hunt  (Bur.  of  Ed. 
[U.  S.]  Bui.  3,  1909,  pp.  62,  pis.  3,  dgm.  1)  for  the  U.  S.  Bureau 
of  Education.  The  paper  is  an  important  contribution  to  the 
subject,  not  only  from  the  material  it  brings  together,  but  also 
because  of  the  suggestions  it  makes  regarding  the  rational  feedmg 
of  school  children. 

School  luncheons  have  also  been  studied  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Women's  Educational  and  Industrial  Union  (Ann.  Rpt. 
"Women's  Ed.  and  Indus.  Union,  29  (1908),  pp.  34,  35). 

Lillian  D.  Wahl  (Charities  and  Commons,  20  (1908),  No.  11, 
pp.  371-374)  has  reported  data  on  this  subject,  particularly 
regarding  attempts  made  to  supply  food  lo  children  in  some  of 
the  New  York  public  schools. 

Contributions  to  the  school  luncheon  problem  are  also  made 
by  Marion  Bell  (Boston  Cooking-School  Mag.,  12  (1908),  No. 
6,  pp.  292,  293)  in  an  article  describing  a  luncheon  cooked  and 
served  in  the  Honolulu  Normal  School. 

An  important  contribution  to  the  general  question  is  the  study 
of  malnutrition  of  children  in  New  York  public  schools  made  by 
E.  M.  Sill  (Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc,  52  (1909),  No.  25,  pp.  1981- 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  197 

1985).  He  found  that  83  per  cent  of  the  210  cases  observed 
depended  practically  for  their  diet  on  bread  with  tea  or  coffee. 
The  importance  of  a  highly  nutritious  dietary,  with  a  large  amount 
of  protein,  is  recognized,  and  suggestions  given  regarding  the 
preparation  of  such  a  diet. 

Continuing  his  work  regarding  the  diet  of  undernourished 
school  children  in  New  York  City  (Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc,  55 
(1910),  No.  22,  pp.  1886-1891),  Sill  studied  the  dietary  of  28 
families  with  malnourished  children  in  the  thickly  congested 
districts  of  New  York  City  and  of  6  families  in  more  comfortable 
circumstances  but  where  the  children  were  also  undernourished. 

In  the  first  group  the  food  cost  19  cents  per  man  per  day,  and 
supplied  95  gm.  protein,  68  gm.  fat,  and  407  gm.  carbohydrates, 
the  fuel  value  being  2,614  calories.  The  families  were  engaged 
in  active  or  moderately  active  muscular  work. 

In  the  fairly  well-to-do  families  the  diet  cost  on  an  average 
35  cts.  per  person  per  day,  and  supplied  149  gm.  protein,  115  gm. 
fat,  and  569  gm.  carbohydrates,  the  fuel  value  being  3,884 
calories.    The  families  were  engaged  in  moderately  active  work. 

Where  the  dietaries  were  up  to  or  above  the  standard  the 
malnutrition  was  attributed  to  such  factors  as  close  quarters, 
over  crowding,  eating  candy  between  meals,  tuberculous  infec- 
tion, enlarged  tonsils,  or  other  similar  cause.  The  author  states 
that  in  his  experience  such  childien  contract  disease  much  more 
easily  and  have  less  resistance  than  well-nourished  children. 

Information  regarding  undernourished  children  in  New  York 
City  was  collected  by  Frances  Perkins  (Survey,  25  (1910),  No.  1, 
pp.  68-72).  According  to  her  summary,  "physical  disabilities  of 
one  kind  or  another  are  closely  associated  with  malnutrition, 
and  make  it  doubly  dangerous." 

W.  C.  HoUopeter  (Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc,  53  (1909),  No.  21, 
pp.  1727-1730),  who  has  studied  the  character  of  breakfasts  of 
over  2,000  school  children,  has  also  contributed  important  infor- 
mation concerning  existing  conditions  with  reference  to  chil- 
dren's diet. 

Numerous  plans  for  providing  proper  food  for  school  children 
have  been  proposed,  particularly  with  reference  to  needy  or 
undernourished  children. 


198        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

A 'luncheon  project  which  has  proved  successful  in  Philadel- 
phia is  described  by  H.  H.  Bonnell  (Starr  Center  Assoc.  [Rpt.j 
1909,  pp.  18-20,  fig.  1),  the  different  articles  being  sold  for  a 
penny. 

The  subject  of  penny  luncheons  for  school  children  in  the 
thickly  congested  districts  of  Philadelphia  is  discussed  further 
by  Alice  C.  Boughton  (Psych.  Clin.,  3  (1910),  No.  8,  pp.  228-231, 
fig.  1). 

Data  regarding  the  serving  of  penny  lunches  to  school  chil- 
dren in  Boston  are  reported  by  Ellen  H.  Richards  (Jour.  Home 
Econ.,  2  (1910),  No.  6,  pp.  648-653). 

A  school  luncheon  costing  one  cent  per  person,  which  fur- 
nishes, in  round  numbers,  9  gm.  of  protein,  is  described  by  A. 
L.  Benedict  (Dietet.  and  Hyg.  Gaz.,  23  (1907),  No.  7,  p.  404). 

Some  work  has  been  done  with  older  students  and  pupils. 

Daily  menus  for  the  school  year  are  presented,  together  with 
the  results  of  a  dietary  study  for  1  month,  in  a  report  issued 
by  the  Institute  for  Colored  Youth  (Teachers'  Training  School) 
(Cheyney,  Pa.,  1909,  pp.  48).  "the  work  was  done  as  a  part 
of  a  project  to  prepare  at  reasonable  cost  a  rational  diet  with 
protein  and  energy  in  accordance  with  commonly  accepted 
dietary  standards. 

Agnes  Hunt  (111.  Agr.,  12  (1908),  No.  5,  pp.  146-148)  reports 
data  regarding  the  nutritive  value  and  cost  of  food  served  in 
a  students'  boarding-house. 

From  data  reported  by  P.  R.  Kellar  (Cooking  Club  Mag., 
12  (1910),  No.  11,  pp.  10,  11),  regarding  the  diet  in  a  students' 
boarding  house  in  the  University  of  Minnesota,  the  daily  food 
which  cost  22  cts.  per  man  per  day  was  calculated  to  supply 
105  gm.  protein  and  3,715  calories  of  energy. 

Of  special  investigations  of  dietary  problems  the  following 
may  be  cited. 

The  possible  relation  of  diet  to  fatigue,  particularly  a  diet 
containing  the  usual  average  amount  of  protein,  is  discussed 
by  I.  Fisher  (Bui.  Com.  One  Hundred  Nat.  Health  [Wash- 
ington], 1909,  No.  30,  pp.  VIIH-138)  in  a  report  on  national 
vitality,  its  wastes,  and  conservation.  The  author  is  of  the 
opinion,  from  experiments  which  he  has  made,  that  there  is  a 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  199 

relationship  between  protein  consumption  and  the  occurrence 
of  fatigue. 
Studies  carried  on  by  P.  A.  Shaffer  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol., 

22  (1908),  No.  4,  pp.  445-455)  with  healthy  men  support  the 
belief  that  with  sufficient  food  either  an  increase  or  a  decrease 
of  muscular  activity  within  physiological  limits  has  per  se  no 
effect  upon  protein  metabolism,  as  indicated  by  the  nitrogen 
and  sulphur  partitions  in  the  urine.  The  investigation  as  a 
whole  was  undertaken  to  secure  data  regarding  diminished 
muscular  activity  and  protein  requirement. 

The  effect  of  an  ash-free  diet  was  studied  experimentally  by 
H.  W.  Goodall  and  E.  P.  Joslin  (Trans.  Assoc.  Amer.  Physicians, 

23  (1908),  pp.  92-106)  with  healthy  individuals,  for  experi- 
mental periods  of  13  and  9  days,  respectively.  The  results 
obtained  do  not  indicate  any  marked  changes  in  metabolism 
ascribable  to  the  ash-free  diet. 

A  contest  entered  into  for  a  wager,  in  which  48  men  endeav- 
ored to  carry  on  the  back  a  weight  of  100  lbs.,  for  approximately 
10  miles,  furnished  results  which  were  discussed  with  reference 
to  the  strength  and  endurance  of  the  men  by  C.  F.  Langworthy 
(Science,  n.  ser.,  33  (1911),  No.  853,  pp.  708-711).  Of  the 
number  who  entered  the  contest  6  completed  the  task,  while 
the  others  dropped  out  at  various  stages.  The  information  col- 
lected from  a  number  of  the  men  showed  that  they  lived  on  a 
simple  mixed  diet.  The  energy  expended  in  moving  the  body  and 
carrying  the  load  over  the  course  was  calculated  to  be  1,137 
calories  on  an  average  for  the  6  successful  contestants,  of  which 
amount  707  calories  would  represent  the  energy  expenditure  for 
motion  of  forward  progression  and  430  calories  for  energy  ex- 
pended in  moving  the  load. 

Similar  calculations  for  individuals  and  for  groups  are  reported. 

It  seems  fair  to  conclude  that  the  men  who  engaged  in  the 
contest  were,  as  regards  their  food,  their  occupation,  and  their 
general  living  conditions,  representative  of  a  very  large  group 
of  our  population  who  are  living  comfortably  and  meeting  their 
daily  obligations  in  a  creditable  manner,  who  are,  in  fact,  living 
the  average  life  of  the  average  man,  with  its  varied  activities 
and  interests. 


200        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

In  so  far  as  the  recorded  data  throw  light  on  the  subject,  they 
indicate  that  the  average  man  living  the  average  life  is  capable 
of  meeting  body  demands  of  considerable  severity — a  conclu- 
sion which  perhaps  few  would  question,  but  which  it  is  inter- 
esting to  consider  in  the  light  of  numerical  data. 

Digestion 

Studies  of  thoroughness  of  digestion  have  been  reported  as 
has  work  on  various  details  of  the  general  question.  The  ten- 
dency seems  to  be  toward  the  investigation  of  special  topics 
rather  than  the  digestion  as  a  whole.  Experiments  have  also 
been  made  with  reference  to  ease  of  digestion,  which  involve 
the  use  of  the  respiration  calorimeter.     (See  p.  73). 

Colloid-chemical  aspects  of  digestion  are  considered  by  J. 
Alexander  (Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc,  32  (1910),  No.  5,  pp.  680- 
687),  who  reports  ultramicroscopic  observations.  The  author's 
general  conclusion  is  that  chemical  analysis  alone  is  not  sufficient 
to  express  the  digestibility  and  availability  of  food  and  that  our 
consideration  of  such  problems  must  be  broadened. 

The  absorption  of  fat  was  studied  by  L.  B.  Mendel  (Amer. 
Jour.  Physiol.,  24  (1909),  No.  5,  pp.  493-496)  who  used  samples 
stained  with  Sudan  III.  He  concludes  that  "when  fat  stained 
with  water-soluble  dyes,  like  Sudan  III,  is  fed,  the  pigments 
readily  pass  into  the  lymphatic  vessels  and  thereby  reach  the 
blood  stream.  Since  these  compounds  are  soluble  in  free  fatty 
acids  as  well  as  in  neutral  fats,  their  presence  in  the  lymph  can- 
not be  taken  as  evidence  either  for  or  against  the  possibiUty  of 
the  digestion  of  fats  prior  to  their  absorption." 

The  effect  of  the  presence  of  carbohydrates  upon  the  artificial 
digestion  of  casein  was  studied  by  Nellie  E.  Goldthwaite  (Jour. 
Biol.  Chem.,  7  (1910),  No.  2,  pp.  69-81),  the  recorded  data 
showing,  according  to  the  author,  that  each  of  the  carbohy- 
drates tested  (glucose,  maltose,  dextrose,  dextrin,  and  galactose) 
retarded  the  digestion  of  casein,  the  retardation  being  propor- 
tional to  the  amount  of  added  carbohydrate. 

The  results  of  experiments  by  C.  H.  Neilson  and  D.  H.  Lewis 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  4  (1908),  No.  6,  pp.  501-506,  fig.  1)  on  the 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  201 

effect  of  diet  on  the  amyloljrfcic  power  of  saliva  led  them  to 
conclude  that  "there  is  a  change  either  in  the  amount  of  ptyalin 
or  in  its  activity,  or  in  the  concentration  of  the  saliva,  which 
enables  more  or  less  starch  to  be  digested  with  a  given  quantity 
of  saliva  according  to  the  diet.  .  .  .  Whether  this  change 
in  the  amylolytic  power  of  the  saUva  due  to  diet  should  really 
be  called  an  adaptation  to  diet  is  immaterial." 

G.  Lusk  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  27  (1911),  No.  5,  pp.  467,  468) 
has  summarized  data  accumulated  in  connection  with  some  of 
his  earlier  experiments,  which  have  to  do  with  the  questions  as 
to  whether  dextrose  arises  from  cellulose  in  digestion,  the  con- 
clusion being  that  such  is  not  the  case. 

According  to  the  conclusions  reached  by  J.  H.  Pratt  and  L. 
H.  Spooner  (Trans.  Assoc.  Amer.  Physicians,  25  (1910),  pp. 
614-635)  in  a  study  of  the  internal  functions  of  the  pancreas 
in  carbohydrate  metabolism,  there  is  a  rapid  decrease  in  the 
power  to  assimilate  glucose  after  the  onset  of  atrophy  of  the 
pancreas. 

Using  dogs  with  Pawlow  fistules,  N.  B.  Foster  and  A.  V.  S. 
Lambert  (Proc.  Soc.  Expt.  Biol,  and  Med.,  4  (1906),  No.  1, 
p.  13)  studied  the  influence  of  water  on  gastric  secretion  and  the 
chemical  affinity  of  mucus  for  hydrochloric  acid  in  the  stomach. 

"It  was  observed  that  with  definite  amounts  of  cracker  meal 
as  food,  the  amount  and  rate  of  gastric  secretion  depend  to 
some  extent  on  the  amount  of  water  given  the  dog  with  his 
meal,  i.e.,  when  small  amounts  of  water  are  given,  the  secretion 
is  slow  and  scanty.  If  larger  quantities  of  water  are  mixed  in 
the  food  the  secretion  is  more  abundant. 

"The  degree  of  acidity  of  gastric  juice  depends  upon  the 
amount  of  secretion.  When  this  is  considerable  it  is  much  more 
acid  than  when  the  secretion  is  scanty.  .  .  .  The  proportion 
of  free  acid  depends  upon  the  amount  of  mucus  secreted,  since 
mucus  protein  Hke  other  proteins  combines  with  HCl.  Mucus 
in  the  presence  of  pepsin  combines  with  HCl  to  a  considerable 
extent  and  undergoes  digestion,  with  formation  of  proteoses." 

The  results  of  a  large  number  of  experiments  carried  on  by 
the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  cooperating  with  the  Bureau 
of  Animal  Industry  on  the  digestibility  of  cheese  of  different 


202        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

sorts  have  been  reported  in  a  summary  prepared  by  C.  F.  Doane 
(U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Anim.  Indus.  Circ.  166,  pp.  22).  In 
the  first  series  there  were  184  tests  with  65  young  men  serving 
as  subjects,  and  in  the  second  series  about  50  experiments. 
American  cheese  made  by  the  regular  Cheddar  process,  with 
varying  amounts  of  rennet  and  cured  for  different  lengths  of 
time  and  ripened  under  controlled  conditions,  was  used  in  the 
tests,  as  well  as  a  number  of  other  sorts  of  cheese,  with  a  view  to 
determining  whether  thoroughness  of  digestion  was  influenced  by 
the  kind  of  cheese,  by  the  degree  of  ripeness,  and  by  similar  factors. 

In  general,  cheese  of  all  sorts  was  found  to  be  very  thoroughly 
digested  and  little  or  no  difference  in  the  comparative  digesti- 
bility of  cheese  at  different  stagey  of  ripeness  was  observed. 
It  was  also  found  that  different  kinds  of  cheese  closely  resem- 
bled cheese  made  by  the  Cheddar  process  in  thoroughness  of 
digestion,  and,  in  general,  "that  all  kinds  of  cheese,  even  the 
very  high-flavored  and  so-called  condimental  cheeses,  have  a 
high  food  value." 

Brief  statements  are  also  made  regarding  the  experiments  on 
the  ease  of  digestibility  of  cheese  in  which  the  respiration 
calorimeter  was  used. 

The  digestibility  of  white  of  egg  as  influenced  by  the  tem- 
perature at  which  it  is  coagulated  was  studied  by  P.  Frank 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  9  (1911),  No.  6,  pp.  463-470,  dgms.2). 
The  progress  of  the  hydrochloric  acid  action  and  the  total 
digestion  is  most  rapid  in  the  albumin  not  heated  beyond  75°C. 

The  results  are  reported  of  66  natural  and  99  artificial  digestion 
experiments  with  meat  undertaken  by  H.  S.  Grindley,  T.  Mo- 
jonnier,  and  H.  C.  Porter  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office  Expt.  Stas. 
Bui.  193,  pp.  100),  to  determine  the  ease  and  thoroughness  of 
digestion  of  different  kinds  and  cuts  of  meat  cooked  in  a  variety 
of  ways.  As  regards  thoroughness  of  digestion,  the  results  do 
not  indicate  that  very  appreciable  differences  exist,  and  meats 
of  all  kinds  and  cuts  can  be  classed  with  the  very  digestible 
foods,  about  98  per  cent  of  the  protein  and  fat  being  retained 
in  the  body  on  an  average. 

The  erepsin  of  cabbage  has  been  studied  by  Alice  F.  Blood 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  8  (1910),  No.  3,  pp.  215-225).     It  splits 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  203 

tryptophan  from  Witte's  peptone  and  casein,  and  tyrosin  from 
peptone  "Roche."  It  clots  milk  and  liquefies  gelatin.  It  does 
not  digest  fibrin,  coagulated  egg  white,  or  edestin  in  neutral, 
acid,  or  alkaline  solution,  or  in  the  presence  of  HCN.  Other 
characteristics  are  given. 

An  extended  study  of  the  digestibility  and  nutritive  value  of 
legumes  was  carried  on  by  C.  E.  Wait  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  OflBce 
Expt.  Stas.  Bui.  187,  pp.  55),  of  the  University  of  Tennessee, 
in  connection  with  the  nutrition  investigations  of  the  Office  of 
Experiment  Stations.  In  general,  kidney  beans,  white  beans, 
and  cowpeas  of  different  sorts  were  found  to  supply  from  70  to 
83  per  cent  digestible  protein  and  from  87  to  96  per  cent  di- 
gestible carbohydrates.  When  the  digestibility  of  a  diet  con- 
taining a  considerable  quantity  of  beans  was  considered,  rather 
than  that  of  the  beans  alone,  the  values  were  higher.  The 
experiments  as  a  whole  demonstrate  the  great  nutritive  value 
of  cowpeas. 

A  number  of  foods,  particularly  tropical  fruits  and  vege- 
tables, were  analyzed  by  L.  H.  Merrill  (Maine  Sta.  Bui.  158, 
pp.  219-238),  of  the  Maine  Experiment  Station,  and  digestion 
experiments  with  hulled  corn  reported.  These  show  in  general 
that  the  digestibility  of  protein  and  the  availability  of  energy 
are  low  in  comparison  with  results  obtained  with  white  bread. 
Analysis  of  com  before  and  after  popping  showed  that  except 
for  loss  of  water  little  change  in  composition  was  produced  by 
this  process. 

Studies  of  digestibility  of  carbohydrates  of  marine  algae  by 
Mary  D.  Swartz  have  been  referred  to  elsewhere. 

Metabolism;     Respiration    Calorimeters,    Bomb    Calori- 
meters, AND  Experiments  with  Them 

A  fairly  large  proportion  of  the  work  reported  during  the 
period  under  consideration  has  had  to  do  with  the  metabolism 
of  nitrogen  and  other  constituents,  including  numerous  studies 
of  the  metabolism  of  the  income  and  outgo  of  energy  made 
with  the  respiration  calorimeter,  and  with  special  studies  of 
body  excretions,  the  influence  of  different  food  constituents 


204        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

upon  protein  consumption,  the  effects  of  water  drinking,  and 
similar  topics. 

The  average  daily  excretion  of  uric  acid  of  10  men  m  normal 
condition,  ranging  from  19  to  29  years,  and  fed  a  normal  diet, 
was  determined  by  P.  J.  Hanzlik  and  P.  B.  Hawk  (Proc.  Soc. 
Expt.  Biol,  and  Med.  6  (1908),  No.  1,  pp.  18,  19,  and  found 
to  be  0.597  gm.,  a  value  somewhat  lower  than  the  generally 
accepted  average  of  0.7  gm. 

"The  average  daily  protein  ingestion  from  these  same  subjects, 
when  permitted  to  select  their  diet,  was  91.2  gm.  or  1.33  gm.  for 
such  a  period." 

The  metabolism  of  some  purin  compounds  in  the  rabbit,  dog, 
pig,  and  man  was  studied  by  L.  B.  Mendel  and  J.  F.  Lyman 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  8  (1910),  No.  2,  pp.  115-143). 

In  the  experiments  with  man  hypoxanthin  nitrate,  xanthin, 
guanin,  and  adenin  were  added  on  different  days  to  a  purin-free 
diet.  According  to  the  authors,  the  examination  of  the  urine 
showed  that  all  four  purins  produced  a  marked  rise  in  urinary 
acid  and  a  small,  yet  noticeable  increase  in  the  elimination  of 
purin  bases.  The  smaller  and  lighter  of  the  two  subjects  ex- 
creted, in  every  case,  a  larger  percentage  of  uric  acid  and 
purin  bases  than  the  other  subject,  and,  according  to  the 
authors,  "may  possess  a  more  limited  power  for  uric  acid 
destruction." 

The  effect  of  meat  purins  (largely  free  hypoxanthin),  on  the 
elimination  of  purin  compounds  is  illustrated  by  data  cited 
from  a  series  of  experiments  by  Hilditch,  also  made  at  Yale 
University,  in  which  meat  was  substituted  for  the  milk  and 
eggs  of  a  purin-free  diet.  The  resulting  increase  in  the  excretion 
of  uric  acid  nitrogen,  it  is  stated,  is  quite  comparable  with  the 
figures  obtained  in  the  experiment  with  pure  hypoxanthin. 

In  discussing  their  work  in  comparison  with  that  of  earlier 
investigators,  the  authors  point  out  that  the  data  which  they 
report  "emphasize  the  fact  that  all  of  the  familiar  purins  may 
lead  to  an  increase  in  exogenous  uric  acid  in  the  urine  of  man, 
with  (quantitatively)  little  influence  on  the  elimination  of  the 
purin  bases.  They  may  be  interpreted  to  support  the  most 
prevalent  view  that  uric  acid  is  a  stage  in  the  metabolism  of 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  205 

exogenous  purins  in  the  human  body,  a  view  rendered  especially 
plausible  by  the  growing  statistics  on  tissue  enzyms." 

The  composition  of  dilute  renal  excretions  was  studied  by  A. 
B.  Macallum  and  C.  C.  Benson  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  6  (1909),  No.  2 
pp.  87-104),  the  general  conclusion  being  that  the  elimination 
of  water,  potassium  salts,  and  chloride  from  the  body  is  not 
due  to  filtration,  but  in  the  case  of  water,  to  the  physiological 
activity  of  the  renal  membranes  involved,  and  in  the  case  of  the 
salts,  to  forces  which  may  be  termed  "secretory." 

T.  B.  Barringer,  Jr.,  and  B.  S.  Barringer  (Amer.  Jour.  Phy- 
siol, 27  (1910),  No.  1,  pp.  119-121)  have  compared  the  total 
nitrogen  excretion  of  either  kidney  in  normal  individuals  during 
varying  periods  of  time.  In  one  case  the  excretions  from  the 
2  kidneys  were  found  to  be  equal  in  quantity.  Six  times  they 
varied  by  less  than  10  per  cent  and  4  times  from  10  to  20  per 
cent. 

"As  regards  the  total  nitrogen,  in  one  case  the  quanitites  were 
equal.  In  7  cases  they  varied  by  less  than  1  gm.  per  liter.  In 
2  cases  they  varied  by  between  1  and  2  gm.  per  liter.  The 
nitrogen-urea  plus  ammonia-urea  showed  in  3  cases  a  variation 
less  than  1  gm.  per  liter  and  in  6  cases  a  variation  of  between  1 
and  2  gm." 

L.  W.  Riggs  (Abs.  in  Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  9  (1911),  No.  2,  p. 
XIX;  Proc.  Amer.  Soc.  Biol.  Chem.,  2  (1910),  No.  1,  p.  13) 
studied  the  chemical  composition  of  human  sweat,  using  45  sam- 
ples obtained  from  persons  in  normal  health  and  from  nephritics. 
The  total  nitrogen,  nitrogen  as  urea  plus  ammonia,  inorganic 
acids,  potassium,  and  chlorin  were  determined  in  the  majority  of 
the  samples. 

Factors  regulating  the  creatinin  output  in  man  were  studied 
by  P.  A.  Levene  and  L.  Kristeller  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  24  (1909), 
No.  1,  pp.  45-65),  the  experimental  data  apparently  indicating 
that  the  formation  of  creatin  and  creatinin  represents  two  phases 
in  the  catabolism  of  a  single  substance.  The  constant  activity  of 
the  creatinin  output  in  normal  men,  the  authors  believe,  is  con- 
ditioned by  the  high  velocity  of  creatin  combustion  in  health. 

The  process  of  acid  excretion  was  studied  critically  by  L.  J. 
Henderson  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  9  (1911),  No.  5,  pp.  403-424,  dgms. 


206        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

3),  who  concludes  that,  as  is  the  case  with  temperature  and 
osmotic  pressure,  normal  neutrality  or  alkalinity  is  adjusted  by  a 
mechanism  within  the  body,  but  is  maintained  permanently  by 
exchanges  with  the  environment. 

In  a  study  of  the  nutritive  value  of  gelatin,  J.  R.  Murlin  (Amer. 
Jour.  Physiol.,  19  (1907),  No.  3,  pp.  285-313)  found  that  under 
certain  conditions,  namely,  supplying  a  large  proportion  of  the 
energy  of  the  ration  in  the  form  of  carbohydrates  being  especially 
favorable,  it  was  possible  in  experiments  with  man  and  dogs  to 
replace  part  of  the  proteid  nitrogen  with  gelatin  nitrogen  for 
maintaining  nitrogen  equilibrium  at  a  fasting  level. 

Gelatin  was  one  of  the  materials  included  in  a  study  of  the 
elimination  of  total  nitrogen,  urea,  and  ammonia  following  the 
administration  of  some  amino  acids,  glycylglycin  and  glycylglycin 
anhydrid  by  P.  A.  Levene  and  G.  M.  Meyer  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol., 
25(1909),  No.  4,  pp.  214-230).  The  experiments  were  made  with 
dogs.  According  to  the  authors,  all  of  the  excessive  nitrogen 
added  as  gelatin  to  a  standard  diet  "is  eliminated  in  the  form  of 
urea.  Thus,  this  experiment  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  either 
diketopiperazins  do  not  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  protein 
molecule,  or  that  the  anhydrids  of  peptids  within  the  protein 
molecule  offer  less  resistance  than  when  in  a  free  state." 

The  significance  of  glycocol  and  carbohydrate  in  sparing  the 
body's  proteid  was  also  studied  by  J.  R.  Murlin  (Amer.  Jour. 
Physiol.,  20  (1907),  No.  1,  pp.  234-258).  A  specific  relationship 
was  shown  to  exist  between  carbohydrates  ingested  and  the 
elimination  of  nitrogen,  carbohydrate  not  needed  for  combustion 
being  far  more  efficient  for  reducing  nitrogen  output  than  car- 
bohydrate coming  within  the  requirement  for  potential  energy. 
This  fact,  according  to  the  author,  indicates  the  importance  of 
abundant  carbohydrates  for  convalescence  and  growth,  and  may 
explain  the  almost  universal  craving  for  sweets  especially  in  the 
young. 

From  experiments  with  animals  on  mucic  acid  and  carbohydrate 
metabolism  L.  B.  Mendel  and  W.  C.  Rose  (Abs.  in  Jour.  Biol., 
Chem.,  9(1911),  No.  2,  p.  XII;  Proc.  Amer.  Soc.  Biol.  Chem., 
2  (1910),  No.  1,  p.  6)  conclude  that  this  acid  "is  presumably  not 
an  intermediary  oxidative  product  in  the  metabolism  of  galactose 


xnn]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  207 

or  galactose-yielding  carbohydrates.  The  urinary  oxalic  acid  is 
only  very  slightly  increased  after  the  ingestion  of  large  amounts 
of  mucic  acid.  This  increase  is  by  no  means  as  large  as  would  be 
expected  if  mucic  acid  were  a  precursor  of  oxalic  acid." 

Some  experiments  on  the  influence  of  caffein  on  protein  meta- 
bolism of  dogs  have  been  reported  by  W.  Salant  and  I.  K.  Phelps 
(Jour.  Pharmacol,  and  Expt.  Ther.,  2  (1911),  No.  4,  pp.  401,  402), 
who  also  discuss  demethylation  in  the  body.  The  resistance  to 
caffein,  the  authors  state,  "was  found  to  vary  with  the  amounts 
of  the  urinary  purins  eliminated." 

W.  Salant  and  J.  B.  Rieger  (Jour.  'Pharmacol,  and  Expt.  Ther., 
2  (1911),  No.  4,  pp.  400,  401)  studied  the  elimination  of  creatin 
and  creatinin  after  the  administration  of  caffein,  with  rabbits. 
The  results  indicate  that  urinary  creatin  is  increased  after  the 
administration  of  caffein,  the  size  of  the  dose  being  an  important 
factor.  Neither  the  increased  diuresis  nor  the  diminished 
appetite  observed  could,  in  the  authors'  opinion,  be  regarded  as  a 
factor  in  accounting  for  the  increased  output  of  creatin. 

On  theoretical  grounds,  G.  Lusk  (Zentbl.  Physiol.,  21  (1907), 
No.  26,  pp.  861,  862)  discusses  the  specific  dynamic  effect  of  por- 
tein. 

According  to  H.  McGuigan's  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  3  (1907), 
No.  3,  Proc,  pp.  XXXVII,  XXXVIII)  studies  of  sugar  meta- 
bolism in  vitro,  the  clinical  assertion  is  maintained  that  levulose, 
is  more  easily  oxidized  than  glucose  and  that  it  may  be  used  in 
the  body  when  glucose  can  not.  The  order  of  ease  of  oxidation  of 
a  number  of  sugars  is  as  follows:  Levulose,  galactose,  glucose, 
maltose,  and  saccharose,  levulose  being  the  most  easily  oxidized. 

H.  McGuigan  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  21  (1908),  No.  3,  pp. 
334-350)  found  that  the  living  muscles  of  an  animal,  when  per- 
fused with  dextrose,  levulose,  or  galactose,  caused  a  rapid  oxida- 
tion of  these  sugars.  With  maltose  direct  oxidation  was  not 
noted.  Other  questions  were  also  considered  in  this  experimental 
inquiry,  which  is  a  contribution  to  the  question  of  the  way  in 
which  the  animal  body  utilizes  a  carbohydrate  food  supply. 

The  income  and  outgo  of  nitrogen  of  a  simple  mixed  diet  are 
determined  and  briefly  reported  by  Clara  C.  Benson  et  al.  (Jour. 
Home  Econ.,  2  (1910),  No.  6,  p.  658). 


208        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

An  extended  series  of  studies  with  fasting  subjects  has  been 
reported  by  P.  B.  Hawk  and  his  associates,  in  which  the  following 
matters  have  been  taken  up :  Nitrogen  partition  and  physiological 
resistance  as  influenced  by  repeated  fasting  (Jour.  Amer.  Chem. 
Soc,  33  (1911),  No.  2,  pp.  215-254,  dgm.  1);  the  catalase  content 
of  tissues  and  organs  after  prolonged  fasting  (Jour.  Amer.  Chem. 
Soc,  33  (1911),  No.  3,  pp.  425-434) ;  the  nitrogen  partition  of  two 
men  through  seven-day  fasts  following  the  prolonged  ingestion  of 
a  low  protein  diet,  supplemented  by  comparative  data  from  the 
subsequent  feeding  period  (Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc,  33  (1911), 
No.  4,  pp.  568-598);  the  allantoin  and  purin  excretion  of  fasting 
dogs  (Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc,  33  (1911),  No.  10,  pp.  1601-1622); 
the  influence  of  an  excessive  water  ingestion  on  a  dog  after  a  pro- 
longed fast  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  10  (1911),  No.  5,  pp.  417-432); 
distribution  of  nitrogen  during  a  fast  of  one  hundred  and  seven- 
teen days  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  11  (1912),  No.  2,  pp.  103-127,  dgm. 
1);  the  putrefaction  processes  in  the  intestine  of  a  man  during 
fasting  and  during  subsequent  periods  of  low  and  high  protein 
ingestion  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  11  (1912),  No.  3,  pp.  169-177); 
hydrogen  ion  concentration  of  feces  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  10  (1912), 
No.  2,  pp.  129-140);  on  the  differential  leucocyte  count  during 
prolonged  fasting  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  30  (1912),  No.  2,  pp. 
174-181);  and  glycogen-free  liver  (Jour.  Amer,  Chem.  Soc,  34 
(1912),  No.  6,  pp.  826-828). 

Hawk  and  his  associates  have  also  reported  an  extended  series 
of  experiments  on  the  relative  effects  of  copious  and  moderate 
water  drinking  with  meals,  some  of  the  experiments  being  carried 
on  as  a  part  of  the  series  of  fasting  tests  referred  to  above.  The 
following  list  of  subjects  studied  show  the  character  and  extent  of 
the  work:  The  influence  of  copious  water  drinking  (Univ.  Penn. 
Med.  Bui.,  18  (1905),  No.  1,  pp.  7-25);  the  stimulation  of  gastric 
secretion  under  the  influence  of  water  drinking  with  meals 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  9  (1911),  No.  2,  pp.  XXIX,  XXX;  Proc. 
Amer.  Soc.  Biol.  Chem.,  2  (1910),  No.  1,  pp.  23,  24);  the  meta- 
bolic influence  of  copious  water  drinking  with  meals  (Jour.  Expt. 
Med.,  12  (1910),  No.  3,  pp.  388-410);  the  uric  acid  elimination 
following  copious  water  drinking  between  meals  (Jour.  Amer. 
Chem.  Soc,  32  (1910),  No.  12,  pp.  1686-1691);  the  excretion  of 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  209 

chlorids  following  copious  water  drinking  between  meals  (Re- 
printed from  Arch.  Int.  Med.,  7  (1911),  pp.  536-550);  intestinal 
putrefaction  during  copious  and  moderate  water  drinking  with 
meals  (Arch.  Int.  Med.,  7  (1911),  No.  5,  pp.  610-623);  the  activity 
of  the  pancreatic  function  under  the  influence  of  copious  water 
drinking  with  meals  (Arch.  Int.  Med.,  8  (1911),  pp.  382-394); 
the  allantoin  and  purin  excretion  of  fasting  dogs  (Jour.  Amer. 
Chem.  Soc,  33  (1911),  No.  10,  pp.  1601-1622);  the  utilization 
of  ingested  fat  under  the  influence  of  copious  and  moderate  water 
drinking  with  meals  (Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc,  33  (1911),  No.  12, 
pp.  1978-1998);  the  distribution  of  bacterial  and  other  forms  of 
fecal  nitrogen  and  the  utilization  of  ingested  protein  under  the 
influence  of  copious  and  moderate  water  drinking  with  meals 
(Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc,  33  (1911),  No.  12,  pp  1999-2019),  a 
fecal  output  and  its  carbohydrate  content  under  the  influence 
of  copious  and  moderate  water  drinking  with  meals  (Jour.  Amer. 
Chem.  Soc,  33  (1911),  No.  12,  pp.  2019-2032);  the  influence  of 
an  excessive  water  ingestion  on  a  dog  after  a  prolonged  fast 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  10  (1911),  No.  5,  pp.  417-432);  the  allantoin 
output  of  man  as  influenced  by  water  ingestion  (Jour.  Amer. 
Chem.  Soc,  34  (1912),  No.  4,  pp.  546-550);  and  the  hydrogen  ion 
concentration  of  feces  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  11  (1912),  No.  2,  pp. 
129-140). 

As  a  whole  the  investigations,  which  are  too  extended  to  be 
quoted  in  detail,  were  favorable  to  the  use  of  water  with  meals. 

The  metabolism  of  inorganic  and  organic  phosphorus  was 
studied  with  laboratory  animals  (rabbits)  by  F.  C.  Cook  (U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Bui.  123,  pp.  63,  pis.  3),  of  the  Bureau 
of  Chemistry.  The  rabbits  fed  organic  phosphorus  eliminated  a 
smaller  proportion  of  ingested  phosphoric  acid  in  the  lu-ine  than 
those  fed  inoiganic  phosphorus,  and  the  average  amount  of  cal- 
cium absorbed  from  the  intestinal  tract  was  higher  in  the  case  of 
the  rabbits  fed  organic  phosphorus,  the  results  agreeing  with  the 
theory  that  calcium  and  phosphorus  fed  in  inorganic  form  unite 
to  form  insoluble  calcium  phosphate  which  is  eliminated  by  the 
bowels  in  ingested  form.  The  amount  of  metabolized  magnes- 
ium that  was  retained  indicates  that  the  rabbits  fed  inorganic 
phosphorus,  while  metabolizing  a  smaller  amount  of  magnesium 


210        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

than  did  those  fed  organic  phosphorus,  retained  a  larger  per- 
centage of  the  amount  actually  metabolized. 

The  sulphur  balance  in  metabolism  was  studied  by  A.  E. 
Taylor  (Abs.  in  Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  9  (1911),  No.  2,  pp.  IX,  X; 
Proc.  Amer.  Soc.  Biol.  Chem.,  2  (1910),  No.  1,  pp.  3,  4)  with  6 
normal  men,  for  periods  of  nearly  3  months.  A  condition  of 
equilibrium  was  not  observed,  the  output  being  regularly  and 
notably  higher  than  the  intake.  The  author  does  not  consider 
that  the  results  obtained  are  trustworthy,  the  presumption  being 
that  errors  were  involved  in  the  determinations  of  the  sulphur 
index. 

According  to  data  reported  by  A.  0.  Shaklee  and  S.  J.  Meltzer' 
(Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  25  (1909),  No.  3,  pp.  81-112),  shaking 
may  completely  destroy  the  three  proteolytic  ferments— pepsin, 
rennin,  and  trypsin.  "They  are  destroyed  more  rapidly  at 
higher  than  lower  at  temperatures;  .  .  .  trypsin  is  more 
easily  destroyed  than  pepsin;  .  .  .  shaking  produced  by  the 
respiratory  movements  is  capable  of  causing  some  destruction 
of  the  ferments.  Recent  experiments  by  other  investigators  show 
also  that  other  ferments  may  be  inactivated  by  shaking    .     .    . 

"The  assumption  is  here  made  that  the  nature  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  ferments  is  similar  to  that  which  takes  place  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  living  cells,  and  that  shaking  affects  a  certain  structure 
which  is  common  to  living  cells  as  well  as  to  red  blood  corpuscles 
and  to  ferments." 

In  experiments  on  the  effects  of  respiratory  movements, 
ferments  in  rubber  or  glass  containers  of  suitable  construction 
were  introduced  into  the  stomach  and  peritoneal  cavity,  a  dog 
and  rabbits  serving  as  subjects. 

E.  W  Rockwood  (Proc.  Iowa  Acad.  Sci.,  15  (1908,  pp.  99-103) 
has  studied  the  nature  of  the  uric  acid  ferments  which  it  is  believed 
are  concerned  in  the  formation  of  uric  acid  from  nucleins  in  the 
liver. 

The  problem  of  nuclein  syntheses  in  the  animal  body  was 
studied  experimentally  by  E.  V.  McCollum  (Wisconsin  Sta. 
Research  Bui.  8,  pp.  75-93;  Amer.  Jour.  Phisiol.,  25  (1909),  No. 
3,  pp.  120-141)  with  young  and  old  rats,  with  normal  and  special 
rations,  such  materials  as  edestin,  zein,  glucose,  purified  butter 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  211 

fat,  and  cane  sugar  being  used.  These  purin-free  diets  and  diets 
containing  purin  bases  were  also  compared. 

Some  of  the  author's  conclusions  were  as  follows: 

"The  palatability  of  the  ration  is  a  most  important  factor  in 
animal  nutrition.  Without  palatability  the  ration  may  possess 
all  the  necessary  food  ingredients  and  yet  fail  to  nourish  an 
animal  properly.     .     .     . 

"Very  young  animals  adapt  themselves  to  a  ration  possessing 
a  low  degree  of  palatability  much  better  than  do  adults. 

"Other  things  being  satisfactory,  all  the  phosphorus  needed 
by  an  animal  for  skeleton,  nuclein  or  phosphatid  formation,  can 
be  drawn  from  inorganic  phosphates. 

"The  animal  has  the  power  to  synthesize  the  purin  bases  neces- 
sary for  its  nuclein  formation  from  some  complexes  contained  in 
the  protein  molecule,  and  does  not  necessarily  use  purin  bases  of 
exogenous  origin  for  this  purpose." 

A  useful  summary  and  digest  of  data  on  the  elementary  compo- 
sition of  nuccleic  acids,  their  constituents,  and  related  questions 
has  been  published  by  P.  A.  Levene  (Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc, 
32  (1910),  No.  2,  pp.  231-240),  and  a  similar  compilation  on 
oxidases  by  J.  H.  Kastle  (Pub.  Health  and  Mar.  Hosp.  Serv. 
U.  S.,  Hyg.  Lab.  Bui.  59,  pp.  164). 

Methods  and  standards  in  bomb  calorimetry  have  been  dis- 
cussed on  the  basis  of  experience  by  J.  A.  Fries  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr. 
Bur.  Anim.  Indus.  Bui.  124,  pp.  32;  Pennsylvania  Sta.  Rpt.  1909, 
pp.  321-345). 

An  adiabatic  calorimeter  for  use  with  the  calorimetric  bomb 
has  been  described  by  F.  G.  Benedict  and  H.  L.  Higgins  (Jour. 
Amer.  Chem.  Soc,  32  (1910),  No.  4,  pp.  461-467,  fig.  1). 

The  metabolism  as  a  statistical  problem  has  been  considered  by 
H.  L.  Rietz  and  H.  H.  Mitchell  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  8  (1910),  No. 
4,  pp.  297-326).  Such  questions  as  the  application  of  the  laws 
of  probability,  together  with  the  various  mathematical  methods 
of  reducing  statistical  data,  the  importance  of  such  procedure  in 
metabohsm  experiments,  and  related  questions  are  considered. 

Comparative  physiology  of  purin  metabolism,  by  H.  G.  Wells 
(Trans.  Chicago  Path.  Soc,  7  (1909),  No.  8,  pp.  244-248;  Jour. 
Amer.  Med.  Assoc,  53  (1909),  No.  21,  p.  1741).    According  to 


212        Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol. 

his  summary,  "the  invertebrates  are  able  to  convert  adenin  into 
hypoxanthin  and  guanin  into  xanthin,  showing  the  presence  of 
the  enzyms,  adenase,  and  guanase,  but  the  metabolism  proceeds 
no  further.  Passing  upward  in  the  scale  of  animal  life  to  the 
birds  and  reptiles  we  find  that  nitrogen  is  excreted  chiefly  in  the 
form  of  uric  acid.  Mammals  form  uric  acid  only  from  the  purins 
and  have  the  power  of  destroying  some  of  the  uric  acid  formed. 
The  enzyms  that  destroy  uric  acid  seem  to  be  the  last  formed  in 
development  and  are  possessed  by  various  mammals  in  varying 
degrees  and  in  the  same  animal  often  show  an  uneven  distribution 
in  the  various  organs  of  the  body.  This  uricolytic  power  is 
relatively  weak  in  man."  The  paper  is  followed  by  a  discus- 
sion. 

The  output  of  organic  phosphorus  in  urine  was  studied  by  G. 
C.  Mathison  (Bio-Chem.  Jour.,  4  (1909),  No.  5-7,  pp.  274-279) 
under  conditions  of  work  and  rest.  In  young  adults,  on  an 
ordinary  diet,  the  organic  phosphorus  was  usually  found  to  be 
more  than  0.1  gm.  per  day.  Occasionally  it  fell  below  this,  while 
in  one  case  it  reached  0.3  gm. 

"The  percentage  of  the  total  P2O6  present  in  organic  combina- 
tion varies  considerably  from  day  to  day.  In  the  cases  examined 
ii  averaged  6  per  cent  of  the  total. 

"The  addition  of  a  large  quantity  of  organic  phosphorus  in  the 
form  of  glycero-phosphoric  acid  to  the  diet  had  no  distinct  effect 
on  the  output  of  organic  P2OB,  while  it  increased  the  total  PjOs 
output.  Glycerophosphoric  acid  was  not  broken  down  by  gastric 
or  pancreatic  digestion  in  vitro,  so  it  was  probably  absorbed 
unchanged. 

"In  the  observations  made,  vigorous  exercise  was  not  followed 
by  increased  output  in  organic  P2O6. 

"The  N:P205  ratio  was  fairly  constant  in  anyone  individual 
on  a  fairly  regular  diet.  It  differed  greatly  in  different  in- 
dividuals, and  also  in  the  same  individual  when  the  diet  was 
irregular." 

The  construe  Dion  of  improved  forms  of  respiration  calorimeters 
and  progress  reports  of  investigations  of  the  Carnegie  Institution 
of  Washington  aie  contained  in  the  reports  of  the  Nuurition 
Laboratory  at  Boston,  which  is  under  the  direction  of  F.  G.  Bene- 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  213 

diet  (Carnegie  Inst.  Washington  Year  Book,  6  (1907),  pp.  130-133; 
Carnegie  Inst.  Washington  Year  Book,  7  (1908),  pp.  158-162, 
pi.  1.  dgms.  4). 

The  respiration  calorimeters  in  use  at  the  Nutrition  Research 
Laboratory  of  the  Carnegie  Institution  located  at  Boston,  Mass., 
are  described  in  detail  by  F.  G.  Benedict  and  T.  M.  Carpenter 
(Carnegie  Inst.  Washington  Pub.  123,  pp.  VII-l-102,  pis.  5,  figs. 
25).  A  general  plan  is  given  of  the  calorimeter  laboratory,  the 
principles  involved  in  the  construction  of  the  calorimeter  are 
considered,  descriptions  of  different  parts  of  the  apparatus  pre- 
sented, and  the  calculation  of  results  explained.  The  descrip- 
tions are  illustrated  with  diagrams  and  reproductions  of  photo- 
graphs. An  account  is  given  of  the  routine  followed  in  an  experi- 
ment with  a  man  as  subject.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  give  an 
adequate  account  of  this  work  in  abstract. 

Control  tests  of  a  respiration  calorimeter,  by  F.  G.  Benedict, 
J.  A.  Riche,  and  L.  E.  Emmes  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  26  (1910), 
No.  1,  pp.  1-14),  in  which  alcohol  was  burned  in  the  respiration 
chamber  and  the  amounts  of  heat  eliminated,  water  vaporized, 
carbon  dioxid  produced,  and  oxygen  consumed  were  compared 
with  theoretical  values.  The  results  showed  that  the  agree- 
ment between  measured  and  theoretical  amounts  was  very 
satisfactory  and  that  the  apparatus  has  proved  as  accurate  as 
the  usual  analjrtical  methods  employed  in  the  laboratory,  with 
which  small  amounts  of  material  are  studied  chemically  or 
calorimetrically. 

The  direct  determination  of  oxygen  in  experiments  with  the 
respiration  calorimeter  has  been  compared  with  calculated  val- 
ues by  F.  G.  Benedict  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  26  (1910),  No.  1, 
pp.  15-25),  who  concludes  that  the  du-ect  determination  is  accu- 
rate, "and  that  experiments  on  man  can  be  made  in  which  the 
direct  determination  of  oxygen  is  fully  substantiated  by  the  indi- 
rect determination.  Personal  experience  would  indicate  that 
the  errors  involved  in  the  indirect  determination  of  oxygen  are 
such  as  to  preclude  its  use  under  conditions  that  ordinarily  ob- 
tam  in  even  the  most  perfect  forms  of  respiration  apparatus,  and 
that  accurate  determinations  of  the  oxygen  consumption  of  man 
are  practicable  only  by  means  of  the  direct  method." 


214        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  influence  of  muscular  and  mental  work  on  metabolism 
and  the  efiiciency  of  the  human  body  as  a  machine  were  studied 
by  F.  G.  Benedict  and  T.  M.  Carpenter  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office 
Expt.  Stas.  Bui.  208,  pp.  100,  figs.  3)  in  connection  with  the  nutri- 
tion investigations  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  the  work 
being  done  before  the  respiration  calorimeter  was  taken  from 
Middletown,  Conn.,  to  Washington.  The  first  of  the  two  papers 
included  in  the  bulletin  reports  data  of  19  experiments  on  the 
effects  of  muscular  work  on  metabolism  and  the  efficiency  of  the 
body  as  a  machine,  respiratory  products  and  oxygen  consump- 
tion being  measured  in  the  usual  way  with  the  respiration  cal- 
orimeter, and  the  bicycle  ergometer  employed  for  measurements 
of  muscular  work.  The  efficiency  of  the  body  was  found  to  be 
20  per  cent;  that  is,  for  every  calorie  of  muscular  work  produced 
by  the  body  a  total  of  5  calories  is  expended.  A  series  of  44  expe- 
riments was  made  to  compare  mental  work  (writing  the  answers 
to  examination  papers  which  were  regarded  as  difficult  by  the 
subjects)  and  mental  idleness,  perhaps  more  propeily  mental 
occupation  which  involved  no  special  mental  effort,  namely, 
transcribing  an  amount  of  very  simple  material,  which  gave 
them  the  same  amount  of  arm  motion  required  in  writing  the 
examination  papers.  No  constant  differences  in  the  heat  out- 
put in  the  different  periods  were  noted,  so  it  appears  that  the 
experiments  do  not  warrant  the  conclusion  that  mental  work 
such  as  was  performed  had  a  positive  influence  on  metabolic 
activity  measurable  by  the  very  delicate  methods  employed. 

Metabolism  in  man  with  greatly  diminished  lung  area  was 
studied  by  T.  M.  Carpenter  and  F.  G.  Benedict  (Amer.  Jour. 
Physiol.,  23  (1909),  No.  6,  pp.  412-419)  at  the  Carnegie  Insti- 
tution Nutrition  Laboratory,  a  respiration  calorimeter  being 
used.  The  only  deduction  which  can  be  drawn  from  the  exper- 
imental data,  according  to  the  authors,  is'  that  the  reduction 
of  the  area  for  oxygen  absorption  and  carbonic  acid  elimination 
in  the  lungs  by  about  one-half  did  not  materially  alter  the  total 
metabolism. 

During  the  experiments  with  the  respiration  calorimeter  made 
at  Middletown,  Conn.,  by  T.  M.  Carpenter  and  F.  G.  Benedict 
(Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  24  (1909),  No.  2',  pp.  187-202)  several 


xvin]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  215 

cases  of  illness  were  observed  which,  after  careful  invescigation, 
were  attributed  to  poisoning  caused  by  mercury  vapor,  due  to 
the  use  of  mercury  valves  in  the  ventilating  air  current. 

Metabolism  during  fever  was  also  studied  by  the  same  authors, 
with  the  respiration  calorimeter  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  24  (1909), 
No.  2,  pp  203-233). 

"In  general  the  carbon  dioxid  excretion  was  apparently  greater 
during  fever  than  during  control  periods. 

"The  oxygen  consumption  during  fever  is  in  practically  all 
cases  noticeably  greater  than  during  control.     .     .     . 

"While  the  data  show  a  slight  tendency  for  the  respiratory 
quotient  to  increase  during  fever,  the  complications  attending 
the  ingestion  of  food,  variations  in  muscular  activity,  and  errors 
in  oxygen  determination  do  not  warrant  any  sweeping  deduc- 
tions from  these  data." 

The  recorded  data  indicate  that  in  general  "there  was  an  in- 
crease in  the  water  of  vaporization  during  fever  over  that  during 
the  control  period.  Since,  however,  the  control  experiments 
showed  marked  variations  when  compared  with  the  fever  expe- 
riments during  periods  when  there  was  no  appreciable  fever,  it 
is  obvious  that  here  again  we  can  not  draw  any  sweeping  deduc- 
tions regarding  this  point." 

As  regards  heat  elimination,  the  authors  state  that  "  in  view 
of  the  necessarily  tentative  nature  of  all  deductions  made  from 
these  experiments,  it  has  not  been  deemed  advisable  to  attempt 
to  discuss  the  influence  of  fever  on  the  various  paths  of  heat 
elimination." 

The  metabolism  of  man  during  the  work  of  typewriting  was 
studied  by  T.  M.  Carpenter  and  F.  G.  Benedict  (Jour.  Biol. 
Chem.,  6  (1909),  No.  3,  pp.  271-288),  who  conclude  that  "it 
seems  reasonable  to  assume  that  the  work  of  writing  some  1,500 
to  1,600  words  per  hour  on  the  typewriter  results  in  an  increase 
over  the  resting  metabolism  of  some  10  to  14  gm.  of  carbon  dioxid, 
10  to  13  gm.  of  oxygen,  and  20  to  30  calories  of  heat  per  hour. 
Of  these  factors  of  metabolism,  it  is  highly  probable  that  the 
truest  factor  is  presented  by  the  total  energy  exchange  as  di- 
rectly measured,  and  hence  taking  into  consideration  all  the  data 
furnished  by  these  two  experiments,  we  can  tentatively  say  that 


216        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

the  wricing  of  1,600  words  per  hour  on  the  typewriter  results  in 
a  heat  transformation  over  and  above  the  resting  metabolism  of 
not  far  from  25  calories.  At  present  too  little  is  known  regard- 
ing the  energy  transformation  of  various  everyday  actiAdties  to 
make  any  striking  comparison,  but  [by  other  investigation]  .  .  . 
it  has  been  computed  that  there  is  an  hourly  energy  expenditure 
of  about  160  calories  over  and  above  the  resting  maintenance 
requirement  of  a  man  of  70  kg.  walking  along  a  level  road  at  a 
rate  of  2.7  miles  per  hour.  It  is  seen,  cherefore,  that  the  work 
of  typewriting  calls  for  very  much  less  transformation  of  energy 
than  does  that  of  ordinary  walking." 

An  apparatus  for  studying  respiratory  exchange  has  been  de- 
scribed by  F.  G.  Benedict  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  24  (1909),  No. 
3,  pp.  345-374,  figs.  6),  which  is  similar  in  principle  to  that  por-' 
tion  of  a  respiration  calorimeter  which  has  to  do  with  gaseous 
exchange  and  respiratory  quotient  measurements. 

An  important  digest  of  data  accumulated  in  experiments  with 
the  respiration  calorimeter,  extending  over  10  years,  is  included 
in  a  bulletin  on  the  metabolism  and  energy  transformations  of 
healthy  man  during  rest,  by  F.  G.  Benedict  and  T.  M.  Carpen- 
ter (Carnegie  Inst.  Washington  Pub.  126,  pp.  VIII  -f-  225).  Ten- 
tative tables  are  given  for  computing  the  metabolism  of  normal 
individuals  with  varying  degrees  of  muscular  activity. 

The  oable  on  page  217  gives  the  carbon  dioxid  eliminated,  the 
oxygen  absorbed,  and  the  heat  produced  per  hour  during  various 
activities,  the  data  as  to  standing  and  very  severe  muscular  exer- 
cise being  calculated,  using  as  a  standard  the  results  obtained 
with  55  men  awake  and  sitting  up. 

"The  results  presented  in  this  report  are  to  be  considered  sim- 
ply as  indicating  the  normal  metabolism  of  healthy  young  men 
at  rest  and  under  several  conditions  of  muscular  activity.  The 
variations  from  the  normal  exhibited  by  the  individual  can  be 
seen  by  an  examination  of  the  tables.  The  attempt  is  made  to 
point  out  the  cause  of  the  variations  in  so  far  as  possible,  but 
with  so  complex  a  process  as  the  energy  transformation  and  cata- 
bolism  in  the  body,  it  is  clearly  futile  to  attempt  to  predict  with 
great  accuracy  either  the  caGabolism  or  the  energy  transforma- 
tions of  a  given  individual.     Approximate  values  that  may  prove 


XVIIII 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


217 


Carbon  Dioxid  Elimination,  Oxygen  Absorption,  and  Heat  PHODtrcrioN 
PER  HouB  Hour  during  Various  Acttvitibs 


Degree  of  Muscular  Activ- 
ity 

Num- 
ber of 
subjects 

Average 

body 

weight 

Carbon 
dioxid 
elimi- 
nated 

Oxygen 

ab- 
sorbed 

Heat 
pro- 
duced 

Man  at  rest,  sleeping 

Man  at  rest,  awake,  sitting 
UD 

17 
55 

Kg. 
66.6 

64.5 

64.5 

64.5 

Grama 
23 

33 

37 

248 

Grains 
21 

27 

31 

213 

Calories 
71 

97 

Man  at  rest,  standing,  cal- 
culated   

114 

Man  at  very  severe  muscu- 
lar exercise,  calculated  . . 

653 

of  practical  use  can  be  obtained  by  means  of  some  of  the  factors 
outlined  in  this  report.  With  more  accurate  and  improved  cal- 
orimeters, there  should  be  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  the  addi- 
tion of  many  factors,  at  present  entirely  unknown." 

The  influence  of  the  preceding  diet  on  the  respiratory  quotient 
after  active  digestion  has  ceased  has  been  studied  by  F.  G.  Bene- 
dict, L.  E.  Emmes,  and  J.  A.  Riche  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  27 
(1911),  No.  4,  pp.  383-405). 

In  general,  the  conclusion  was  drawn  that  the  respiratory 
quotient  determined  12  hours  after  a  meal  rich  in  carbohydrates 
was  higher  than  when  the  last  meal  contained  only  a  small  amount 
of  carbohydrates.  The  possibility  of  this  high  respiratory 
quotient  being  due  to  the  delayed  absorption  and  combustion  of 
carbohydrates  in  the  alimentary  tract  is  discussed,  but  the  auth- 
ors believe  that  the  evidence  is  rather  against  the  theory. 

"Obviously  che  previous  body  condition  play  a  very  impor- 
tanc  role.  The  extent  to  which  the  body  storage  of  glycogen 
has  been  drawn  upon,  the  muscular  activity  of  the  day  previous 
to  the  experiment,  possibly  the  temperature  of  the  surrounding 
air,  the  general  diet  of  the  individual  for  several  days  before — 
in  fact,  anything  which  contributes  to  a  disturbance  of  the  stor- 
age of  glycogen  in  the  body — ^may  alter  the  influence  of  the  in- 


218         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

gestion  of  a  carbohydrate-rich  meal.  If  the  glycogen  storage  in 
the  body  is  at  a  low  poinc,  the  ingestion  of  a  carbohydrate-rich 
meal  does  not  result  in  an  increased  respiratory  quotient  in 
accordance  with  the  amount  ingested,  as  a  not  inconsiderable 
proportion  of  the  carbohydrate  may  be  stored  immediately  as 
glycogen.  Until  this  glycogen  storage  has  been  replenished  the 
combustion  of  carbohydrate  in  the  food  may  be  delayed.  On 
the  other  hand,  with  individuals  subsisting  without  food  and 
remaining  quiet  in  a  respiration  chamber,  the  store  of  glycogen 
may  last  for  some  time.  From  these  data  we  may  infer,  then, 
that  muscular  activity  may  play  an  important  role  in  effecting  the 
storage  of  glycogen." 

Other  questions  which  have  to  do  with  the  general  subject  are 
discussed. 

The  respiratory  exchange  as  affected  by  body  position  was 
studied  at  the  Carnegie  Institution  of  Washington  by  L.  E. 
Emmes  and  J.  A.  Riche  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  27  (1911),  No.  4, 
pp.  406^13).  In  general,  the  authors  found  that  the  pulse  rate 
lying  down  was  on  an  average  63,  the  carbon  dioxid  excretion 
209  cc,  and  the  oxygen  consumption  236  cc.  per  minute.  With 
a  subject  in  a  sitting  position  the  pulse  rate  was  71,  the  carbon 
dioxid  excretion  218  cc,  and  the  oxygen  consumption  254  cc. 
per  minute. 

In  their  discussion  of  the  data  reported  the  authors  point  out 
that  for  experimental  purposes,  when  metabolism  at  a  given 
condition  of  body  rest  is  to  be  determined,  it  is  of  value  to  know, 
"as  a  result  of  experiments  with  the  respiration  apparatus,  that 
the  metabolism  of  a  subject  when  sitting  absolutely  quiet  in  a 
chair,  without  extraneous  muscular  activity,  represents  a  meta- 
bolism 8  per  cent  greater  than  that  of  a  subject  lying  on  a  couch, 
with  similar  muscular  rest.  The  difference  in  metabolism  is  then 
due,  primarily,  to  the  difference  in  the  internal  muscular  activity 
necessitated  by  the  sustaining  of  body  parts.  This  is  in  con- 
formity with  the  well-known  fact  that  the  pulse  rate  of  an  indi- 
vidual when  sitting  is  always  noticeably  higher  than  when  he  is 
lying  down.  From  these  tests  we  could  infer  that  if  it  were  pos- 
sible to  so  support  the  body  of  the  subject  in  a  sitting  position 
that  the  pulse  rate  would  be  no  greater  than  when  the  subject 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  219 

was  lying  down,  the  metabolism  would  be  essentially  the  same 
in  both  positions." 

Using  a  small  apparatus  for  studying  respiratory  exchange, 
G.  Lusk  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  27  (1911),  No.  5,  pp.  427-437) 
investigated  the  influence  of  cold  baths  on  the  glycogen  content 
of  man. 

"Immersion  of  normal  men  in  cold  baths  at  a  temperature  of 
10°  when  the  intestine  is  free  from  carbohydrates  induces  shiver- 
ing, which  causes  a  rapid  utilization  of  body  glycogen,  as  deter- 
mined by  a  fall  in  the  respiratory  quotient  to  the  fasting  level. 
In  one  very  muscular  individual  this  result  could  not  be  obtained. 

"In  one  individual  in  whom  the  shivering  had  been  severe,  a 
quotient  of  0.67  and  another  of  0.62  were  found  during  subse- 
quent periods  of  rest,  which  correspond  to  those  observed  during 
rest  afcer  a  period  of  exhaustive  exercise  (glycogen  formation 
from  protein). 

"The  greatest  increase  in  heat  production  which  was  brought 
about  by  the  cold  baths  was  181  per  cent  above  the  normal. 
The  urine  remained  free  from  albumin  and  from  sugar." 

A  respiration  apparatus  for  the  determination  of  the  carbon 
dioxid  produced  by  small  animals  has  been  constructed  at  the 
Boston  Nutrition  Laboratory  of  the  Carnegie  Institution  of 
Washington  and  described  by  F.  G.  Benedict  and  J.  Homans 
(Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  28  (1911),  No.  1,  pp.  29-48,  dgms.  2). 

The  effects  on  men  at  rest  of  breathing  oxygen-rich  gas  mix- 
tures were  studied  by  F.  G.  Benedict  and  H.  L.  Higgins  (Amer. 
Jour.  Physiol.,  28  (1911),  No.  1,  pp.  1-28,  fig.  1),  with  normal 
individuals.  The  air  mixtures  contained  40,  60,  and  90  per  cent 
oxygen,  respectively,  and  the  tests  were  made  in  a  condition  of 
complete  muscular  rest  12  hours  after  the  last  meal  was  taken. 
It  was  found  "that  there  is  no  apparent  difference  between  the 
metabolism  as  indicated  by  the  gaseous  exchange  (i.e.,  the 
carbon  dioxid  output,  oxygen  consumption,  and  respiratory 
quotient)  and  the  metabolism  when  breathing  ordinary  air;  that 
there  is  no  change  in  the  respiration,  either  as  to  character,  depth, 
or  frequency,  as  compared  with  the  same  factors  when  breathing 
ordinary  air;  [and]  that  the  pulse  rate  is  lower  with  oxygen-rich 
mixtures  than  when  breathing  ordinary  air;  furthermore,  that 


220        Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol. 

the  higher  the  percentage  of  oxygen  breathed  (up  to  90  per  cent), 
the  lower  the  pulse." 

Data  regarding  the  relative  ease  of  digestion  of  cheese  as  com- 
pared with  beef  have  been  reported  by  C.  F.  Langworthy  and 
R.  D.  Milner  (2.  Cong.  Internat.  Hyg.  AUment.  Bruxelles  [Proc], 
2  (1910),  Sects.  4-7,  pp.  249-253).  No  constant  differences  in 
the  heat  elimination  per  hour  were  noted  when  comparable 
amounts  of  cheese  and  meat  (beef)  were  added  to  a  uniform 
basal  ration.  So  far  as  the  reported  data  and  resuhs  of  laoer 
experiments  not  yet  reported  show,  there  were  no  marked 
differences  with  respect  to  ease  of  digestion  of  these  two  staple 
foods. 

The  success  which  attended  preliminary  experiments  with 
the  respiration  calorimeter  on  the  possibilities  of  studying 
physiological  processes  by  means  of  the  gaseous  exchange  and 
heac  output  led  to  the  construction  of  an  instrument  of  suitable 
size  for  this  special  work  and  other  related  problems.  ,  C.  F. 
Langworthy  and  R.  D.  Milner  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Office  Expt. 
Stas.  Circ.  116,  pp.  3)  have  described  briefly  the  new  calorimeter 
of  small  size  and  also  the  large  apparatus  used  for  experiments 
with  man,  as  well  as  a  micro-calorimeter  for  use  in  the  experi- 
mental study  of  very  small  quantities.  The  calorimeters  as  now 
installed  are  equipped  with  recording  and  controlling  devices  of 
special  construction.  The  devices  of  this  character  used  in 
connection  with  the  small  respiration  calorimeter,  designed  for 
the  study  of  vegetable  problems,  involve  much  that  is  new  and 
original,  so  that  the  calorimeter  is  very  largely  automatic  in 
operation.  Important  modifications  have  also  been  introduced 
into  the  construction  of  the  calorimeter  itself  which  make  for  ease 
of  operation. 

The  work  which  has  been  done  thus  far  with  ripening  fruit 
has  demonstrated  that  the  respiration  calorimeter  is  fully  as  well 
suited  to  the  study  of  certain  fundamental  problems  of  plant  life 
as  to  the  study  of  similar  problems  of  animal  life. 

The  apparatus  can  also  be  used,  it  seems  safe  to  conclude,  in 
studying  such  problems  as  the  changes  which  take  place  when 
meat  or  cheese  or  other  similar  products  are  cured  or  ripened,  and 
factors  which  influence  these  changes;  that  is,  problems  which  are 


xvm]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  221 

of  commercial  interest  as  well  as  of  agricultural,  domescic,  and 
scientific  importance. 

The  construction  of  the  small  respiration  calorimeter  for  use 
in  the  study  of  problems  of  vegetable  physiology  is  given  by  C. 
F.  Langworthy  and  R.  D.  Milner  in  a  later  paper  (U.  S.  Dept. 
Agr.  Yearbook  1911,  pp.  491-504). 

The  respiration  of  apples  and  its  relation  co  their  keeping 
quality  were  studied  by  F.  W.  Morse  (New  Hampshire  Sta.  Bui. 
135,  pp.  85-92,  figs.  2).  The  results  of  experiments  in  one 
season,  calculated  on  the  basis  of  1  kg.  of  fruit  for  1  hour,  showed 
that  the  average  exhalation  of  carbon  dioxid  was  18  mg.  at 
summer  temperature,  8.1  mg.  at  cellar  temperature,  and  2.7 
mg.  at  cold  storage  temperature  (32  degrees).  The  apples 
obtained  in  a  second  series  of  experiments  were  13.2  mg.  at 
cellar  temperature,  21.9  mg.  at  summer  temperature,  and  5.2 
mg.  at  cold  storage  temperature. 

The  expired  breath  was  studied  with  leference  to  the  presence 
of  organic  matter,  by  M.  J.  Rosenau  and  H.  L.  Amoss  (Jour. 
Med.  Research,  25  (1911),  No.  1,  pp.  35-84,  figs.  5).  Using  the 
reaction  of  anaphylaxis,  the  authors  conclude  from  experiments 
in  which  the  liquid  obtained  by  condensing  the  moisture  from  the 
expired  breath  of  man  was  injected  into  guinea  pigs,  that  the 
presence  of  organic  matter  in  expired  breath  has  been  demon- 
strated. 

"The  logical  conclusion  from  our  results  is  that  protein  sub- 
stances under  certain  circumstances  may  be  volatile.  It  seems 
unlikely  that  such  a  complex  molecule  should  possess  the  power  of 
passing  into  the  air  in  a  gaseous  form.  The  volatility,  however, 
now  in  question  may  resemble  that  solubility  which  deals  with 
particles  in  suspension  in  a  physico-chemical  state  (colloidal 
suspension).  The  protein  may  simply  be  carried  over  in  'solution' 
in  the  water  vapor. 

"Our  experiments  are  too  few  to  state  that  albuminous  sub- 
stances such  as  egg  white,  milk,  or  blood  serum  in  vitro  is  'vola- 
tile.' However,  they  are  sufficiently  suggestive  to  stimulate 
further  work  along  this  line." 


222        Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol. 


Foods  and  Their  Relation  to  Problems  ok  Hygiene 

The  need  for  clean  food  is  much  more  generally  recognized  than 
was  formerly  the  case.  This  matter  and  many  others  pertaining 
to  food  in  its  relation  to  hygiene  have  been  studied  during  the 
period  under  consideration  in  the  summary. 

Studies  of  the  influence  of  various  dietary  conditions  on 
physiological  resistance  have  been  reported  by  N.  B.  Foster 
(Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  7  (1910),  No.  5,  pp.  379-419).  The  results 
perhaps  pertain  more  to  pharmacology  than  to  dietetics. 

The  influence  of  dietary  alternations  on  the  types  of  intestinal 
flora  was  studied  experimentally  by  C.  A.  Herter  and  A.  I. 
Kendall  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  7  (1910),  No.  3,  pp.  203-236,  pis. 
3),  who  observed  a  marked  bacterial  degeneration  following  pro- 
nounced physiological  alternations  in  the  flora  of  the  intestines 
as  a  result  of  changes  in  the  diet.  Experiments  were  made  with 
laboratory  animals.  The  authors  consider  it  probable  that 
analogous  conditions  would  be  found  to  exist  in  man. 

The  question  has  been  further  discussed  by  C.  A.  Herter 
(Internat.  Beitr.  Path.  u.  Ther.  Ernahrungsstor.  Stoffw.  u. 
Verdauungskrank.,  1  (1910),  No.  3,  pp.  275-281)  in  a  paper. 

The  results  of  an  extended  study  of  fecal  bacteria  of  healthy 
men  have  been  reported  by  W.  J.  MacNeal,  L.  L.  Latzer,  and 
J.  E.  Kerr  (Jour.  Infect.  Diseases,  6  (1909),  No.  2,  pp.  123-169, 
flg.  1).  In  general,  they  conclude  that  "the  direct  quantitative 
determinations  of  the  fecal  bacteria  furnish  evidence  of  the 
extent  and  nature  of  the  bacterial  growth  in  the  intestines.  This 
seems  to  be  a  delicate  index  of  intestinal  conditions." 

Numerous  studies  on  the  effect  of  lactic  acid  ferments  on 
intestinal  putrefaction  have  been  reported,  including  a  paper 
by  Helen  Baldwin  (Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  7  (1909),  No.  1,  pp.  37-48). 

Coagulated  milk  and  a  large  number  of  other  preparations  were 
used  by  P.  G.  Heinemann  (Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc,  52  (1909), 
No.  5,  pp.  372-376)  in  a  study  of  lactic  acid  as  an  agent  to  induce 
intestinal  putrefaction. 

The  results  obtained  led  the  author  to  conclude  "that  so  far  as 
the  therapeutic  effect  is  concerned,  there  is  yet  no  convincing 
evidence  that  sour  milk  prepared  with  commercial  cultures  is 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  223 

preferable  to  naturally  soured  milk.  Yeasts  were  present  in  all 
but  one  of  the  commercial  preparations." 

The  bacterial  condition  of  protected  and  unprotected  foods 
in  restaurants,  meat  markets,  grocery  stores,  bakeshops,  and  fruit 
stores  was  studied  by  H.  E.  Barnard  (Ann.  Rpt.  Bd.  Health  Ind., 
27  (1908),  pp.  517-523,  pis.  4),  who  found  that  foods  kept  in  glass 
cases  were  in  every  case  practically  free  from  dust  and  accom- 
panying bacteria,  while  food  on  exposed  tables  and  racks  was 
surrounded  with  air  heavily  laden  with  dirt  and  bacterial  life. 
It  was  also  found  that  cleanliness  of  floors  and  utensils  lessened  to 
a  certain  extent  the  number  of  bacteria  present,  and  that  on  the 
contrary  counters  and  stands  near  sidewalks  are  always  sur- 
rounded with  atmospheric  dust  and  dirt. 

The  author's  studies  were  concerned  chiefly  with  the  relative 
number  of  bacteria  found  on  the  culture  plates  inoculated  under 
different  conditions  and  the  types  of  bacteria  were  not  thoroughly 
differentiated.  He  believes  that  pathogenic  bacteria  were 
present. 

G.  W.  Stiles  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Chem.  Bui.  136,  pp.  53, 
figs.  15)  studied  shellfish  contamination  from  sewage-polluted 
waters  and  from  other  sources,  the  observations  made  in  many 
localities  being  supplemented  by  bacteriological  work. 

According  to  the  author,  "there  is  undisputed  evidence  to  show 
that  shellfish  become  contaminated  when  placed  in  sewage- 
polluted  water,  and  that  Badlluscoli  and  B.  typhosus  will 
survive  for  variable  lengths  of  time  in  the  liquor  and  the  body 
contents  of  such  shellfish  after  their  removal  from  infected 
water.     ...     . 

"Oyster  beds  should  be  protected  from  every  possible  source 
of  contamination,  and  they  should  be  located  in  water  proven 
to  be  pure  by  repeated  examinations.     .     .     . 

"The  practice  of  floating  oysters  in  water  of  questionable 
purity  should  be  absolutely  prohibited  because  of  the  probability 
of  sewage  contamination.     .     .     . 

"Like  other  perishable  food  products,  oysters  may  become 
unfit  for  use  if  stored  or  kept  under  insanitary  conditions.  This 
spoilage,  however,  may  take  place  wholly  from  the  length  of  time 
out  of  water.     .     .     . 


224        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

"The  liquor  in  the  shell  surrounding  the  oysters  contains  more 
bacteria  than  does  an  equal  volume  of  meat  from  the  same  oyster. 
This  liquor,  together  with  any  sand  in  the  gills  of  the  oyster,  can 
be  removed  and  the  meat  chilled  at  the  same  time  by  the  use  of 
pure  ice  and  water.  This  washing  process  can  be  done  efficiently 
within  3  to  10  minutes,  depending  upon  the  method  employed. 
Oysters  should  not  be  allowed  to  soak  in  fresh  water,  as  they 
increase  in  volume,  change  in  appearance  and  flavor,  .and  decom- 
pose more  rapidly  than  those  not  soaked. 

"  [As  shown  by  cooking  tescs],  steaming  contaminated  oysters 
and  clams  in  the  shell,  or  coolcing  them  after  shucking  for  15 
minutes  at  boiling  temperature,  practically  destroys  all  organ- 
isms of  a  questionable  character,  but  since  in  practice  shellfish  are 
never  cooked  for  this  length  of  time,  cooking  can  not  be  depended 
upon  to  remove  this  danger.     .     .     . 

"The  investigations  show  that  vast  areas  of  valuable  shellfish 
grounds  in  this  country  are  now  reasonably  free  from  sewage 
pollution,  but  this  territory  will  gradually  diminish  in  size  if 
sewage  is  not  properly  cared  for  in  the  future.  Comparatively 
speaking,  only  a  small  acreage  is  now  subject  to  serious  pollution." 

The  absorption  of  aluminum  from  aluminized  food  was  studied 
by  M.  Steel  (Amer.  Jour.  Physiol.,  28  (1911),  No.  2,  pp.  94-102). 
When  alum  was  administered  in  aluminum-free  foods  to  dogs  or 
when  they  were  given  biscuits  baked  with  alum  baking  powder, 
"aluminum  in  comparatively  large  amounts  promptly  passed 
into  the  blood. 

"Absorbed  aluminum  circulated  freely,  but  as  it  did  not  show 
any  pronounced  tendency  to  accumulate  in  the  blood,  its  full 
effects  must  have  registered  outside  of  the  circulation." 

When  aluminum  chlorid  was  administered  intravenously,  from 
5.55  to  11.11  per  cent  of  the  aluminum  passed  from  the  blood 
into  the  feces  during  the  3  days  immediately  following  the  injec- 
tion. "AVhether  the  aluminum  passed  directly  through  the  walls 
of  the  intestine  or  was  excreted  by  the  Uver,  or  whether  both 
channels  (or  others)  were  followed,  has  not  yet  been  ascertained." 

The  use  of  metallic  containers  for  edible  fats  and  oils  was 
studied  by  J.  A.  Emery  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Anim.  Indus. 
Rpt.  1909,  pp.  265-282),  of  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  with 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  225 

vessels  and  sheets  of  tin  plate,  galvanized  iron,  copper,  tin,  lead, 
zinc,  aluminum,  and  iron,  for  the  purpose  of  determining  the 
action  of  fats  and  oils  upon  metals,  with  particular  reference  to 
the  utility  of  these  metals  as  containers. 

The  work  shows  that  where  an  increase  in  the  acid  content  of 
the  fat  or  oil  was  noted  there  was  an  increase  in  the  solvent  action 
of  the  oil  for  metals,  particularly  where  other  favorable  condi- 
tions, such  as  heat,  moisture,  and  exposure  to  the  atmosphere, 
were  present.  With  cotton-seed  oil,  however,  an  exception  was 
noted,  as  this  oil,  when  prepared  with  a  corn  oil  of  lesser  or  ap- 
proximately the  same  acidity,  showed  little  or  no  effect  upon 
metals. 

"It  [was]  demonstrated  that  zinc,  copper,  and  lead  are  some- 
what readily  acted  upon,  while  aluminum,  iron,  and  tin,  in  the 
order  in  which  they  are  named,  have  offered  evidences  of  higher 
resisting  power  and  are  the  metals  which  would  more  satisfac- 
torily meet  the  requirements  of  both  manufacturer  and  con- 
sumer." 

Much  attention  has  been  given  in  the  United  States  to  the 
discussion  and  study  of  pellagra,  on  account  of  its  supposed  rela- 
tion to  Indian  corn.  The  agricultural  aspects  of  the  pellagra 
problem  in  the  United  States  were  studied  by  C.  L.  Alsberg  (N.Y. 
Med.  Jour,  and  Phila.  Med.  Jour.,  90  (1909),  No.  2,  pp.  50-54). 
Of  important  discussions  may  be  mentioned  the  report  of  C.  H. 
Lavinder  (Pub.  Health  and  Mar.  Hosp.  Serv.  U.  S.,  Pub.  Health 
Rpts.,  24  (1909),  No.  37,  pp.  1315-1321),  and  the  paper  on  the 
etiology  of  pellagra  by  the  same  author  (N.  Y.  Med.  Jour,  and 
Phil.  Med.  Jour.,  90  (1909),  No.  2,  pp.  54-58),  who  has  also  re- 
ported considerable  data  regarding  pellagra  and  its  possible  rela- 
tion to  maize  according  to  some  recent  views  (Pub.  Health  and 
Mar.  Hosp.  Serv.  U.  S.  Pub.  Health  Rpts.,  26  (1911),  No.  8,  pp. 
199-208).  Particular  interest  attaches  to  his  discussion  of  Rau- 
bitschek's  photodynamic  theory  that  the  disease  is  ascribable 
to  the  joint  action  of  a  substance  present  in  corn  meal  fat  and 
sunlight. 

W.  H.  Buhlig  (111.  Bd.  Health  Mo.  Bui.,  5  (1909),  No.  7,  pp. 
417-435,  figs.  2)  and  J.  F.  Siler  and  H.  J.  Nichols  (111.  Bd.  Health 
Mo.  Bui.,  5  (1909),  No.  7,  pp.  437-478,  figs.  8)  have  made  exten- 


226        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

sive  studies  of  the  possible  relation  between  corn  in  the  diet  and 
the  occurrence  of  pellagra.  Final  conclusions  were  not  drawn. 
In  connection  with  this  work  some  data  were  reported  on  expe- 
riments in  cookery  as  well  as  regarding  institution  dietetics. 

Cost  of  Living  and  Other  Statistical  Data 

The  collection  of  statistical  data  has  continued  as  an  important 
part  of  the  general  activity  in  nutrition.  Much  of  the  work  in  the 
United  States  has  been  done  under  government  or  state  auspices. 

A  select  list  of  references  on  the  cost  of  living  and  prices,  by 
H.  H.  B.  Meyer  (Washington:  Library  of  Congress,  1910,  pp. 
V+107),  has  been  published  by  the  Library  of  Congress. 

A  large  amount  of  statistical  data  on  wages  and  prices  of  com- 
modities has  been  reported  in  various  Senate  documents  (Wash- 
ington: U.  S.  Senate  Select  Committee,  ,1910,  vols.  1,  pp.  658; 
2,  pp.  Ill-f  659-875 — Hearings  held  before  the  Select  Committee 
of  the  Senate  relative  to  wages  and  prices  of  commodities).  Topi- 
cal digest  of  evidence  submitted  in  hearings  held  before  the  Select 
Committee  of  the  Senate  relative  to  wages  and  prices  of  com- 
modities (Washington:  U.  S.  Senate  Select  Committee,  1910, 
pp.  XCV). 

In  connection  with  the  work  of  the  U.  S.  Census  many  studies 
have  been  reported  on  the  production  and  value  of  food  products; 
for  instance,  those  on  rice  cleaning  and  polishing,  by  H.  McK. 
Fulgham  (Bur.  of  the  Census  [U.  S.]  Bui.  61,  pp.  49-58,  dgm.  1), 
and  beet  sugar,  by  Z.  C.  Elkin  (Bur.  of  the  Census  [U.  S.]  Bui. 
61,  pp.  .'>9-69);  slaughtering  and  meat  packing  (Bur.  of  the  Cen- 
sus [U.  S.]  Bui.  83,  pp.  7-41;  and  starch,  by  R.  H.  Merriam  (Bur. 
of  the  Census  [U.  S.]  Bui.  64). 

The  Bureau  of  Labor  has  published  a  summary  of  retail  prices 
of  food  from  1890  to  1906  and  discussed  the  data  with  reference 
to  the  cost  of  living  in  the  United  States  (Bur.  of  Labor  [U.  S.] 
Bui.  71,  pp.  175-328). 

A  large  amount  of  data  regarding  the  prices  of  foodstuffs  in 
different  New  Jersey  cities  and  towns  has  been  summarized  in  an 
article  on  the  cost  of  living  in  New  Jersey  (Ann.  Rpt.  Bur.  Statis. 
Labor  and  Indus.  N.  J.,  30  (1907),  pp.  141-157). 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  227 

Data  regarding  the  prices  of  meat  in  the  United  States  have 
been  summarized  in  the  Yearbook  of  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, by  the  Secretary,  James  Wilson  (U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Rpts. 
1909,  pp.  15-31;  Rpt.  91,  pp.  10-24;  Yearbook  1909,  pp.  15-31). 

Much  statistical  data  regarding  Hawaiian  honey  are  included 
in  a  paper  on  Hawaiian  bee  keeping,  by  E.  F.  Phillips  -U.  S. 
Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Ent.  Bui.  75,  pt.  5,  pp.  43-58,  pis.  6). 

Information  regarding  the  cost  of  living  of  wage-earners  and 
other  similar  material,  including  a  paper  on  the  preparation  of 
a  rational  diet  at  a  reasonable  cost,  are  incorporated  in  the  report 
of  the  Committee  on  Social  Betterment,  by  G.  M.  Kober  (Re- 
ports of  the  President's  Homes  Commission.  Washington,  D.C., 
1908,  [pt.  5],  pp.  281,  pis.  4;  Reprint,  pp.  281,  pis.  4;  see  also 
Alimentation  and  foods  (U.  S.  Senate,  60th  Cong.,  2.  Session 
Doc.  644,  pp.  121-157). 

R.  C.  Chapin  (New  York,  1909,  pp.  372,  dgms.  16)  has  reported 
an  extended  investigation  of  the  standard  of  living  among  work- 
ingmen's  families  in  New  York  City,  which  presents  and  dis- 
cusses a  large  amount  of  statistical  data. 

The  cost  of  living  in  American  towns  has  been  exhaustively 
studied  by  the  British  Government  (London:  Govt.,  1911,  pp. 
XCn-F533,  map  1;  U.  S.  Senate,  62  Cong.,  1.  Sess.,  Doc.  22, 
pp.  XCII-l-533),  the  results  being  presented  in  a  report  by  H.  L. 
Smith  which  was  reprinted  by  the  U.  S.  Senate,  and  summarized 
in  publications  of  the  U.  S.  Senate  (U.  S.  Senate,  62  Cong.,  1. 
Sess.,  Doc.  38,  pp.  74)  and  of  the  Department  of  Commerce  and 
Labor  (U.  S.  Dept.  Com.  and  Labor,  Bur.  Labor  Bui.  93,  pp. 
500-570). 

Included  in  the  study  were  28  American  towns  on  or  east  of 
the  Mississippi,  with  an  aggregate  population  in  1910  of  15,500,- 
000,  in  round  numbers. 

The  range  of  price  levels  for  rents  was  found  to  vary  greatly, 
being  the  highest  in  New  York  City.  The  prices  of  the  prin- 
cipal foodstuffs,  such  as  bread,  flour,  meat,  potatoes,  and  sugar, 
did  not  show  great  range  in  the  different  towns,  as  was  evident 
from  the  fact  that  when  each  article  is  considered  in  its  relative 
importance  the  lowest  level  is  91  and  the  highest  109,  with  New 
York  midway  counting  as  100.    "If  the  towns  are  grouped  geo- 


228        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

graphically  the  New  England  and  southern  groups  show  the 
highest  food  price  levels,  the  Midle  West  towns  the  lowest,  the 
position  of  the  New  England  towns  in  regard  both  to  wages  and 
rents  being  here  reversed." 

As  regards  retail  prices  of  foods,  the  conclusion  is  that  the 
ratio  between  the  United  States  and  England  and  Wales  is  138 
to  100. 

"One  peculiarity  shown  by  the  budgets  is  the  comparatively 
small  consumption  of  baker's  bread  in  the  average  American 
working-class  family,  the  consumption  being  8|  lbs.  weekly  per 
family  as  against  22  lbs.  in  the  United  Kingdom,  the  place  of 
bread  being  taken  in  the  United  States  to  some  extent  by  rolls, 
cakes,  biscuits,  eoc,  on  which  the  expenditure  is  about  three 
times  as  great  as  that  shown  in  the  average  British  budget.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  consumption  of  meat  is  much  larger  in  the 
United  States,  and  the  consumption  of  vegetables  is  also  larger. 
The  budgets  indicate  in  general  that  the  dietary  of  American 
working-class  families  is  more  liberal  and  more  varied  than  that 
of  corresponding  families  in  the  United  Kingdom." 

In  addition  to  general  discussions  the  reporc  contains  the  de- 
tails of  the  family  budgets  and  other  statistical  data  collected. 

CONCLCSION 

In  the  foregoing  summary  of  work  in  human  nutrition  which 
has  been  carried  on  in  the  United  States  since  the  Seventh  Inter- 
national Congress  of  Apphed  Chemistry,  the  attempt  has  been 
made  to  give  some  idea  of  che  general  condition  of  nutrition  in- 
vestigations and  to  cite  examples  of  investigations  along  the 
proper  lines  of  work  into  which  the  subject  naturally  divides  itself. 

That  the  list  of  investigations  is  by  no  means  complete  is  rec- 
ognized but  it  is  believed  that  enough  has  been  brought  together 
to  show  that  progress  has  been  continuous  and  to  make  it  clear 
that  important  contributions  have  been  made  not  only  to  the 
fund  of  available  data  of  interest  to  the  students  of  nutrition 
and  to  practical  workers,  but  also  to  mechods  of  investigations 
as  well  as  to  the  more  important  matter  of  fundamental  theories 
of  nutrition. 


AN    IMPROVED    FORM    OF    RESPIRATION    CALORI- 
METER FOR  THE  STUDY  OF  PROBLEMS  OF 
VEGETABLE   PHYSIOLOGY 

By  C.  F.  Langworthy  and  R.  D.  Milner 

Nvirition  Investigations,  Office  0/  Experiment  Stations,  Dept.  of 

Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Theoretical  considerations  regarding  ripening  fruit  led  to  the 
attempt  to  study  such  questions  of  plant  life  by  methods  which 
have  given  good  results  in  investigations  of  topics  pertaining  to 
the  nutrition  and  energy  expenditure  of  man.  It  was  found  that 
ripening  fruit  (bananas)  could  be  studied  in  this  way,  since  when 
they  were  kept  during  the  active  ripening  period  in  the  chamber 
of  the  large  respiration  calorimeter  described  in  a  publication  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture,^  carbon  dioxid  and  water  vapor 
were  given  off  and  oxygen  was  absorbed  and  heat  liberated,  all 
in  measurable  quantities.  In  other  words,  conditions  were 
present  which  could  be  studied  with  great  exactness  with  the  aid 
of  this  apparatus. 

It  was  furthermore  apparent  from  the  results  obtained  in  this 
preliminary  work  that  many  other  problems  of  plant 'life  could 
be  studied  by  such  methods  and  that  results  of  both  practical 
and  scientific  value  could  be  secured,  since  a  knowledge  of  the 
factors  determined  is  of  great  importance  in  the  consideration  of 
questions  pertaining  to  vegetable  metabolism  and  to  the  handling 
and  storage  of  fruit  in  the  home  and  under  commercial  conditions. 

The  chamber  of  the  respiration  calorimeter  used  for  experi- 
ments with  man  is  of  such  a  size  that  it  will  accommodate  seven 
or  more  large  bunches  of  bananas;  that  is,  its  capacity  is  too  great 
to  make  it  useful  for  experiments  with  vegetable  products,  except 
those  which  can  be  obtained  in  uniform  condition  and  in  fairly 
large  quantities.  Furthermore,  the  entrance  to  the  respiration 
calorimeter  and  all  its  internal  arrangements  are  designed  with 

'U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Yearbook  1910,  p.  307. 

229 


230        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

respect  to  experiments  with  man  and  are  not  particularly  well 
suited  to  experiments  with  fruits  or  similar  products.  It  was 
obvious,  therefore,  that  a  smaller  respiration  calorimeter  with 
special  equipment  suited  to  experiments  with  plant  products 
would  be  a  great  convenience  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  would 
be  useful  in  the  study  of  problems  of  interest  to  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  such  an  instrument  was  constructed.  In  plan 
and  principle  it  corresponds  to  the  large  respiration  calorimeter 
used  for  experiments  with  man  although  some  improvements  in 
grouping  of  accessory  apparatus  have  been  introduced  and  some 
new  automatic  regulating  devices  which  greatly  lessen  the  labor 
of  conducting  the  experiments  have  been  added,  which  make  for 
greater  accuracy  as  well  as  ease  of  operation. 

A  respiration  calorimeter  is  thus  designated  because  such  an 
instrument  combines  in  the  same  device  a  respiration  apparatus 
for  the  determination  of  gaseous  exchange  of  the  subject  in  the 
respiration  chamber  during  a  given  period,  and  a  calorimeter  for 
measuring  heat  liberated  in  the  respiration  chamber.  Though 
there  are  conditions  under  which  it  is  convenient  to  use  the 
apparatus  either  as  a  calorimeter  only,  or  as  a  respiration  appara- 
tus only,  the  two  operations  are  usually  carried  on  simultaneously. 
The  two  functions  of  the  apparatus,  however,  are  perhaps  best 
considered  separately. 

The  Apparatus  as  Used  for  Studying  Respiratory  Exchange 

The  chamber  of  the  apparatus  is  18  by  18  by  36  inches  inside 
measurements,  the  walls  being  copper  attached  to  a  wooden 
framework,  and  double  for  purposes  which  are  explained  later. 
The  top  of  the  chamber  has  a  cover  that  may  be  lifted  off  so  that 
material  may  be  put  inside.  The  edges  of  the  cover  are  formed 
so  as  to  fit  into  grooves  in  the  upper  edges  of  the  sides,  and  by 
means  of  a  special  wax  (mixture  of  beeswax  and  Venice  turpen- 
tine) pressed  into  the  grooves  the  cover  is  sealed  tight.  In  the 
upper  part  of  each  of  two  opposite  sides  is  a  window  6  inches  by 
8  inches  sealed  into  its  frame,  which  forms  part  of  the  copper  wall. 
These  afford  opportunity  to  observe  the  fruit  during  ripening,  or 
to  remove  a  sample  if  desired.  In  the  third  wall  is  an  "outlet," 
likewise  sealed  air-tight,  through  which  pass  two  f  inch  pipes  for 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  231 

the  passage  of  air  into  and  out  of  the  chamber.  On  the  inside  the 
pipe  carrying  the  ingoing  air  opens  near  the  top  of  the  chamber, 
while  that  carrying  outgoing  air  is  extended  to  the  bottom,  so 
that  air  passsing  from  one  opening  to  the  other  must  traverse  the 
chamber. 

The  chamber  is  of  sufficient  size  to  accommodate  a  large  bunch 
of  bananas  suspended  from  a  framework  supported  on  brackets 
in  the  corners  near  the  top ;  and  other  brackets  have  been  attached 
at  different  levels  so  that  trays,  shelves,  or  other  supports  may  be 
used.  Thus  it  is  possible  to  place  under  investigation,  at  different 
times,  not  only  a  bunch  of  bananas,  but  also  larger  or  smaller 
quantities  of  apples,  or  potatoes,  or  other  materials.  This 
material  may  be  packed  in  the  calorimeter  in  a  manner  approxi- 
mating commercial  conditions,  or,  if  desired,  in  some  other 
manner. 

On  the  outside  the  pipe  for  outgoing  air  is  connected  with  a 
rotary  compressor,  operated  by  a  small  electric  motor  which 
withdraws  the  air  from  the  chamber  and  forces  it  any  desired 
rate  through  a  purifying  system  of  special  gas  washing  bottles 
arranged  in  series.  The  first  two  bottles  of  the  series  contain 
sulphuric  acid,  which  removes  from  the  air  all  water  vapor  brought 
out  by  it  from  the  chamber.  The  next  two  bottles  contain 
granular  soda  lime  (a  mixture  of  caustic  soda  and  quick  lime) 
which  removes  from  the  air  all  the  carbon  dioxid  carried  out  of 
the  chamber.  Following  these  is  another  bottle  of  acid  which 
catches  moisture  imparted  to  the  dry  air  by  the  moist  soda  lime. 
The  final  bottle  in  the  series  contains  granular  sodium  carbonate, 
which  catches  any  sulphuric  acid  vapor  or  spray  that  might  be 
carried  from  the  preceding  bottle.  The  air  then  returns  to  the 
chamber  through  the  pipe  for  ingoing  air.  Just  before  entering 
the  chamber  oxygen  may  be  admitted  to  the  ingoing  air  to  replace 
that  used  by  the  material  in  the  chamber. 

A  small  copper  pipe,  from  the  side  of  the  chamber,  is  connected 
outside  with  a  rubber  bag  or  a  spirometer  or  similar  device,  the 
purpose  of  which  is  to  indicate  the  volume  at  any  given  time,  and 
to  maintain  atmospheric  pressure  within  the  chamber. 

The  different  bottles  of  the  purifying  system  are  weighed  on 
a  large  sensitive  balance  to  an  accuracy  of  0.05  of  a  gram.     The 


232        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

increase  in  weight  of  the  first  two,  which  contain  sulphuric 
acid,  shows  how  much  water  was  removed  from  the  chamber 
in  the  air  current  during  a  given  experimental  period,  and  that  of 
the  two  soda  lime  bottles  and  of  the  acid  bottle  following  them 
shows  the  amount  of  carbon  dioxid  brought  out.  Under  ordinary 
conditions,  in  an  experiment  with  fruit,  these  would  represent 
the  amounts  actually  produced  during  the  period,  though  when- 
ever necessary  samples  of  the  air  may  be  analyzed  to  determine 
the  amounts  residual  in  the  air  of  the  chamber,  and  allowance 
may  be  made  for  any  difference  in  these  amounts  at  the  begin- 
ning and  the  end  of  the  period. 

With  a  ventilating  system  such  as  described  above,  as  rapidly 
as  any  gaseous  substance  is  removed  other  gas  must  be  introduced 
to  maintain  atmospheric  pressure  in  the  chamber.  Ordinarily, 
oxygen  is  admitted,  since  oxygen  is  utilized  by  the  ripening  fruit 
or  other  material  from  the  air  of  the  chamber.  In  case  the 
fruit  were  ripened  in  some  inert  gas,  such  as  carbon  dioxid  or 
nitrogen,  this  gas  would  be  admitted  instead  of  oxygen.  The 
gas  admitted  to  the  chamber  is  drawn  from  a  supply  under 
pressure  in  a  steel  cylinder  that  is  suspended  on  a  sensitive 
balance,  and  the  amount  admitted  is  determined  very  accurately 
by  weighing.  In  the  case  of  oxygen,  for  example,  from  the 
change  in  the  weight  of  the  cyhnder  and  in  the  amount  residual 
in  the  air  at  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  the  period,  the  amount 
used  by  the  fruit  during  the  period  may  be  ascertained. 

Experimental  periods  may  be  of  any  duration.  Since  the 
ripening  process  continues  for  several  days  in  the  case  of  bananas, 
it  has  been  sufficient  in  these  experiments  to  weigh  the  different 
bottles  in  the  purifying  system  once  a  day. 

The  Apparatus  as  a  Calorimeter 

The  heat  generated  by  the  ripening  fruit  or  other  material  in 
the  respiration  chamber  is  carried  out  by  a  current  of  cold  water 
flowing  through  a  coil  of  copper  pipe.  From  the  weight  of  the 
water  flowing  through  the  coil  during  a  given  period,  and  the 
mean  temperature  difference  between  the  incoming  and  outgoing 
water  during  the  period,  the  quantity  of  heat  carried  out  is 
determined.     This  quantity  and  that  carried  out  as  latent  heat 


Photoeraph  No.  1.— This  is  a  view  of  the  exterior  of  the  respiration  calorimeter  for  the 
study  of  vegetable  problems.  The  protective  covering  is  in  place  and  the  window  in 
one  side  is  shown. 


Photograph  No.  2. — ^This  is  a  view  of  the  respiration  calorimeter  showing  how  portions 
of  the  protective  covering  may  be  removed.  The  cold-water  pipes  for  cooling  the  air 
in  the  space  between  the  protective  covering  and  the  walls  of  the  respiration  chamber 
are  also  shown.  The  cover  of  the  respiration  chamber  is  raised.  On  the  wall  panel 
are  shown  switches  for  various  electric  currents,  the  preheater  for  warming,  and  the 
bridge  for  determining  the  temperature  of  the  water  entering  the  heat  absorbing  sys- 
tem, and  other  devices. 


Photograph  No.  3. — In  the  lower  right-hand  corner  of  this  photograph  is  shown  the 
automatic  temperature  recording  device  with  its  pen  which  draws  the  Une  represent- 
ing temperature  differences.  Next  to  this  on  the  left  is  shown  the  bridge  pertaining 
to  this  device,  by  means  of  which  it  is  possible  to  vary  the  range  of  the  records  and 
to  test  the  accuracy  of  the  recording  device.  Immediately  above  the  recorder  is 
shown  a  device  for  the  automatic  control  of  the  temperature  of  the  water  which 
enters  the  heat  absorbing  system  in  the  respiration  chamber.  At  the  left  on  the 
same  shelf  is  a  device  which  automatically  controls  the  heating  of  the  air  adjacent  to 
the  top,  sides,  and  bottom  of  the  exterior  wall  of  the  respiration  chamber  and  of  the 
ingoing  air  in  the  circulating  air  system.  The  bridge  for  this  device  is  shown  on  the 
shelf  immediately  below  it. 


xvni]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  233 

of  water  vapor  in  the  out  going  air  represent,  with  small  correc- 
tions for  changes  in  temperature  of  the  chamber  and  of  material 
inside,  the  amount  of  heat  generated  by  the  material  in  the 
chamber. 

The  quantity  of  water  that  flows  through  the  coil  in  the  cham- 
ber is  ascertained  by  weighing.  Water  is  kept  flowing  through 
the  coil  within  the  chamber  at  as  constant  a  rate  as  possible. 
For  this  purpose  the  water  is  drawn  from  a  constant  level  tank 
on  a  shelf  above  the  calorimeter.  Since  distilled  water  is  used 
in  the  circulating  system,  after  it  has  passed  from  the  calorimeter, 
it  is  collected  in  a  tank  from  which,  by  means  of  a  small  gear 
pump,  it  is  raised  again  to  the  constant  level  tank.  This  small 
pump  is  driven  by  the  motor  which  operates  the  rotary  com- 
pressor for  the  circulating  air.  The  purpose  of  using  distilled 
water  in  this  cooling  system  is  to  avoid  difficulties  due  to  a 
presence  of  air  in  the  water,  which  tends  to  collect  in  bubbles 
in  the  pipes  and  thus  form  temporary  obstructions,  causing  an 
irregular  flow  of  water  from  the  heat  absorbing  system. 

The  temperature  of  the  air  in  the  calorimeter  may  be  regulated 
by  controlling  either  the  temperature  of  the  water  that  enters 
the  calorimeter,  or  its  rate  of  flow,  or  both.  The  most  convenient 
practice  is  to  maintain  a  constant  rate  of  flow  and  to  regulate 
only  the  temperature.  To  this  end  the  water  leaving  the  pressure 
tank  is  cooled  by  passing  it  through  a  coil  immersed  in  cold  water 
or  brine  and  then  is  raised  to  the  desired  temperature  by  means  of 
an  electric  heating  device  introduced  in  the  water  circuit  just 
before  it  enters  the  calorimeter.  The  ingoing  water  is  kept  at 
such  temperature  that  the  heat  will  be  taken  up  just  as  fast  as 
it  is  liberated,  so  that  the  temperature  of  the  air  in  the  chamber 
is  kept  constant. 

This  heating  device  consists  of  a  pre-heater  and  of  a  final 
heater.  The  pre-heater,  which  is  operated  manually,  has  a  total 
capacity  of  5f°  C,  with  a  rate  of  500  cubic  centimeters  of  water 
per  minute,  and  heat  may  be  added  as  needed  in  small  increments. 
To  secure  uniformity  of  temperature,  the  final  heater  is  separated 
from  the  pre-heater  by  a  mixing  bottle.  The  final  heater,  which  is 
automatic,  has  a  much  smaller  range  than  the  pre-heater,  but  it 
can  be  adjusted   within   very   narrow   limits.     The   sensitive 

9 


234        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

portion  of  the  final  heater  consists  of  a  very  delicate  electrical 
resistance  thermometer,  of  a  type  designed  by  the  National 
Bureau  of  Standards,  which  comprises  one  arm  of  a  Wheatstone 
bridge,  the  slide  wire  of  which  is  designed  to  cover  by  tenths  of  a 
degree  a  range  of  temperature  from  0°  to  35°C.,  shown  on  the  dial 
of  the  bridge.  This  thermometer  is  placed  in  the  water  pipe 
immediately  above  a  small  heating  coil  of  electric  resistance 
wire,  so  that  the  water  flows  from  the  coil  directly  over  the 
thermometer.  If  the  temperature  of  the  water  flowing  over  the 
thermometer  differs  from  the  desired  temperature,  at  which 
the  pointer  of  the  bridge  is  set,  the  needle  of  the  galvanometer 
with  which  the  bridge  is  connected  is  deflected  accordingly;  and 
the  automatic  controller,  of  which  the  galvanometer  forms  a 
part,  alters  the  position  of  a  sliding  contact  on  a  variable  resist- 
ance which  is  in  series  with  the  heater  just  below  the  thermometer. 
This  results  in  a  change  in  the  amount  of  electric  current  through 
the  heater,  its  heating  effect  is  varied  accordingly,  and  the  tem- 
perature of  the  water  flowing  past  the  thermometer  is  regulated 
until  it  reaches  the  desired  constant  temperature. 

The  difference  between  the  temperature  of  the  water  entering 
the  calorimeter  and  that  leaving  is  determined  by  means  of  a 
pair  of  electric  resistance  thermometers  placed  in  the  water  line, 
one  just  as  it  enters  and  the  other  just  as  it  leaves  the  chamber, 
and  connected  with  a  Leeds  and  Northrup  temperature  recorder. 
This  temperatiu-e  recorder  consists  of  a  self-balancing  Wheat- 
stone  bridge,  two  arms  of  which  are  formed  by  the  resistance 
thermometers.  The  amount  of  change  necessary  in  the  balancing 
point  of  contact  on  the  slide  wire  to  balance  the  bridge  at  any 
given  time  is  indicated  by  a  pen  that  is  drawn  back  and  forth  on  a 
record  sheet  that  moves  forward  at  a  rate  of  2|  inches  per  hour. 
Since  the  balance  is  determined  by  the  mechanism  every  five 
seconds,  a  virtually  continuous  record  of  the  temperature  differ- 
ences is  drawn  by  the  pen.  The  scale  on  the  paper  is  10  inches 
wide  and  represents  a  total  range  of  2°.  The  scale  is  ruled  with 
100  lines,  each  representing  0.02°,  but  the  distance  between  the 
Unes  is  so  wide  that  0.01°  is  very  easily  read.  The  bridge  part 
of  the  apparatus  is  so  constructed  that  the  slide  wire  may  be  made 


xviu]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  235 

to  represent  a  temperature  difference  of  from  0  to  2°,  1  to  3°, 
2  to  4°,  or  3  to  5°. 

In  order  that  the  quantity  of  heat  generated  within  the  calori- 
meter chamber  may  be  accurately  determined,  it  is  necessary  to 
prevent  either  gain  or  loss  of  heat  through  the  walls  of  the 
chamber.  To  this  end  the  respiration  chamber  has  double  metal 
walls  and  the  outer  wall  is  kept  at  exactly  the  same  temperature 
as  the  inner  wall,  in  which  case  there  will  be  no  transference  of 
heat  between  them.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  it  is  necessary 
to  provide  means  for  determining  any  difference  of  temperature 
between  the  two  walls  and  for  heating  or  cooling  one  wall  until 
it  has  the  same  temperature  as  the  other.  In  this  calorimeter 
the  outer  metal  wall  is  surrounded  by  a  covering  of  heat  insulating 
material,  between  which  and  the  metal  wall  is  an  air  space  about 
1  inch  across.  In  this  space  and  surrounding  the  outer  wall  of 
the  chamber  are  a  coil  of  copper  pipe  to  carry  cold  water  for 
cooling  it,  and  a  coil  of  resistance  wire  to  carry  an  electric  current 
for  heating  it.  If  the  outer  wall  of  the  calorimeter  is  too  warm  it 
may  be  cooled  by  passing  cold  water  through  the  copper  pipe, 
or  if  it  is  too  cold  it  may  be  heated  by  passing  an  electric  current 
through  the  resistance  wire;  but  in  practice  it  is  found  most 
convenient  to  allow  water  to  flow  continually  through  the  coil 
of  pipe  and  to  vary  only  the  heating.  This  is  done  auto- 
matically. 

On  the  inner  and  outer  copper  walls  of  the  calorimeter  cham- 
ber are  electric  resistance  thermometers  which  comprise  the 
two  arms  of  a  Wheatstone  bridge,  which  have  exactly  the  same 
resistance  when  the  walls  are  at  the  same  temperature.  As 
the  temperature  of  one  wall  varies  from  that  of  the  other  the 
resistance  of  the  arms  of  the  bridge  varies  and  this  causes  a 
corresponding  change  in  a  mechanism  which  controls  a  variable 
resistance  in  series  with  the  heating  system  surrounding  the 
outer  wall,  and  thus  regulates  the  heating  of  the  outer  wall. 
By  this  means  the  temperature  of  the  exterior  wall  is  maintained 
automatically  in  balance  with  that  of  the  interior  wall.  The  con- 
trolling mechanism  regulates  the  temperatme  of  the  top,  sides, 
and  bottom  of  the  chamber  independently.  The  temperature  of 
the  air  entering  the  calorimeter  is  likewise  maintained  by  it 


236         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vo 

exactly  the  same  as  that  leaving  the  calorimeter,  so  that  no  he; 
will  be  carried  in  or  out  in  the  moving  air  current. 

Possible  Uses  of  the  New  Respiration  Calorimeter 

The  control  experiments  and  the  experimental  studi^  ^ 
ripening  fruit  (bananas)  already  undertaken  have  demonstrate 
the  great  accuracy  of  this  respiration  calorimeter  as  an  instrumei 
of  precision  and  have  given  interesting  results  regarding  gaseoi 
exchange  and  heat  production  which  will  appear  in  Departmei 
of  Agriculture  publications. 

Although  the  new  calorimeter  is  arranged  with  special  referenc 
to  experiments  with  fruits  and  other  vegetable  products,  it  is  s 
constructed  that  the  respiration  chamber  can  be  removed  ar 
another  substituted  for  it  of  the  same  size  but  with  differei 
interior  arrangements,  or  of  smaller  size,  should  this  be  desirabl 
In  other  words,  it  would  be  possible,  with  little  additional  labo 
since  no  change  in  the  recording  and  controlling  devices  and  oth( 
accessory  apparatus  would  be  involved,  to  adapt  the  apparati 
to  the  study  of  additional  problems,  such,  for  instance,  as  tl 
incubation  of  eggs  and  the  changes  which  take  place  in  curir 
and  storing  meat  products  and  cheese,  or  by  making  suitab 
provision  for  the  collection  of  excretory  products  and  for  tl 
comfort  of  the  subjects,  it  would  be  possible  to  adapt  the  calor 
meter  to  experiments  with  laboratory  animals,  should  the  woi 
of  the  Department  make  this  necessary. 


SUR  LE   ROLE  ANTISEPTIQUE   DU   SEL  MARIN   ET 

DU  SUCRE 

Par  M.  L.  Lindet 
Paris,  France 

U  est  facile  de  concevoir  comment  certains  corps  qui  sont 
pour  nous  des  poisons,  comme  les  composes  de  I'arsenic  et  du 
mercure,  peuvent  arrSter  le  d^veloppement  des  microbes;  mais 
Taction  du  sel  marin  et  du  sucre,  dont  nous  faisons  im  usage 
journalier,  me  semble  ne  pas  avoir  €t6  suffisamment  envisag^e. 

Elle  s'explique  cependant  par  la  facility  avec  laquelle  les  mi- 
crobes se  plasmolysent;  ils  cedent  k  une  solution  concentr6e  de  sel 
ou  de  sucre  une  partie  de  leurs  616ments  constitutifs,  s'affaiblis- 
sent,  et  ne  pr6sentent  plus  la  m^me  capacity  de  reproduction. 

J'ai  voulu  rechercher  dans  quelle  mesure  la  composition  des 
microbes  est  capable  de  se  modifier  sous  I'influence  de  solutions 
sucr6es  ou  salines,  de  concentration  variable,  et  j'ai  choisi  celui 
des  microbes  qu'il  est  le  plus  facile  de  se  procurer  en  masse,  la 
levure  de  distillerie;  celle-ci  provenait  de  la  distillerie  Springer 
k  Maisons-Alfort  (Seine).  Dans  le  but  de  mesurer  la  sensi- 
bility du  ph6nom6ne,  je  n'ai  laiss6  la  levure  en  contact  de  la 
solution  que  pendant  24  heures,  et  j'ai  dos6  I'azote,  I'acide 
phosphorique  et  la  potasse  dans  les  liquides  filtr^s.  J'ai  rap- 
ports les  chiffres  obtenus  k  la  quantity  de  matiSres  que  la  levure 
contenait  primitivement: 


Azote 

%  des  416ments  contenus 
daas  la  levure: 

Acide   phos- 
phorique 

Potasse 
(KO.) 

Ttooin  Eau  pure . .                    

1.89 
1.99 
2.19 
2.65 
1.89 

(t 
ti 

11.13 

0.57 
1.32 
1.60 
1.77 
1.78 
5.33 

it 

11.38 

73.3 

Solution  de  sel  k  2% 

75.4 

Solution  de  sel  k  4% 

77.8 

Solution  de  sel  k  8% 

82.1 

T6moin  Eau  pure  .                 

73.3 

Solution  de  sucre  k  20% 

92.6 

Solution  de  sucre  k  40% 

93.8 

Solution  de  sucre  k  80% 

96.8 

237 


238        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Evidemment  les  quantit^s  d'azote  et  d'acide  phosphorique 
dont  la  cellule  s'est  appauvrie  ne  sont  pas  tr^s  considerables, 
surtout  en  presence  de  la  solution  de  sel;  mais  il  faut  songer 
qu'elles  repr^sentent  les  mati^res  les  plus  solubles  de  la  cellule, 
celles  que  la  cellule  mettra  en  jeu  d^s  les  premiers  moments  de 
son  Evolution.  La  solubility  des  composes  potassiques  au  con- 
traire  leur  confSre  un  coefBcient  de  diffusion  considerable. 

L'etude  au  microscope  des  levures  ainsi  soumises  k  Taction  des 
solutions  salines  ou  sucr^es  r^veie  avec  nettete  leur  amaigrisse- 
ment. 

En  presence  de  ces  faits,  il  6tait  int&essant  de  rechercher 
comment  se  reproduisent,  sur  bouillon  de  touraillons,  g^latind 
et  Sucre  des  globules  de  levure  qui  out  sejourne  48  heures  au 
contact  des  memes  solutions.  J'ai  applique,  pour  la  numeration 
des  levures  la  technique  que  j'ai  expose  dans  un  precedent 
travail  (Comptes-rendus  de  I'Academie  des  Sciences,  1910,  T. 
150,  p.  802),  et  j'ai  rapporte  le  nombre  des  colonies  comptees  au 
mmg.  de  levure. 

Colonies  par  mmg.  de  levure : 

Temoia 4.514.000 

Solution  de  sel  a,  5% 4.370.000 

Solution  de  sel  k  10% 1.733.000 

Solution  de  sel  k  20% 600.000 

Solution  de  sucre  k  20% .  .• 1 .525.000 

II  convient  en  outre  de  faire  remarquer  que  les  colonies  de  ces 
differentes  levures  ont  apparu  sur  la  gelatine  avec  un  retard 
d'autant  plus  grand  qu'elles  avaient  sejourne  au  contact  de 
solutions  plus  concentrees.  Une  fois  apparues,  elles  n'ont  pas 
augmente  sensiblement  en  nombre  du  jour  au  lendemain;  mais 
celles  qui  ont  ete  formees  au  debut  ont  grossi  reguli^rement,  k 
fur  et  k  mesure  qu'elles  retrouvaient  dans  le  bouillon  gelatine 
les  elements  qu'elle  avaient  perdus. 

J'ai  commence  des  experiences  analogues  avec  le  ferment 
lactique  et  avec  les  champignons;  mais  ces  experiences  sont 
plus  difficiles  k  reahser,  et  je  demande  credit  pour  quelque 
temps. 


SALMON  CANNING   INDUSTRY  OF  NORTH  AMERICA 

H.  M.  LooMis 
Chief  of  the  Food  and  Drug  Inspection  Laboratory,  Bureau  of 
Chemistry,    U    S.    Dept.    Agriculture,    Arcade    Annex 
Building,  Seattle,  Wash. 

The  salmon  of  the  North  Pacific  Ocean  has  now  become  one  of 
the  most  important  marine  food  products  on  this  continent  and 
its  popularity  is  fast  increasing  in  Europe  and  other  countries. 
The  catching  and  packing  of  salmon  in  the  Northwest  has  devel- 
oped into  such  a  large  industry  that  it  ranks  second  only  to  the 
lumber  business.  As  the  growth  has  been  so  rapid  some  apprehen- 
sion has  been  felt  that  the  fish  might  be  gradually  exterminated 
but  the  Federal  government  and  the  governments  of  the  various 
states  and  of  Canada  are  striving  to  overcome  any  such  danger 
by  regulating  the  industry  and  by  establishing  hatcheries  at 
various  favorable  localities. 

There  are  five  principal  varieties  of  salmon  packed  along  the 
Pacific  Coast,  each  one  of  which  is  known  by  several  names, 
depending  on  the  locality  where  it  is  caught.  The  fish  with  the 
reddest  flesh  and  most  oil  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
consumers,  and  in  the  following  list  they  are  given  in  the  com- 
monly accepted  order  of  quality. 

1.  Red  Salmon,  Sockeye,  or  Blueback. 

2.  Chinook,  King  or  Spring  Salmon. 

3.  Medium  Red  Salmon,  Cohoe  or  Silverside. 

4.  Humpback  or  Pink  Salmon. 

5.  Chum  or  Dog  Salmon. 

The  1911  pack  of  salmon  amounted  to  290,000,000  cans  or  six 
million  cases.  Of  this  entire  output  Alaska  produces  nearly  one 
half,  Puget  Sound  district  about  one  quarter,  British  Columbia 
one  sixth,  Columbia  one  twelfth  and  the  balance  is  caught  in 
various  rivers  and  bays  along  the  coast  of  California,  Oregon  and 
Washington. 

239 


240        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

For  14  years  the  United  Kingdom  has  taken  an  average  of 
over  900,000  cases  a  year  while  Australia,  the  East  Indies  and 
South  America  make  continually  increasing  demands  on  the 
product. 

The  habitat  and  history  of  the  Sockeye  and  other  salmon  is 
unknown  from  the  time  they  first  reach  the  sea  as  young  fish 
until  they  return  to  spawn  and  die — a  period  of  about  four  years. 
These  fish  are  not  caught  by  hook  and  line  but  in  seines  aod 
traps  of  various  forms.  The  traps  are  located  along  the  shores 
of  the  mainland  or  islands  at  points  which  the  large  schools  of 
fish  pass  on  their  journey  from  the  ocean  to  the  rivers,  and  each 
trap  consists  of  a  row  of  piling,  running  out  from  the  shore  a 
distance  of  several  hundred  feet.  To  this,  nets  are  hung  ver- 
tically to  a  considerable  depth  below  the  water,  which  depth  is 
regulated  by  law.  These  serve  to  divert  the  course  of  the  fish 
into  the  trap  proper,  which  are  rectangular  enclosures,  formed  of 
nets  supported  vertically  by  piles  and  into  which  the  fish  are 
directed  by  V-shaped  openings.  To  empty  the  trap  a  sort  of 
apron  net  is  raised  horizontally  until  the  fish  are  near  the  sur- 
face and  then  a  bail  net  is  used  to  transfer  the  fish  to  a  scow  or 
steamer.  As  many  as  50,000  fish  are  sometimes  taken  in  a  trap 
at  once. 

The  Sockeye  Salmon  is  comparatively  small,  weighing  from 
5  to  10  lbs.,  while  other  varieties  of  salmon  are  larger — the  largest 
variety,  the  Chinook,  averaging  30  lbs. 

Until  very  recently  the  older  type  of  soldered  can  was  used  for 
packing  salmon  but  the  solderless,  so-called  sanitary  can,  is 
rapidly  growing  in  favor  and  in  1911  about  1,700,000  cases  of 
fish  were  packed  in  the  latter  form  of  cans. 

To  manufacturing  chemists  it  may  be  of  interest  to  know  that 
in  this  industry  alone  840,000  lbs.  of  hydrochloric  acid,  180,000 
lbs.  of  caustic  soda,  6,000,000  lbs.  of  solder,  137,000,000  sq.  ft.  of 
tin  plate,  and  375,000  gallons  of  lacquer  are  used. 

Of  the  325,000,000  lbs.  of  salmon  caught  last  year  about  225,- 
000,000  were  canned  and  the  rest  were  cured  in  fight  brine, 
frozen,  salted  or  smoked. 

I  wish  to  make  acknowledgment  to  "The  Pacific  Fisherman" 
for  most  of  the  statistics  given  above. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  241 

At  the  cannery  the  fish  are  unloaded  and  carried  by  conveyors 
to: 

1.  The  "iron  chink" — a  machine  which  removes  the  heads, 
tails,  fins,  and  entrails. 

The  further  steps  in  the  canning  process  may  be  briefly  enu- 
merated: 

2.  Cleaning. 

3.  Washing. 

4.  Slicing  by  a  machine  which  cuts  the  fish  transversely  into 
pieces  the  right  size  to  fit  the  cans. 

5.  Adding  of  salt  to  cans. 

6.  Packing  of  fish  in  cans.  This  is  usually  done  by  white 
women  in  the  United  States  and  by  Indians  in  Alaska. 

7.  Covers  put  on,  crimped  and  soldered  by  machine. 

8.  Cans  cooled  and  vent  hole  soldered  by  hand. 

9.  Cans  tested  for  leaks  by  immersing  in  a  hot  water  bath. 

10.  Placed  in  steam  retort  for  1-2  hour. 

11.  While  still  hot,  covers  are  punctured,  allowing  most  of  the 
air  and  some  of  the  liquor  to  escape.  The  sound  made  by  strik- 
ing the  can  also  serves  to  detect  leaks. 

12.  Cans  resealed. 

13.  Cans  heated  in  steam  retorts  about  one  hour  at  240°  to 
cook  and  sterilize  contents. 

14.  Cans  are  scoured  with  caustic  soda  solution  and  washed. 

15.  Cans  tested  for  leaks  from  the  sound  emitted  in  tapping 
the  cover. 

16.  Cans  lacquered  and  labeled. 

After  the  process  of  canning  and  before  shipment  every  can 
is  usually  tested  several  times  for  leaks. 

In  the  United  States  canneries  the  labor  is  almost  entirely 
done  by  Chinese  or  Japanese  men — the  transferring  of  the  fish  to 
the  cans  employing  white  women.  In  Alaska,  owing  to  the 
scarcity  of  white  labor,  most  of  the  carmeries  employ  Orientals 
and  Indians  exclusively. 

It  might  be  well  to  mention  that  the  low  form  of  soldered  cans, 
or  "flats,"  are  filled  by  hand,  while  the  tall  cans,  or  "tails,"  are 


242        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

filled  by  machinery  and  the  latter  contain  a  product  which  is 
inferior  in  appearance  and  price  to  the  former. 

In  packing  the  so-called  sanitary  cans,  the  number  of  steps  in 
the  process  is  considerably  less  and,  while  the  cans  are  more  expen- 
sive in  the  first  place,  the  saving  in  solder,  labor,  and  other  items 
amounts  to  about  25c  a  case.  With  this  form  of  can  there  are 
no  vents  and  the  filled  cans  are  run  on  conveyors  through  a  steam 
chest,  (to  heat  the  contents  and  expel  air),  covers  are  crimped 
immediately  and  the  cans  placed  in  the  retort  for  final  cooking 
and  sterilization. 

The  methods  in  use  for  preparing  canned  salmon  in  the  United 
States  are  generally  adapted  to  the  production  of  a  fresh,  clean 
and  high  grade  product. 

Since  the  passage  of  the  National  Food  and  Drugs  Act  and 
promulgation  of  Food  Inspection  Decision  No.  105,  regarding  the 
labeling  of  canned  salmon,  misbranding  is  rarely  resorted  to  and 
the  cans  are  generally  labeled  to  show  the  variety  of  salmon  con- 
tained in  them.  The  public  is  further  safeguarded  in  the  label- 
ing of  salmon  by  the  provisions  of  the  Alaska  Fisheries  Law  of 
June  26,  1906,  requiring  that  in  the  labeling  of  canned  salmon  no 
false  or  misleading  statement  or  designation  shall  be  made.  The 
enforcement  of  this  law  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Bureau  of  Fisheries. 

A  proper  study  of  the  composition  of  canned  salmon  requires  the 
analysis  of  many  samples  of  known  history,  for  the  different 
varieties  of  salmon  vary  in  composition  in  different  parts  of  the 
body  and  at  different  seasons,  the  earlier  runs  of  fish  being  much 
fatter  and  finer  than  the  later. 

Only  a  few  analyses  are  reported  herewith,  but  they  represent 
the  beginning  of  a  more  extended  investigation  of  the  composition 
and  quality  of  fresh  and  canned  salmon  at  the  Seattle  Laboratory 
of  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry.  The  fresh  salmon  were  analyzed 
within  24  hours  after  being  taken  from  the  traps  and  were  kept 
on  ice  as  much  as  possible  during  that  time. 

The  following  notes  on  the  analytical  methods  seem  necessary: 

Ammoniacal  nitrogen: — For  this  determination  two  similar 
methods  were  employed.  The  first  method  is  substantially  the 
alcoholic    distillation    method   of    Richardson   and   Scherubel, 


xvni]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  243 

(J.  A.  C.  S.,  Vol.  30,  page  1515),  with  certain  modifications 
proposed  by  W.  B.  Smith.  450  cc.  of  95%  alcohol  by  volume  were 
used  instead  of  60%  alcohol,  with  25  grams  of  material  and  5 
grams  of  freshly  igaited  maguesium  oxide  and  the  fish  was  added 
directly  to  the  distilliag  flask  without  previous  extraction.  750 
cc.  Kjeldahl  flasks  were  used  and  three  150  cc.  portions  were 
distilled  into  N-10  acid,  making  up  the  volume  in  the  distilling 
flask  to  450  cc.  with  95%  alcohol  between  each  portion.  The 
excess  of  acid  is  titrated  with  N-10  caustic  soda  and  cochineal 
indicator. 

The  second  method  was  to  place  25  grams  of  fish  in  a  500  cc. 
Florence  flask,  add  5  grams  magnesium  oxide  and  100  cc.  of  95% 
alcohol  by  volume  and  distill  in  a  current  of  boiling  95%  alcohol 
vapor,  using  an  apparatus  like  that  shown  on  page  37  of  Gatter- 
mann's  "Practical  Methods  of  Organic  Chemistry."  400  cc. 
of  distillate  were  collected  in  N-10  acid  and  the  excess  of  acid 
titrated  as  above. 

In  both  methods  blank  determinations  were  made  with  the 
reagents  and  the  necessary  correction  applied. 


244        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


CANNED   SALMON 
1911  pack 


WATER 

ETHYL 
ETHER 

EX- 
TRACT 

PRO- 
TEIN 

(Nx 
6.25) 

TOTAL 
ASH 

NaCl. 

AMMONIACAL 
NITROGEN 

Richard- 
son 
method 

Alcohol 

vapor 

method 

No.  1. 

Puget    Soimd 
Sockeye  Sal- 
mon   

62.44 

15.17 

20.25 

2.50 

0.79 

0.0403 

0.0348 

No.  2. 

Puget     Sound 
Sockeye  Sal- 
mon   

61.84 

13.74 

21.77 

2.73 

1.10 

0.0437 

0.0410 

No.  3. 

Alaska     Me- 
dium    Red 
Salmon 

69.97 

7.81 

20.40 

2.58 

1.09 

0.04965 

No.  4. 

Alaska  Chum 
Salmon 

73.48 

2.88 

21.33 

2.57 

0.83 

0.0563 

0.0557 

No.  5. 

Alaska   Pink 
or     Hump- 
back Salmon 

74.12 

4.75 

19.75 

1.98 

0.50 

.0404 

No.  6. 

Alaska     Red 
Salmon 

70.88 

5.26 

21.79 

2.35 

0.64 

.0455 

Each  sample  was  average  of  two  or  more  cans. 

AH  samples,  except  No.  2,  were  old  form  1  lb.  tall  cans. 

No.  2  was  i  lb.  flat  cans. 


xviu] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


245 


ANALYSES  OF  FRESH  SALMON,  EDIBLE  PORTIONS 


WATER 

ETHYL 
ETHER 

EX- 
TRACT 

PRO- 
TEIN 

(Nx 
6.25) 

TOTAL 
ASH 

NaCl 

AMMONIACAL 
NITROGEN 

Richard- 
son 
method 

Alcohol 

vapor 

method 

Puget    Sound 
Sockeye  Sal- 
mon, caught 
May  7, 1912. 

67.48 

8.86 

22.24 

1.36 

0.0121 

0.0205 

Puget    Sound 
Steelhead 
or      Sal- 
mon Trout, 
caught  May 
7,  1912 

67.89 

9.39 

21.80 

1.35 

0.0135 

0.0218 

From  a  comparison  of  the  fresh  and  canned  Puget  Sound  sal- 
mon there  is  evidently  considerable  reduction  in  water  content 
during  the  canning  process.  As  all  samples  of  canned  salmon 
were  in  good  condition  and  gave  no  indication  of  deterioration 
as  far  as  the  senses  could  detect  it,  the  results  on  "  ammoniacal 
nitrogen"  are  also  of  interest,  being  two  or  more  times  greater 
in  the  case  of  the  canned  product  than  in  the  fresh  fish. 


PROPOSED  METHOD  FOR  THE  ESTIMATION  OF  TIN 
IN  CANNED  FOODS 

By  H.  L.  Lourib 
Bureau  of  Chem.,  V.  S.  Appraiser's  Stores,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Immediately  before  and  subsequent  to  the  issue  of  Food 
Inspection  Decision  126,  which  limits  the  amount  of  tin  in  canned 
foods  to  less  than  300  milligrams  per  kilogram,  it  was  necessary 
in  the  course  of  routine  work  in  the  New  York  Laboratory,  for 
a  large  number  of  analyses  for  tin  to  be  made. 

The  first  method  used  was  the  Munson  Combustion  Method 
as  given  in  Bulletin  107,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agriculture.  This  method 
had  to  be  discarded  because  of  its  length,  and  its  doubtful  ac- 
curacy in  the  case  of  canned  foods  containing  salt,  as  then  there 
was  a  loss  of  volatile  tin  salts  during  the  combustion.  It  thus 
became  necessary  to  find  a  method  that  would  fulfill  two 
conditions : 

I.  Accubacy:     II.  Rapidity: 

The  first  method  tried  was  practically  that  described  in  the 
report  to  the  Local  Government  Board  of  England,  by  Drs. 
Buchanan  and  Schryver  relative  to  the  presence  of  tin  in  certain 
caimed  foods,  published  at  London,  1908.  In  this  method  the 
organic  material  is  destroyed  as  in  a  nitrogen  determination  by 
means  of  potassium  sulphate  and  concentrated  sulphuric  acid. 
While  this  proved  accurate  enough,  it  was  discarded  because  of 
its  tediousness  and  the  constant  breaking  of  flasks.  I  attempted 
a  modification  of  this  method  by  using  potassium  permanganate 
in  conjunction  with  the  sulphuric  acid.  This  was  not  entirely 
successful  because  of  the  large  amounts  of  permanganate  necessary 
and  the  constant  attention  it  required.  Finally  a  method  was 
tried  using  nitric  and  sulphuric  acids  to  destroy  the  organic  mat- 
ter. This  proved  successful  from  the  start,  not  only  being 
rapid,  but  also  yielding  practically  100%  recovery,  in  the  case  of 
known  amounts  of  tin.    The  method  was  developed  not  only  for 

247 


248        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

canned  materials  such  as  fish,  vegetables,  fruits,  etc.,  but  also 
for  foods  high  in  sugars,  such  as  maple  syrup,  molasses,  jam,  etc., 
Below  are  directions  for  each  class: 

Directions  fob  Material  such  as  Fish 

Place  25  to  100  grams  of  the  well  mixed  and  finely  ground- 
sample  (the  quantity  employed  depending  upon  the  amount  of 
fat  or  oil  present)  into  a  kjeldal  flask  (800-1000  c.c),  and  add  25 
to  50  c.c.  of  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  the  amount  depending 
upon  the  weight  of  the  charge.  Place  the  flask  on  a  hot  plate  or 
on  wire  gauze  over  free  flame;  add  about  30  c.c.  of  concentrated 
nitric  acid,  raise  the  temperature  to  boil  and  heat  till  white  fumes 
are  generated,  then  without  cooling  add  10  c.c.  of  nitric  acid  and 
continue  heating  as  before.  Repeat  the  nitric  acid  addition  until 
the  solution  remains  clear  (usually  straw  color),  after  boihng 
off  the  nitric  acid  fumes.  The  digestion  can  be  easily  accom- 
plished in  about  one  hour  with  three  or  four  additions  of  nitric 
acid.  Let  the  solution  cool,  and  dilute  to  about  400  c.c.  with 
water.  Neutralize  with  concentrated  ammonia,  transfer  the 
solution  to  a  beaker,  rinse  out  flask  with  a  little  concentrated 
ammonia,  add  to  main  solution,  make  slightly  acid  with  sulphur 
ric,  and  saturate  with  HzS  gas.  Let  the  precipitate  settle  on 
steam  bath,  filter,  wash  with  a  Httle  hot  water  saturated  with 
HaS,  and  then  dissolve  the  precipitate  in  hot  yellow  ammonium 
sulphide.  Reprecipitate  with  acetic  acid  or  hydrochloric  acid, 
filter  on  ashless  paper,  ignite,  moisten  with  nitric  acid,  ignite  and 
weigh  as  stannic  oxide.     SnOa. 

Directions  for  Material  such  as  Strtjp 

Weigh  50  to  100  grams  in  kjeldal  flask  (800-1000  c.c.)  and  add 
about  100  c.c.  of  water  and  150  c.c.  concentrated  nitric  acid. 
Boil  until  all  the  fumes  are  driven  off,  then  add  a  few  c.c.  more  of 
nitric  acid,  and  boil  to  see  if  there  is  any  further  action.  Repeat 
addition  of  nitric  acid  and  boiling  until  there  is  no  further  action. 
Then  add  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  a  few  c.c.  at  a  time, 
heating  until  all  the  nitrous  acid  fumes  are  driven  off.  When 
20  to  25  c.c.  of  sulphuric  acid  have  thus  been  added,  boil  until 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  249 

sulphuric  acid  fumes  are  driven  off.  Now  add  concentrated 
nitric  acid,  five  c.c.  at  a  time,  until  the  solution  is  clear.  Then 
proceed  as  in  case  of  canned  goods  given  above. 

Note:  Fifty  c.c.  of  concentrated  ammonia  will  nearly  neutralize 
25  c.c.  concentrated  sulphuric  acid.  Make  usual  tests  for  com- 
plete precipitation  in  the  filtrate  from  the  first  tin  sulphide 
precipitate.  In  the  case  of  canned  vegetables,  as  high  as  100 
grams  may  be  taken  without  using  more  than  50  c.c.  of  sulphuric 
acid.  With  fish  it  is  best  to  take  as  many  c.c.  of  sulphuric  acid 
grams  as  grams  of  fish.  The  rapidity  of  the  digestion  depends 
on  the  temperature  maintained — the  higher  the  temperature,  the 
faster  the  material  is  oxidized. 


ON  THE  PREPARATION  OF  "NATTO" 

S.    MURAMATSU 

College  of  Agriculture,  Morioka,  Japan 

There  are  several  kinds  of  natto  prepared  in  Japan,  but  here 
I  mean  common  natto  which  is  a  kind  of  vegetable  cheese  made  by 
fermenting  boiled  soya  beans  wrapped  in  rice  straw  and  set  in  a 
warm  cellar  for  one  or  two  days.  Thus  the  product  becomes 
white  and  mucilageous  by  the  development  of  bacteria.  Natto 
is  consumed  as  an  accessory  after  having  been  mixed  with  table 
salt  and  several  stimulants,  amongst  others  the  powdered  mus- 
tard is  preferred.  It  is  chiefly  consumed  in  Tokyo  and  the 
north-eastern  districts  of  Japan  and  for  the  production  of  it  Aizu 
is  the  noted  place.  It  is  chiefly  consumed  in  Tokyo  in  the 
summer  time,  but  in  the  north-east  during  the  winter  time,  as 
these  are  rather  poor  in  vegetables  at  that  season. 

There  exist  several  studies  on  natto  so  far  as  to  its  constituents 
and  the  micro-organisms  forming  it,  but  no  exact  investigation  is 
known  of  about  its  preparation.  So,  its  manufacturers  suffer 
under  many  difficulties  of  preparing  natto  of  good  quality;  for 
this  reason,  I  was  obliged  to  make  a  study  of  the  method  of  pre- 
paring it  and  several  other  points.  Besides,  I  think  it  is  very 
useful  to  prepare  natto  of  good  quality  and  increase  its  consump- 
tion by  the  people,  as  it  is  a  very  good  and  economical  food  stuff, 
being  cheap  and  containing  much  protein,  especially  in  our  coun- 
try where  rice  is  the  principal  food. 

I.  Soya  Beans 

Soya  beans  are  the  principal  raw  material  of  natto.  There  are 
numerous  varieties  of  soya  beans  cultivated  in  Japan,  which, 
for  instance,  we  can  distinguish  by  their  color  as  yellowish 
white,  green,  black,  spotted,  etc.  I  prepared  natto  with  these 
different  kinds  and  could  not  find  a  more  suitable  kind  than  the 
small  yellowish  white  bean. 

261 


252        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


The  beans  which  serve  for  the  preparation  of  natto  are  first 
sorted  and  all  that  are  broken  or  imperfectly  developed  are 
picked  out;  besides,  it  is  better  to  sift  them  through  sieves  with 
proper  meshes  to  separate  too  small  or  too  large  ones.  They  are 
then  washed  and  allowed  to  steep  in  clean  water  for  several  hours, 
after  that  they  are  boiled  in  a  large  iron  kettle  with  sufficient 
water  for  ca.  5  hours.  Thus  the  beans  become  moderately  soft 
and  their  color  darker. 

Their  constitution  was  as  follows: 

In  100  pts.  air-dry  beans: — 
Moisture  7 .  14 

Dry  matter  92.86 

In  100  pts.  dry  matter : — 
Crude  protein  50 .  156 

Crude  fat  22.453 

Crude  fibre  6.420 

N-free  extract  11 .  871  f  Soluble  in  water    4 .  329 

\  Insoluble  in  water  7 .  542 
Ash  3.600 

Total-N  8.025 

Albuminoid-N  7 .  953  f  Soluble  in  water — trace 

I  Insoluble  in  water  7 .  953 


Non-albuminoid-N 


0.072 


II.  Rice  Stkaw 

Rice  straw  is  used  for  the  wrapper  of  the  boiled  soya  beans. 
Fresh  straw  is  preferable  to  old,  as  its  smell  is  better  than  that  of 
the  latter.  The  straw  is  cleaned  by  taking  the  muddy  leaf  away 
from  the  imder  part  of  the  stem  and  washed  with  clean  water; 
afterwards  it  is  well  tied  at  its  two  ends,  leaving  several  inches 
apart  and  bundled  after  filling  the  bag  with  the  beans.  As  to 
the  reason  of  using  straw  for  the  preparation  of  natto,  it  was 
considered  that  the  straw  supplies  the  proper  bacteria  to  the 
beans  but  I  do  not  think  this  the  sole  reason,  for  we  can  prepare  it 
another  way,  as,  for  instance,  by  setting  it  in  a  sterihzed  Petri- 
dish  or  in  a  basket.  When  it  is  made  in  a  basket,  which  after 
filling  it  with  beans  is  put  in  a  warm  cellar  covered  with  a  straw 


xvra]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  253 

mat,  it  is  called  hasket-natto.  From  this  and  other  facts  it  is 
reasonable  to  consider  the  principal  objects  of  using  straw  for 
the  preparation  of  natto  to  be : — 

1.  To  supply  the  good  aroma  of  straw  to  natto. 

2.  To  take  away  ammonia  from  natto. 

3.  To  offer  good  ventilation  of  air  to  the  loosely  packed  beans. 

The  bacteria  which  produce  natto  from  soya  beans  are  always 
present  on  the  surface  of  the  beans  and  their  spores  being  very 
strong  against  high  temperature,  they  are  not  easily  killed  by 
boiling,  as  we  can  see  from  the  following  experiment:  The  grains 
which  were  boiled  for  several  hours  are  taken  in  sterilized  Petri- 
dishes  after  each  hour  and  placed  in  the  incubator  at  42°C.  By 
this  means,  I  found  that  the  beans  which  were  boiled  for  8  hours 
become  natto  rich  in  mucilage  and  with  good  aroma. 

The  fact  that  the  hsisket-natto,  which  does  not  come  in  touch 
with  straw,  does  not  sell  as  well  as  common  natto,  for,  when  we 
prepare  it  in  the  straw  bundle  its  flavor  is  always  superior  to  one 
which  is  made  in  Petri-dish,  as  it  contains  an  aroma  somewhat 
like  that  of  straw.  So  I  think  that  the  straw  which  is  used  as  a 
bag  for  the  beans  gives  its  good  aroma  to  natto. 

When  the  bacteria  grow  on  the  beans  they  produce  so  much 
ammonia  that  we  can  perceive  it  by  its  peculiar  smell.  As  the 
straw  absorbs  ammonia,  the  smell  of  it  is  more  feeble  when  we 
use  straw  bundle  than  in  the  case  of  glass  dish.  We  can  under- 
stand this  fact  when  we  see  that  the  straw  which  has  been  used 
as  a  bag  always  contains  much  more  ammonia  than  the  same 
fresh  material,  and  natto,  made  in  the  dish  is  richer  in  it  than  that 
from  bundle. 

Amovmt  of  ammonia 
In  the  fresh  straw  0 .  035% 

In  the  straw  used  as  wrapper  0 .  065% 

In  natto  made  in  a  glass  dish  0 .  235% 

In  natto  made  in  straw  bimdle         0 .  188% 

For  these  reasons,  natto  prepared  in  straw  bundle  must  have 
better  flavor  than  any  other,  by  taking  its  flavor  from  straw 
and  giving  off  the  disagreeable  smell  of  ammonia  to  straw. 


254        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  bacteria  producing  natto  want  much  oxygen  for  their 
proper  growth,  as  it  is  an  obligate  aerobe.  So,  when  we  prepare 
it  by  heaping  up  many  bundles  the  interior  ones  become  inferior 
in  quaUty  and  also  the  interior  beans  of  a  large  bundle  become  not 
so  viscous  as  the  outer  parts.  For  this  reason,  it  is  recommend- 
able  to  use  small  bundles  for  the  preparation  of  superior  natto. 

III.  Cellar 

The  cellar  for  the  preparation  of  natto  is  made  with  bricks  or 
with  pillars  surrounding  them  with  thick  layers  of  straw  and 
plastering  the  walls  with  mud;  the  entrance  is  furnished  with  a 
thick  door  preventing  the  entering  of  air.  Along  the  inside  of 
the  wall  a  long  shelf  two  feet  wide  is  set  up  at  the  height  of  ca. 
two  feet  and  one  or  two  large  hearths  are  made  on  the  floor  for 
the  purpose  of  warming  the  room. 

IV.  The  Pbepaeation  of  Natto 

For  the  preparation  of  natto  the  soya  beans  are  sorted  at  first 
and  all  beans  that  are  broken  or  imperfectly  developed  are  picked 
out.  After  washing  with  clean  water,  they  are  soaked  for  several 
hours  and  boiled  in  an  iron  kettle  until  they  become  moderately 
soft  (ca.  5  hours).  The  boiled  beans  are  put  into  the  straw  bun- 
dle while  they  are  still  hot  and  the  bundles  are  placed,  standing 
obliquely,  on  the  shelf  in  the  cellar,  which  is  previously  warmed 
by  charcoal  to  about  40°C.  The  cellar  is  then  shut  up  carefully, 
avoiding  the  ventilation  of  air;  thus,  the  beans  become  natto  after 
one  or  two  days  and  are  ready  for  consumption. 

V.  The  Microbes  op  Natto 

As  to  the  micro-organisms  of  natto  several  authors  have  made 
investigations.  Dr.  Yabe  isolated  three  species  of  micrococci 
which  formed  yellow,  orange,  and  white  colonies  respectively,  and 
a  bacillus  which  is  not  motile,  liquefying  gelatine  and  producing  a 
greenish  fluorescence.  He  attributed  the  production  of  the  char- 
acteristic aroma  of  natto  to  the  development  of  the  micrococcus 
which  produces  yellow  colonies;  but  no  explanation  was  given 
about  the  formation  of  the  viscous  substance. 


xvni]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  255 

Dr.  Sawamura  isolated  various  kinds  of  bacilli  and  micrococci 
from  natto  and  regarded  the  following  two  bacilli  as  the  chief 
microbes  for  the  production  of  natto. 

Bacillus  No.  1.  is  a  motile  and  facultative  aerobe.  Natto 
produced  by  this  bacillus  had  a  good  taste  and  aroma,  but  its 
viscosity  was  not  so  great  as  that  produced  by  the  other.  The 
author  gave  the  name  of  Bacillus  natto  to  this  bacillus,  considering 
it  as  the  chief  microbe  in  the  fermentation. 

Bacillus  No.  2  is  a  rarely  motile  and  facultative  aerobe.  Natto 
produced  by  this  bacillus  showed  a  stronger  viscosity  but  a  less 
nice  taste  and  aroma  than  that  produced  by  the  B.  natto;  he  recog- 
nised it  as  a  variety  of  Bac.  mes.  vulgatus.  Thus,  he  concluded 
that  for  the  formation  of  good  natto  both  bacilli  must  be  present. 

Mr.  Monzen  isolated  several  kinds  of  bacteria,  among  them 
one  bacillus  to  which  Dr.  Omori  gave  the  name  of  Bacillus  visco- 
sus  natto  and  which  he  said,  is  the  principal  microbe  that  produces 
strong  viscosity.  The  two  kinds  of  bacilli  which  he  named 
Bacillus  odorans  natto  I  and  Bacillus  odorans  natto  II,  produce 
good  aroma  in  natto;  and  another  one  which  he  named  pseudo- 
monas  odorans  natto,  produces  also  good  aroma.  The  latter 
three  did  not  produce  good  natto,  unless  the  material  is  inoculated 
also  with  B.  viscosus  natto.  Thus  the  author  concluded  that  there 
are  necessary  for  the  preparation  of  natto  at  least  two  kinds  of 
bacteria,  one  producing  the  peculiar  aroma  and  the  other  strong 
viscosity. 

Mr.  Muto  isolated  several  bacteria  and  concludes  that  only 
one  bacillus  belonging  to  B.  subtiUs  group  is  necessary  for  the 
production  of  natto. 

I  isolated  also  several  bacteria  from  natto,  prepared  in  Tokyo, 
Aizu,  and  Morioka,  and  found  that  these  all  contain  the  same 
micro-organisms,  amongst  which  the  following  three  bacilli  are 
the  principal  ones;  several  other  bacilli  are  not  suitable  for  the 
preparation  of  natto,  as  they  produce  bad  color  or  smell  and  make 
the  natto  unfit  for  eating.  Two  micrococci  were  foimd,  one  of 
which  was  analogous  to  Mic.  flavus,  and  the  other  producing  a 
translucent  colony  on  agar  plate-culture;  but,  both  the  micrococci 
having  no  relation  to  the  preparation  of  natto,  I  gave  up  their 
further  investigation. 


256        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Bacillus  No.  1 

This  bacillus  develops  most  energetically  at  high  temperature 
(40 — 50°  C.)  and  produces  the  best  quality  of  natto,  providing 
much  mucilage  and  good  aroma. 
Form: 

The  cells  grown  in  bouillon  at  40°  C.  are  1  fi  thick  and  5-8  fi  long. 

It  moves  energetically,  providing  long  cilia  around  its  body. 
Spore : 

An  oval  spore  is  formed  principally  in  one  end  of  the  cell,  which 
is  0.8  /tt  thick  and  1,.6  /*  long;  the  formation  of  spore  requires  4 
hours  at  42°  C.  and  germination  of  it  begins  equatorial  after  2| 
hours  at  the  same  temperature. 
Oxygen: 

Obligate  aerobe. 
Coloring: 

It  is  colored  readily  with  aniline  coloring  matters  and  also 
after  Gram's  method. 
Bouillon  culture: 

Bouillon  remains  almost  clear  after  its  development,  and  a 
strong  folded  film,  colored  shghtly  grayish  brown,  is  formed  after 
10  hours  at  38°  C. 

Sugar  bouillon  becomes  slightly  turbid  changing  its  reaction 
to  acidic  at  the  beginning,  which  turns  alkaline  gradually;  gas  is 
not  formed. 
Peptone-water  culture: 

It  produces  a  grayish  white  film  on  its  surface  and  the  liquid 
becomes  slightly  turbid. 
Gelatine  plate-culture : 

Small  white  colonies  are  formed  which  liquefy  it  quickly. 
Gelatine  stab-culture: 

It  develops  vigorously  at  the  surface  and  liquefies  gelatine  in 
the  shape  of  a  funnel;  the  liquefied  part  remains  transparent  and 
a  film  is  formed. 
Agar  plate-culture: 

White  and  mealy-looking  colony,  that  has  a  rough  wristle  at 
its  centre  but  delicate  at  its  edge,  spreading  very  rapidly  at  40°  C. 
Agar  slope-culture: 


xvin]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  257 

Colony  develops  along  the  line  and  spreads  rapidly  all  over  the 
surface  with  mealy  appearance;  the  condensed  water  remains 
transparent  with  a  film  on  its  surface,  but  no  sediment. 
Potato  culture: 

Elevated  colony  is  formed  in  the  beginning,  which  spreads  soon 
over  the  whole  surface  of  the  medium;  the  colour  of  the  colony  is 
yellowish  brown  and  it  is  folded  with  mealy  appearance,  the 
medium  becoming  brown. 
Milk  culture : 

It  is  coagulated  at  first  and  is  dissolved  again. 
Hjs: 

Is  formed. 
Indol  reaction: 

Is  not  obtained  from  old  bouillon  culture. 
Reducing  property: 

It  reduces  methylene  blue  in  bouillon  but  does  not  develop  in 
the  glucose  nitrate  medium. 
Ammonia: 

Is  formed  in  the  culture  of  bouillon  and  Soya  beans. 
Enzym : 

Diastase  and  proteolytic  enzym  of  tryptic  nature  are  recognised. 
Behaviour  to  temperature: 

It  develops  very  vigorously  at  50°  C,  but  not  at  60°  C.    It  is 
killed  at  60°  C.  after  two  hours,  and  after  one  hour  at  80°  C. 

The  resistance  of  the  spores  against  heat  is  very  strong,  for  it 
wants  one  hour  to  be  killed  in  Koch's  steam-steriliser. 
Behaviour  to  several  compounds: 
Table  salt: 

In  bouillon  containing  15%  NaCl  it  develops  slowly,  but  not  in 
20%solution. 
Alcohol : 

It  develops  in  bouillon  containing  4%,  but  not  in  5%  alcohol. 

The  spore  is  not  killed  readily  with  alcohol,  as  it  is  yet  alive 
after  ten  days  and  more,  when  put  either  in  50%  or  absolute 
alcohol  at  20°  C. 
HCl: 

It  develops  in  bouillon  containing  0.025%  HCl,  but  not  in  0.05% 
The  spore  which  is  put  in_3%^HCl  is^^alive  after  one  day,  but  not 


258        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

after  two  days.    In  4%  HCl  it  is  alive  after  one  bour,  but  not  after 
two  hours. 
Acetic  acid: 

It  develops  in  bouillon  with  same  concentration  as  hydrochloric 
acid. 

The  spore  is  not  killed  by  glacial  acetic  acid  after  10  days  and 
more. 
NaOH: 

It  develops  in  bouillon  containing  0.2%  NaOH,  but  not  in 
0.3%. 

The  spore  is  killed  when  it  is  put  in  35%  solution  after  one  day. 
Phenol: 

It  develops  in  bouillon  containing  0.1%  Phenol,  but  not  in 
0.2%. 

The  spore  is  not  killed  after  ten  days  when  it  is  put  in  5% 
solution. 
Corrosive  sublimate: 

It  develops  in  bouillon  containing  0.0025%  HgCl2,  but  not  in 
0.005%. 

The  spore  is  killed  after  50  minutes  when  it  is  put  in  0.1% 
solution,  but  it  was  alive  after  40  minutes  in  the  same  solu- 
tion. 

This  bacillus  may  be  the  same  as  those  which  Dr.  Sawamura 
represented  as  Bacillus  No.  2  and  Bacillus  viscosus  Omori,  and 
also  that  which  Mr.  Muto  thought  was  the  only  bacterium  which 
produces  natto,  though  there  are  several  differences  in  its  behav- 
iour investigated  by  these  authors. 

Bacillus  No.  2 

This  bacillus  develops  most  energetically  at  high  temperature 
and  produces  natto  of  the  best  quality,  forming  much  mucilage 
and  rather  higher  aroma  than  Bacillus  No.  1. 
Form: 

The  cells  grown  in  bouillon  at  40°  C.  are  0.8-1  /*  thick  and  4-10  /i 
long. 
Motility: 

It  moves  vigorously  providing  long  cilia  aroimd  its  body. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  259 

Spore: 

An  oval  spore  is  formed  in  one  end  of  the  cell,  and  it  is  0.8  /i 
thick  and  2  /*  long. 

The  spore  wants  4  hours  at  42°  C.  for  its  formation  and  it  germi- 
nates equatorial  after  2^  hours  at  the  same  temperature. 
Oxygen: 

Obligate  aerobe. 
Colouring: 

The  cell  is  coloured  easily  by  aniline  colouring  matters  and  also 
after  Gram's  method. 
Bouillon  culture: 

Bouillon  remains  almost  clear  after  its  development  and  a 
strongly  folded  film  of  slightly  grayish  brown  is  formed  after 
twelve  hours  at  38°  C.  Sugar  bouillon  becomes  slightly  turbid, 
changing  acidic  at  the  beginning  which  turns  alkaline  gradually; 
gas  is  not  formed. 
Peptone-water  culture: 

It  produces  a  grayish  white  film  on  its  surface  and  the  liquid 
becomes  turbid  slightly. 
Gelatine  stab-culture : 

It  develops  on  the  surface  quickly  and  liquefies  gelatine  in  the 
shape  of  a  funnel;  the  liquefied  part  remains  transparent  and  a 
film  is  formed. 
Agar  plate-culture: 

There  is  formed  a  white  and  mealy-looking  colony  with  rough 
wristle  at  its  centre  but  delicate  at  its  edgp,  spreads  very  quickly 
at  40°  C. 
Agar  streak-culture : 

Colony  develops  along  the  line  and  spreads  rapidly  all  over  the 
surface  with  mealy  appearance.     The  condensed  water  remains 
transparent  with  a  folded  film  on  its  surface  but  no  sediment. 
Potato  culture: 

Elevated  colony  is  formed  in  the  beginning,  which  soon  spreads 
over  the  whole  surface  of  the  medium;  the  colony  is  folded  and 
has  brownish  yellow  colour  and  mealy  appearance ;  the  medium 
becomes  brownish  gray. 
Milk  culture : 

It  is  coagulated  at  the  beginning  and  is  dissolved  again. 


260        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Is  not  formed. 
Indol  reaction: 

Is  not  obtained  from  old  bouillon  culture. 
Reducing  property: 

It  reduces  methylene  blue  in  bouillon  and  produces  ammonia 
by  reduction  of  nitric  acid  in  the  glucose  nitrate  medium. 
Ammonia: 

It  is  formed  in  the  cvdture  of  bouillon  and  soya  beans. 
Enzym: 

Diastase  and  proteolytic  enzym  of  the  tryptic  nature  are 
recognised.  * 

Concerning  the  behaviour  against  heat  and  several  compounds 
as  formerly  mentioned,  there  is  not  much  difference  with  Bacillus 
No.  1. 

This  bacillus  may  be  the  same  as  that  which  Dr.  Sawamura 
named  Bacillus  natto,  thoiigh  there  are  several  differences  in  its 
behaviour  investigated  by  us.  As  this  bacillus  does  not  produce 
any  mucilage  at  low  temperature  (say,  35°  C.)  he  thought  it, 
perhaps,  to  be  one  which  produces  aroma  peculiar  to  natto;  but, 
as  I  mentioned  already,  this  bacillus  produces  much  mucilage  at 
higher  temperature  and  makes  good  natto  with  high  aroma. 

Bacillus  No.  S 

This  bacillus  develops  most  energetically  at  40°  C,  and  when  it 
is  developed  on  boiled  soya  beans  at  this  temperature,  it  produces 
good  natto  with  strong  viscosity  and  good  aroma;  but  its  mucilage 
is  somewhat  less  than  Bacillus  No.  1  and  Bacillus  No.  2. 
Form: 

The  cells  grown  in  bouillon  at  40°  C.  are  1.2  /i*  thick  and  6-10 
IJ'  long. 
Motility: 

It  moves  providing  long  ciha  around  its  body. 
Spore: 

An  oval  spore  is  formed  in  one  end  of  the  cell,  which  is  1  A*  thick 
and  1.5  A*  long. 

The  spore  is  formed  after  4  hours  at  42°  C.  and  germinates 
equatorial  after  2|  hours  at  the  same  temperature. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  261 

Oxygen: 

Obligate  aerobe. 
Colouring: 

It  is  coloured  readily  with  aniline  colouring  matters  and  also 
after  Gram's  method. 
Bouillon  culture: 

Bouillon  becomes  slightly  turbid  and  a  brittle  film  of  sUghtly 
grayish  brown  colour  is  formed  after  ten  hours  at  38°  C.  and 
produces  a  small  amount  of  sediment.  The  film  is  broken  easily 
by  shaking  and  sinks  to  the  bottom.  Sugar  bouillon  changes  to 
slightly  acidic  at  the  beginning  and  turns  slightly  alkaline  after- 
wards. 
Peptone-water  culture : 

It  becomes  sUghtly  tmbid  and  forms  a  yellowish  white  film  on 
its  surface.    Gas  is  not  formed. 
Gelatine  plate-culture : 

Small  white  colonies  are  formed  which  Uquefy  it  quickly. 
Gelatine  stab-culture: 

It  develops  on  the  surface  at  the  beginning  and  Uquefies  gela- 
tine in  the  shape  of  a  funnel,  afterwards  thoroughly. 
Agar  plate-culture: 

White  colony  with  rough  wristle  at  its  centre  but  delicate  at  its 
edge,  spreads  very  rapidly  at  40°  C. 
Agar  slope-culture: 

The  colony  develops  along  the  Une  and  spreads  rapidly  in  the 
shape  of  a  feather;  the  condensed  water  is  transparent  with  a  film 
on  its  surface,  but  no  sediment. 
Potato  culture: 

Yellowish  gray  colony  is  formed,  somewhat  elevated  in  the 
beginning;  it  spreads  soon  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  medium. 
The  colony  has  strong  viscosity  and  it  is  folded  shallower  than 
Bacillus  No.  1.  and  Bacillus  No.  2.,  the  medium  becoming  gray. 
Milk  culture: 

It  is  coagulated  and  dissolved  again. 
HsS: 

Is  produced. 
Indol  reaction: 

Is  not  obtained  from  old  bouillon  culture. 


262        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Reducing  property: 

It  reduces  methylene  blue  in  bouillon,  and  ammonia  is  formed 
by  the  reduction  of  nitric  acid  in  the  glucose  nitrate  medium. 
Ammonia: 

Is  formed  in  the  culture  of  bouillon  and  soya  beans. 
Enzym: 

Diastase  and  proteolytic  enzym  of  tryptic  nature  are  recognized. 

The  behavior  to  heat  and  several  compoimds  is  almost  the 
same  as  with  Bacillus  No.  1,  although  there  are  some  differences. 

This  may  be  the  same  bacillus  as  Bacillus  grossus,  but  as  there 
is  no  detailed  description  of  it,  I  cannot  make  a  precise  comparison. 

VI.    The  Application  of  Ctjltuked  Bacteria  for  the 
Preparation  of  Natto 

As  mentioned  already,  when  we  prepare  natto  in  a  glass  dish  at 
ca.3.0°C.  inoculated  with  Bacillus  No.  1  it  has  some  viscosity, 
while  others  have  not,  but  the  aroma  was  inferior  to  that  made  in 
straw  bundles,  for  it  does  not  touch  with  straw.  At  45°C.  all 
bacilh  produce  natto  of  fine  quaUty  providing  strong  viscosity 
and  good  aropia;  the  aroma  produced  by  Bacillus  No.  1  was  the 
best,  while  Bacillus  No.  2  produces  a  rather  strong  smell  of 
ammonia,  and  Bacillus  No.  S  being  the  worst;  moreover,  I  pre- 
pared natto  according  to  the  common  way  differing  only  on  the 
point  of  inoculating  these  bacilh  separately  and  also  mixing  them 
with  one  another.  The  result  was  that  natto  which  was  pro- 
duced by  the  inoculation  of  Bacillus  No.  1  was  the  best,  as  it  has 
much  mucilage  and  fine  aroma,  while  Bacillus  No.  2  produced 
an  inferior  and  Bacillus  No.  8  the  worst  quality.  Natto  produced 
by  the  inoculation  of  mixed  baccilli  was  not  so  good  as  that  pro- 
duced by  each  bacillus;  so,  there  is  no  necessity  that  two  or  more 
bacilli  present  for  the  formation  of  good  natto.  By  the  inoculation 
of  cultured  bacteria  we  can  entirely  avoid  failures  and  can 
prepare  good  natto  by  selecting  the  bacteria.  Otherwise,  it  is 
sufficient  to  put  it  in  the  cellar  for  only  one  day,  after  which  the 
natto  will  be  ready  for  consumption.  So,  I  recommend  to  use 
the  pure  culture  of  proper  bacteria  according  to  the  following 
way: 


xvin] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


263 


The  bacteria  developed  on  the  slope  culture  medium  of  agar 
are  mixed  with  juice  produced  by  the  boihng  of  beans.  This  is 
poured  over  the  surface  of  boiled  beans  while  they  are  still  in  the 
kettle,  the  further  process  being  the  same  as  usual.  There  is  no 
necessity  of  mixing  several  bacilli. 


VII.    Natto  as  a  Food  Accessort 

As  natto  is  prepared  from  soya  beans  which  are  rich  in  protein 
and  carbohydrates,  it  contains  much  protein  and  carbohydrates; 
the  nutritive  value  of  it  is  greater  than  that  of  boiled  soya  beans, 
for  it  is  rich  in  soluble  matters  produced  by  the  micro-organisms. 

The  composition  of  natto  differs  exceedingly  with  age,  but  its 
mean  composition  is  as  follows :  (Compare  with  the  composition  of 
boiled  soya  beans.) 


Moisture 
Dry  matter 

Crude  protein 
Crude  fat 
Crude  fibre 
N-free  extract 

Ash 

Total-N 

Albuminoid-N 


In  100  pts.  of  fresh  natto. 

63.480 

46.520 

In  100  pts.  of  dry  matter: 

46.088 

20.216 

6.140 

3.348 


Soluble  in  water  2 .  495 
Insoluble  in  water  0 .  853 

5.010  " 

7.374 

5 .  458  r  Soluble  in  water  1 .  141 
\  Insoluble  in  water  4.317 


Non-albuminoid-N       1.916 

The  micro-organisms  which  grow  on  the  soya  beans  secrete 
trypsin  and  diastase;  so,  when  we  take  it  together  with  several 
foods  rich  in  protein  or  starch,  they  may  be  digested  more  rapidly 
than  when  they  are  taken  alone. 

I  express  many  thanks  to  Dr.  Sato,  Director  of  our  College, 
who  helped  me  in  determining  the  quality  of  natto  that  I  prepared, 
and  also  to  Mr.  N.  Nitta  and  Mr.  Y.  Tanaka  who  assisted  me  in 
these  investigations. 


CONTRIBUTION    TO    THE    CHEMISTRY   OF    THE 
RIPENING   OF  "SHIOKARA" 

By  Y.  Okuda 
College  of  Agriculture,  Imperial  University,  Tokyo 

Although  the  isolation  and  identification  of  some  nitrogenous 
compounds  in  "Shiokara"  has  been  undertaken  about  two 
years  ago  by  Prof.  U.  Suzuki,  Yoneyama  and  Otake  in  this 
laboratory,  no  chemical  investigation  abo\it  the  ripening  process 
of  this  interesting  food  material  has  yet  been  reported.  So  I 
have  tried  to  contribute  something  on  this  line.  I  have  observed 
that  the  autolysis  and  the  action  of  microbes  are  two  indispen- 
sable factors  for  the  preparation  of  "Shiokara."'  Some  trials 
have  also  been  made  to  isolate  the  enzymes  which  play  an  im- 
portant r61e  in  this  process,  and  finally,  I  have  carried  out  some 
quantitative  determinations  to  see  the  chemical  changes  at 
different  stages  of  ripening. 

I.    Autolysis  and  the  Action  of  Microbes 

1).  To  see  whether  the  autolysis  is  going  on  during  the 
ripening  process  of  "Shiokara,"  very  fresh  organs'  of  a  bonito 
fish  were  minced  with  a  meat-chopping  machine,  and  rubbed 
with  some  quartz  sand  in  a  mortar.  40g  of  the  paste  thus  pre- 
pared was  divided  into  two  equal  parts,  and  put  in  the  flasks 
A  and  B.  After  adding  100  c.c.  of  water  to  each  flask,  A  was 
boiled  for  a  few  minutes  to  destroy  the  enzymatic  action.  Both 
flasks  were  then  shaken  with  enough  toluol  and  a  little  chloro- 
form, and  kept  for  4  days  at  ordinary  temperature.  No  bac- 
terial growth  was  observed  during  that  time.    The  flask  B  was 

'  "Shiokara"  made  from  the  organs  of  bonito  was  used. 
•  The  Btomach,  the  intestines,  and  the  pyloric  coecum. 
10  265 


266        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


now  boiled,  and  the  contents  of  both  flasks  were  then  filtered 
and  analysed  with  the  following  results : — 


A  (boiled) 

B  (not  boiled) 

Total  soluble-N 

1.697% 
0.184  " 
1.513   " 

1.895% 

Soluble  Alb.-N 

0.141  " 

Non-alb.-N 

1.754  " 

2).  The  fresh  "Shiokara"  two  days  after  preparation  was 
chopped  and  crushed  in  a  mortar,  200g  of  the  paste  were  di- 
vided into  two  equal  parts  and  put  in  two  flasks  of  1  litre  capacity, 
and  stoppered  with  cotton  plugs.  After  adding  500  c.c.  water, 
one  flask  was  boiled.  To  each  flask  was  now  added  enough 
toluol  and  chloroform  and  after  keeping  for  4  days  at  room 
temperature,  the  contents  of  both  flasks  were  filtered  and  analysed. 


A  (Boiled) 

B  (not  boiled) 

Total  aoluble-N 

1.848% 
0.056   " 
1.792   " 
0.604  " 

2.052% 

Soluble  Alb.-N 

0.038  " 

Non-alb.— N 

2.014  " 

Amino-N  (after  fonnol  method) 

1.023  " 

We  see  from  the  above  two  experiments  that  autolysis  is  going 
on  in  the  fresh  organs  of  bonito  fish,  and  also  in  the  freshly  pre- 
pared "Shiokara." 

3).  The  microbes,  predominating  in  "Shiokara"  seem  to  be 
quite  different  at  different  stages  of  its  ripening.  In  three  prepa- 
rations, made  in  April  and  two  months  old,  we  found  immense 
niunbers  of  yeasts,  bacilli  and  cocci,  but  only  few  moulds,  while 
in  a  sample  prepared  early  in  October  and  about  one  and  a  half 
months  old,  were  found  numerous  yeasts,  the  other  microbes 
being  relatively  very  few. 

The  isolation  and  identification  of  these  microbes  will  be 
reported  afterwards. 

4).  120g  of  the  "Shiokara",  which  was  two  months  old, 
were  well  crushed  and  equally  diA^ded  into  three  Erlenmeyer 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


267 


flasks  containing  each  100  c.c.  of  saturated  natrium  chloride 
solution  and  treated  in  the  following  way : — 

A.  Control: — Not  boiled,  no  antiseptics  added. 

B.  Not  boiled,  toluol  and  chloroform  added  to  prevent  the 
bacterial  growth,  but  not  the  enzymatic  action. 

C.  Boiled  and  antiseptics  added  to  prevent  both  bacterial 
and  enzymatic  action. 

After  keeping  for  ten  days  at  34 — 38°,  they  were  boiled  and 
filtered,  and  the  filtrates  were  analysed  with  the  following 
results: — 


A 
(Control) 

B 

(Not  boiled, 

but  antiseptic 

added) 

C 
(Boiled  and  an- 
tiseptic added) 

Total  soluble-N 

2.404% 
0.049  " 
2.355" 

2.305% 
0.090  " 
2.215  " 

2.305% 

Soluble  alb.-N 

0.184" 

Non-alb.-N 

2.121  " 

The  above  experiment  shows  that  both  autolysis  and  the  action 
of  microbes  are  going  on  very  slowly  in  the  old  preparations 
compared  to  fresh  ones.  The  investigation  of  Wehmer'  on 
salted  herring  has  shown  that  the  action  of  microbes  upon 
proteins  is  somewhat  retarded  in  5  per  cent,  common  salt  solu- 
tion, but  it  does  not  entirely  stop  even  in  30%  solution.  As  the 
concentration  of  the  salt  in  "Shiokara"  usually  is  15%,  there  is 
no  doubt  that  the  microbes  can  still  play  an  important  role  on 
the  ripening  process,  especially  at  the  early  stage  of  its  prepa- 
ration. 

II.    Enzymes  m  'Shiokara" 

Trypsin,  diastase  and  lipase  were  identified  in  the  fresh  organs 
of  a  bonito  fish  and  also  in  the  fresh  preparations  of  "Shiokara." 
In  the  old  preparation,  however,  their  action  seems  to  be  much 
retarded.  This  observation  agrees  well  with  the  experiments 
mentioned  above. 

'Wehmer:  Abhandlungen  des  deutschen  Seefischerei — Vereins,  III,  1898. 


268        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

1).  Fresh  organs.  The  stomach,  intestines  and  pyloric  coecum 
of  a  fresh  bonito  were  freed  from  their  contents  and  rubbed  with 
some  quartz  sand  in  a  mortar,  and  filtered  through  the  cloth 
filter.  The  faintly  acid  extract  thus  obtained  has  shown  its 
peptonifying  power  upon  milk  and  fibrin,  either  in  the  faintly 
acid  reaction  or  after  addition  of  0 . 2%  sodium  carbonate.  But 
no  action  was  observed  in  presence  of  0.2%  hydrochloric  acid 
in  the  medium,  thus  the  absence  of  a  pepsin  is  most  profitable. 

The  existence  of  diastase  was  shown  by  the  saccharification  of 
starch  paste  and  glycogen  in  the  neutral  reaction. 

For  the  detection  of  lipase,  the  minced  and  groimd  organ  was 
extracted  with  a  mixture  of  90  parts  of  pure  glycerine  and  10 
parts  of  1%  sodium  carbonate,  10  c.c.  of  the  mixture  being  used 
for  1  g  of  the  sample.  The  liquid  was  filtered  through  a  piece  of 
cloth  and  exactly  neutralized.  By  the  addition  of  some  milk  or 
olive  oil  to  this  extract,  the  increase  of  acidity  due  to  the  formation 
of  fatty  acids  by  the  action  of  Hpase  upon  neutral  fats  was  ob- 
served. Of  course  some  toluol  and  chloroform  being  added  to 
prevent  the  bacterial  growth. 

2).  "Shiokara"  at  different  stages  of  ripening.  The  following 
observation  was  made  with  the  samples  collected  at  different 
stages  of  ripening: — 

(a).    " Shiokara,"  two  days  old. 

Trypsin.         Present,  active. 

Diastase.         Do. 

Lipase.  Present,  but  the  action  was  very  weak, 

(b).     "Shiokara."  40-50  days  old. 

Trypsin.         Present,  but  very  weak. 

Diastase.         No  reaction. 

Pepsin.  Do. 

(c).    "Shiokara,"  50-60  days  old. 

Trypsin.  Very  weak. 

Lipase.  Do. 

Diastase.        No  reaction. 

3).  Isolation  of  enzymes.  For  this  purpose,  about  200g  of 
the  fresh  sample,  3  days  old,  were  finely  minced  and  ground 
with  some  quartz  sand  in  a  mortar  and  macerated  with  a  little 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  269 

distilled  water.  The  liquid  was  strained  through  linen  cloth, 
and  after  dialysing  for  about  two  hours  to  get  rid  of  the  greater 
part  of  the  common  salt,  it  was  poured  in  a  mixture  of  absolute 
alcohol  and  ether,  the  grayish  white  voluminous  precipitate 
thus  produced  was  then  collected  on  a  filter,  washed  with  abso- 
lute alcohol  and  ether,  and  dried  over  sulphuric  acid.  The 
crude  enzyme  preparation  obtained  in  this  way,  when  dissolved 
in  a  little  water  has  shown  strong  diastatic  and  tryptic  action 
while  that  of  lipase  was  very  weak.  When  the  solution  of  this 
crude  enzymes  was  added  to  a  solution  of  various  amino-acid, 
no  liberation  of  ammonia  was  observed,  showing  the  absence 
of  amidase. 

The  proteolytic  enzyme  which  acts  in  weak  alkaline  as  well  as 
in  neutral  or  in  faintly  acid  reaction,  but  not  in  a  0 . 2%  hydro- 
chloric acid  solution,  was  also  found  by  Blanchard*  in  several 
fishes  and  by  Roaf*  in  two  crustaceae. 

'  Blanchard,  Jahresberioht  flir  Their-Chemie,  13,  1883— Orig.  Compt.  rend. 
96,  1241. 

"Roaf,  Jahresber.  f.  Tier  Chem.  36, 1906 — Orig.  Biochem.  Journal,  1.  390- 
87. 


270        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


III.    Chemical  Changes  During  the  Ripening  Process 

1).  The  sample^  used  for  this  detefmination  was  prepared  on 
the  17th  of  June,  1911,  and  after  3,  6,  12,  25,  and  40  days  re- 
spectively a  portion  was  taken  for  analysis.  Thus  the  following 
results  were  obtained: — 


Date  of  analysis 


12 


25 


40 


Days  after 
prepara- 
tion 


In  100  parts  of  fresh  samples 


Water 

Dry  matter 

Total-N 

Alb.-N 

Ether-extract 

Soluble  matter 

Non-alb.-N 

Ammonium-N 

Organic  base-N 

Othei-N 

Total  acid  (as  lactic) 

NaCl  (calculated  from  total 
chlorine) 


64.96 
35.05 
1.98 
0.35 
1.83 
27.25 
1.63 
0.15 
0.84 
0.74 
1.43 

17.31 


64.78 
35.22 
2.04 
0.35 
1.81 
28.45 
1.69 
0.15 
0.72 
0.80 
1.42 


64.58 
35.42 
2.05 
0.28 
1.81 
29.24 
1.83 
0.25 
0.69 
1.09 
0.97 

17.34 


64.25 
35.75 


0.26 
1.71 
31.10 
1. 
0.18 
0.63 
1.17 
0.96 


63.99 
36.01 
2.07 
0.14 
1.74 
31.14 
2.01 
0.13 
0.64 
1.43 
0.98 

17.71 


In  100  parts  of  dry  matter 


Total-N 

Alb.-N 

Ether-extract.  . . 
Soluble  matter . . 

Non-alb.-N 

Ammonium-N.  . 
Organic  base-N . 

Other-N 

'Total  acid 

Common  salt .  .  . 


5.64 
1.00 
5.21 

77.74 
4.64 
0.43 
2.39 
2.12 
4.07 

49.37 


5.79 
1.00 
5.13 
80.76 
4.79 
0.43 
2.04 
2.26 
4.02 


5.79 
0.80 
5.10 

82.53 
5.18 
0.70 
1.97 
3.09 
2.73 

48.95 


5.76 
0.38 
4.84 

86.49 
5.57 
0.36 
1.79 
3.98 
2.72 

49.17 


'  This  sample  contained  the  stomach,  intestines,  pyloric  coecum  and  very 
little  liver. 


xviii] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


271 


2).  The  second  sample*  was  prepared  on  the  3rd  of  Oct. 
1911,  and  after  1,  14,  and  53  days  respectively,  a  portion  was 
taken  for  analysis: — 


In  100  parts  of  fresh 
sample 


In  100  parts  of  dry 
matter 


Days  after 
prepara- 
tion 


Date  of  analysis  . 

Water 

Dry  matter 

Total-N 

Total  acid 

Ether-extract . 

Soluble  matter. . . 

Non-alb.-N 

Ammonium-N . . . , 
Organic  base-N . . , 

Creatinine-N 

Creatine-N 

Xanthine  base-N  , 

Other-N 

Natrium  chloride . . 


1 

64.39 
35.61 
2.29 
0.95 
6.84 
25.61 
1.59 
0.10 
0.81 
0.01 
0.02 


0.66 
13.61 


14 

63.00 

36.99 


1.05 
6.89 

27.14 
1.85 
0.12 
0.73 

Trace 

Trace 
0.06 
1.00 

13.94 


53 

60.33 

39.67 


1.14 


28.90 
2.07 
0.14 
0.71 
Trace 
Trace 
0.03 
1.21 


1 

0 
100, 

6 

2. 
19. 
71. 

4. 

0. 

2. 

0. 

0. 


1 
37. 


14 

0.0 

100.0 


2.85 

18.61 

73.27 

4.99 

0.32 

1.96 

Trace 

Trace 

0.16 

2.71 

37.62 


53 
0.0 
100.0 


2.88 


72.86 
5.21 
0.35 
1.79 
Trace 
Trace 
0.08 
3.05 


The  results  of  the  above  two  analyses  may  be  summarized  as 
follows: — 


Soluble  organic  matter 
Alb.-N 
Non-alb.-N 
Anunonium-N 


Monoamino-N 

Organic  base-N 

Creatine-N 

Creatinine-N 

Xanthinbase-N 

EtheT'^ztract 

Total  acid 


(1) 

(2) 

Gradually  increased 

Do. 

"            decreased 

"           increased 

Do. 

Increased  at  first  and 

Gradually  increased 

decreased  hence- 

forward. 

Gradually  increased 

Do. 

"           decreased 

Do. 

Gradually  decreased 
11               11 

Somewhat  decreased 

11                              u 

Do. 

Decreased 

Somewhat  increased 

>  This  sample  contained  more  liver  than  the  former  one. 


272        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Thus  the  results  of  two  analyses  resemble  each  other  in  general 
respects,  only  the  contradictory  results  were  observed  with 
ammonia  and  with  total  acid.  This  may  be  due  to  the  differ- 
ences of  materials  and  also  the  temperature  during  the  experi- 
ments. 

3).  I  will  add  here  some  quahtative  tests  made  about  the 
distillates  obtained  by  the  steam  distillation  of  two  shiokara- 
preparations,  in  neutral  as  well  as  in  acid  reaction. 


10  days  after 

61  days  after 

In  the  distillate 

preparation 

preparation 

Alcohol 

i+y  (very  little) 

(— )* 

Aldehyde 

(-) 

(— ) 

Acetone 

(-) 

(— ) 

Indol 

(-) 

(— ) 

Phenol 

(-) 

(— ) 

Formic  acid 

(+)  (trace) 

(+)  (distinct) 

In  the  residue 

Lactic  acid 

(+)  (distinct) 

Succinic  acid 

(-) 

In  the  water  extract  of 
the  natural  sample 

Tryptophan 


(+) 


(+) 


StTMMABT  of  the  REStTLTS 

1).  Various  samples,  examined  at  different  stages  of  ripening, 
gave  all  acid  reaction  chiefly  due  to  lactic  acid. 

2).  Autolysis  is  going  on  in  the  freshly  prepared  "Shiokara," 
and  decreases  gradually  as  the  ripening  process  proceeds. 

3).  The  enzymes  found  in  "Shiokara"  are  diastase,  lipase, 
and  trypsin.  The  last  one  acts  not  only  in  weak  alkaUne  solu- 
tion but  also  even  in  neutral  or  in  faintly  acid  reaction. 

4).  Micro-organisms  play  also  some  important  r61e  during  the 
ripening  process. 

'(+),  indicates  presence;  (— )  absence. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  273 

5).  Temperature  has  also  great  influence  upon  the  action  of 
enzymes  and  microbes. 

6).  During  the  ripening  process,  the  increase  of  soluble  matter 
non-albiuninoid  nitrogen,  especially  monoamino-nitrogen,  and 
the  decrease  of  protein,  organic  bases,  creatine,  creatinine,  and 
purin  bases  were  observed. 

In  conclusion  I  express  my  thanks  to  Profs.  CJ.  Suzuki  and 
S.  Machida  for  their  kind  advices  given  during  the  work. 


QUANTITATIVE     DETERMINATION     OF     CREATINE, 

CREATININE  AND  MONOAMINO-ACIDS  IN  SOME 

FISHES,  MOLLUSCA  AND  CRUSTACEA 

By  Y.  Okuda 
College  of  Agriculture,  Imperial  University,  Tokyo 

I.    Creatine  and  Creatinine 

For  the  determination  of  creatine  and  creatinine,  the  flesh 
freed  from  bones,  heads,  fins,  scales,  and  internal  organs*  was 
chopped  and  extracted  with  water  at  50-55°  for  one  hour.  The 
residue  was  treated  two  times  more  in  the  same  way.  The  whole 
extract  was  now  boiled  for  a  short  time  to  remove  most  of  the 
proteins  by  coagulation  and  filtered.  The  filtrate  was  evapo- 
rated under  diminished  pressure  to  a  small  volume  and  was 
divided  into  two  portions.  One  portion  of  it  served  directly  for 
the  determination  of  creatinine  after  Fohn's  colorimetric  method, 
while  the  other  portion  was  previously  boiled  with  nearly  4  per 
cent,  sulphuric  acid  for  two  hoxirs,  to  convert  the  creatine  pres- 
ent into  creatinine,  and  after  removing  the  sulphuric  acid  by 
means  of  barium  hydroxide,  it  was  subjected  to  the  determination 
after  Fohn.  From  the  difference  of  these  two  determinations 
we  can  calculate  the  quantity  of  creatine  originally  present  in  the 
flesh,  1  mg  creatinine  being  equivalent  to  1.16  mg  creatine. 
The  results  obtained  were  as  follows : 

'  The  case  of  clam  was  exception,  as  its  whole  body  was  used. 


275 


276        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 


Name 


In  100  parts  of  fresh 
substance 


Water 
g 


Creatine 
g 


Creati- 
nine 
g 


In  100  parts  of 
dry  matter 


Creatine 


g 


Creati- 
nine 
g 


Bonito  (Gymnonsarda  aifinis 

Cantor) 

Timnyfish    (Thunnus  schlegeli 

Steined) 

"Katsuobushi"  (Steamed  and 

dried  bonito) 

Salmon  (Oncorhynchus  tshawyt- 

scha  Walbaum) 

Snapper  (Pagrus  major) 

Carp    (Cyprinus    carpio    L) .  .  .  . 

Shark 

Lobster    (Palinurus    japonicus 

Gray) 

Crab    (Neptmius    pelagicus    M- 

Edw) 

Cuttle-fish  (Sepia  esculentaHoyle) 
"Kakisxn-ume"      (Chopped     and 

dried   cuttle-fish) 

Clam   (Cytherea  meretrix  L) . . . 


72.165 

72.402 

14.808 

63.300 
77.340 
79.160 
79.800 

79.920 

84.500 
81.699 

27.570 
90.490 


0.649 

0.497 

0.453 

0.560 
0.754 
0.421 
0.655 

Trace? 

Trace? 
Trace 

Trace 
Trace 


0.134 

0.064 

0.660 

0.067 
0.070 
0.077 
0.134 

Trace? 

Trace? 
Trace 

Trace 
Trace 


2.011 

1.800 

0.531 

1.525 
3.327 
2.020 
3.242 


0.481 

0.232 

0.775 

0.182 
0.308 
0.369 
0.663 


The  materials  used  for  the  determination  were  very  fresh, 
except  the  salted  flesh  of  salmon. 

We  see  from  the  above  result  that  all  of  the  examined  fishes 
contained  comparatively  much  creatine  and  creatinine,'  on  the 
contrary  in  mollusca  and  Crustacea,  the  existence  of  these  two 
compovmds  was  doubtful,  at  least,  they  must  be  present  only 
in  traces.  In  fresh  fish  we  found  generally  more  creatine  than 
creatinine,  while  in  dried  bonito  the  reverse  was  observed.  It  is 
therefore  possible  that  a  part  of  creatine  is  transformed  into 
creatinine  during  the  preparation  of  the  food. 

'  Van  Hoogenhuyze  and  H.  Herploegh  found  per  kilogramm  flesh  of  ox, 
sheep,  pig  and  horse  4.4,  4.1,  4.5  and  3.8  g  creatine  respectively.  (Zeitschr. 
f .  physiol.  Chem.,  1905,  46,  432.) 


xvin]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  277 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  the  water  extract  of  clam  gives 
only  slight  yellowish  red  coloration  instantly  after  addition  of 
picric  acid  and  soda  after  Folin,  thus  showing  that  only  a  trace 
of  creatinine  is  present  in  it,  but  after  standing  for  many  hours 
at  room  temperature,  it  takes  a  dark  red  color.  After  some 
tests  we  found  that  the  glycogen,  originally  present  in  the  ex- 
tract, is  gradually  acted  upon  by  diastatic  ferments  of  clam 
itself,  and  the  sugar  thus  resulted  may  impart  this  red  coloration. 
The  presence  of  diastatic  ferment  in  the  clarn  is  easily  shown  in 
the  usual  way. 

II.      MONOAMINO-ACIDS 

For  the  determination  of  monoamino-acids  Sorensen's  formol 
titration  method  was  adopted.  Of  course,  this  method  does  not 
hold  good  for  every  monoamino-acid,  but  in  the  case  of  fish 
flesh,  the  quantity  of  the  amino-acids  being  very  little,  the 
method  of  Van  Slyke  is  not  conveniently  applied. 

I  have  made  some  preliminary  tests  also,  and  found  that 
the  presence  of  organic  bases,  like  arginine,  lysine,  histidine, 
etc.,  more  or  less  interferes  with  the  result  of  the  formol  method, 
so  it  is  better  to  remove  these  bases  previously.  But  the  pres- 
ence of  creatine  has  apparently  no  effect  upon  this  determi- 
nation. 

150  g  minced  fresh  flesh,  free  from  bones,  heads,  fins,  scales 
and  internal  organs  was  extracted  in  the  similar  way  as  men- 
tioned above  and  the  aqueous  extract  was  boiled  and  slightly 
acidified  with  acetic  acid  to  remove  coagulable  proteins,  fiiltered, 
neutralized  and  evaporated  by  a  low  pressure  to  a  small  volume, 
acidified  with  sulphuric  acid  and  precipitated  with  phospho- 
tungstic  acid  in  the  usual  way.  The  filtrate  of  the  phospho- 
tungstic  precipitate,  after  the  removal  of  the  phosphotungstic 
and  sulphuric  acid  by  means  of  barium  hydroxide,  was  evapo- 
rated, in  neutral  reaction,  again  to  a  small  volume  and  titrated 
according  to  the  usual  formol  method.  Thus  the  following 
result  was  obtained: 


278        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Substance 

Water 

N  of  Mono- 

amino-acids 

ing. 

Remarks 

InlOOg 
fresh 
flesh 

InlOOg 
dry 
flesh 

Carp  I 

76.609 
76.789 
73.516 
69.371 
76.787 
81.998 
75.975 
81.671 

0.022 
0.024 
0.011 
0.022 
0.016 
0.035 
0.146 
0.089 

0.094 
0.103 
0.041 
0.072 
0.069 
0.194 
0.608 
0.485 

Tunny,  bonito,  porgy  and  cuttle  fish 
applied  to  the   above  determination 
were  fresh.     Spiny  lobster,  Crussian 
carp  and  Carp  I  were  still  Uving  when 
they  were  analyzed.    Carp  II  was  ana- 
lyzed standing  50  hours  after   death 
at  room   temperature     (12°C).     The 
increase  of  monoamino-acids  after  that 
time  was  very  insignificant. 

Carp  II 

Tunny 

Bonito 

Porerv 

Crussian  carp.  . 
Spiny  lobster . . . 
Cuttlefish 

We  see  from  the  above  resiilts  that  the  contents  of  monoamino- 
acids  are  generally  very  little  in  fish,  while  moUusca  and  Crus- 
tacea contain  a  little  more. 

III.   On  Different  Forms  of  Proteins  in  the  Flesh  of  Fish 


For  this  purpose,  the  flesh  was  extracted^  with  water,  alcohol, 
NaCl,  and  KOH,  respectively,  and  the  quantity  of  total  and 
albuminoid  nitrogen  in  each  extract  was  determined  according 
to  Kjeldahl's  method. 

•  10  g  fresh  flesh  was  extracted  with  100  c.c.  of  solvent  for  24  hours  at  10°C. 


xvin] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


279 


In  100  g  fresh 

In  100  g  dried 

Sum  of  each 

flesh 

flesh 

N  as  100 

Flesh 

Solvent 

Total 

Prot. 

Total 

Prot. 

Total 

Prot. 

N 

N 

N 

N 

N 

N 

1. 

Crussian  carp 

H^ 

0.746 

0.476 

4.144 

2.644 

17.171 

13.583 

(Carrassius  aurar 

0.2%KOH 

2.003 

1.793 

11.127 

9.960 

46.077 

51.125 

tusL) 

70%Alcohol 

0.386 

0.174 

2.144 

0.966 

8.S99 

4.961 

10%  NaCl 

1.212 

1.064 

6.732 

5.910 

27.881 

30.339 

2. 

Carp 

H^ 

0.479 

0.326 

2.182 

1.485 

11.129 

10.326 

(Cyprinus 

0.2%  KOH 

1.715 

1.341 

7.812 

6.108 

39.809 

43.477 

carpio  L) 

70%  Alcohol 

0.492 

0.240 

2.241 

1.093 

11.420 

7.602 

10%  NaCl 

1.622 

1.250 

7.388 

5.694 

37.649 

39.605 

3. 

Spiny  lobster 

H^ 

1.600 

0.736 

6.659 

3.063 

23.808 

22.816 

(Palinurus 

0.2%  KOH 

2.138 

1.212 

8.898 

5.044 

31.813 

37.572 

japonicus  Gray) 

70%  Alcohol 

0.934 

0.119 

3.887 

0.495 

13.898 

3.689 

10  %  NaCl 

2.048 

1.158 

8.544 

4.819 

30.474 

35.898 

4. 

Cuttle  fish 

H,0 

0.932 

0.351 

5.085 

1.915 

19.984 

(Sepia  esculenta 

0.2%  KOH 

1.775 

1.223 

9.864 

6.673 

38.059 

Hoyle) 

70%  Alcohol 

0.602 

— 

3.285 

— 

12.908 

10%  NaCl 

1.354 

~~ 

7.387 

— 

29.032 

The  amount  of  proteins  extracted  by  alkali  was  generally 
much  greater  than  that  extracted  by  other  solvents.  The  pro- 
teins soluble  in  10%  NaCl,  as  globulins,  were  also  much,  water 
soluble  proteins  as  proteose  and  albumine  not  much  and  the 
proteins  as  prolamins  very  little. 

IV.  Form  of  Nitrogen  in  Some  Marine  Animals 
The  analytical  results  are  shown  in  the  following  table: 

Summaries 

1.  All  of  the  examined  kinds  of  fish  contained  comparatively 
much  creatine  and  creatinine,  but  the  flesh  of  moUusca  only 
trace,  in  the  flesh  of  Crustacea  the  existence  of  these  compounds 


280        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

was  doubtful.     The  quantity  of  creatine  was  generally  much 
more  than  that  of  creatinine,  in  all  fresh  fishes. 

2.  In  all  marine  animals  examined  the  quantity  of  organic 
base  nitrogen  is  much  more  than  that  of  monoamino-acid  nitro- 
gen, and  the  amount  of  the  latter  is  generally  very  little  in  fish, 
but  somewhat  much  in  lobster  and  cuttle  fish. 

3.  Most  of  proteins  are  soluble  in  dilute  alkali  solution,  the 
proteins  soluble  in  10  per  cent  NaCl  were  also  much,  this  fact 
must  be  cared  on  the  preservation  of  fish. 

The  experiments  have  been  made  by  the  writer  under  the 
direction  of  Professor  Dr.  U.  Suzuki,  and  it  is  my  pleasant 
duty  to  thank  him  for  his  kind  advices  given  during  the  progress 
of  the  work. 


XVIll] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


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THE   EFFECT    OF    MODIFYING    THE   GLUTEN    SUR- 
ROUNDING  OF  FLOUR 

Geo.  a.  Olson 
Pullman,  Wash. 

The  results  included  in  this  article  are  a  part  of  our  cereal  investi- 
gation work.  This  particular  article  deals  with  the  modifying  of 
the  gluten  surroundings  in  flour  with  a  view  of  searching  for  the 
causes  which  affect  the  quality  of  the  flour  for  baking  purposes. 

The  oldest  idea  is  that  the  gluten  in  flour  holds  the  gas  in  panary 
fermentation.  The  capabilities  to  distend  depends  upon  the 
physical  qualities  of  gluten.  Wood  believes  the  quantity  of  the 
gluten  is  modified  according  to  the  amount  of  salts  and  acid 
present,  which  in  turn  influences  the  shape  of  the  loaf,  and  treats 
this  subject  fully  in  his  article  on  "  The  Chemistry  of  the  Strength 
of  Wheat  Flour."  * 

The  writer  in  the  following  experiments  studied  the  effect  of 
adding  directly  definite  amounts  of  acid,  alkali,  or  salt  to  original 
dialyzed,  decanted,  dough,  gliadin-free  and  nitrogen-free  with 
gliadin  added  flours.  The  nitrogen  components  of  treated  and 
untreated  flour  have  also  been  included.  The  quantity  of  dry 
gluten  and  the  nitrogen  in  the  gluten  of  these  respective  flours 
was  determined  in  each  case. 

In  order  to  remove  the  salts  from  a  flour  by  either  dialysis 
or  decantation,  it  is  obvious  that  the  flour  must  be  soaked  in 
distilled  water  and  then  dialyzed  or  allowed  to  stand  and  the 
supernatant  liquid  removed  after  the  flour  has  settled  to  the 
bottom  of  the  jars.  This  method  at  once  brought  up  the  question 
as  to  whether  or  not  a  flour  could  be  water  soaked  and  remilled 
into  flour  again.  The  first  trial  with  dialyzed  flour,  however, 
determined  that  such  a  procedure  was  possible. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  difficulty  experienced  in  this  undertaking 
was  the  drying  of  the  water-soaked  flour.    Aside  from  avoiding 

•  Joum.  Agr.  So.  Vol.  2,  No.  2,  Apr.  1907,  p.  139,  ibid.  Vol.  2,  No.  3,  Deo. 
1907,  p.  267. 

283 


284        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

too  high  temperatures,  in  the  drying  process,  the  possibilities 
for  fermentation  were  most  favorable  and  in  consequence  the 
flour  while  drying  required  the  strictest  attention  of  both  an 
assistant  and  myself.  The  tendencies  for  fermentation  were 
particularly  noticeable  in  the  flour  which  had  been  dialyzed, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  had  been  treated  frequently  with 
small  quantities  of  chloroform. 

In  addition  to  recovering  the  water-soaked  floiu-,  the  dialysate 
and  water  decantations  were  saved  and  either  reduced  to  small 
volume  or  evaporated  to  dryness. 

The  method  of  preparing  the  dialyzed,  decanted,  and  dough 
flours  are  described  in  the  following  paragraphs : 

Dialyzed  Flour.  Approximately  kilo  lots  of  flour  were  thoroly 
worked  into  paste  with  water  and  then  dialyzed  in  a  cool  room, 
frequently  changing  the  dialysate  for  a  fresh  supply  of  distilled 
water.  Suflicient  chloroform  was  used  to  check  fermentation. 
After  a  course  of  three  days  the  dialysis  was  considered  complete. 
The  colloidal  material  was  then  thoroly  stirred  and  poured 
thinly  over  glass  window  panes  and  allowed  to  dry  (frequently 
stirring)  at  a  low  temperature.  When  it  solidified  into  lumpy 
masses  all  danger  of  fermentation  was  apparently  removed.  The 
lumpy  masses  were  then  worked  out  into  thin  layers  and  allowed 
to  dry  over  night  without  any  attention.  The  following  morning 
these  thin  layers  of  flour  crumbled  readily  and  were  then  ground 
into  small  pieces  about  the  size  of  clover  seed,  when  it  was  dried 
further.  When  satisfactorily  dry  the  work  was  considered  com- 
plete after  milUng  and  finally  bolting  thru  a  lOxx  bolting  cloth. 

Decanted  Flour.  Kilo  lots  of  flour  were  worked  into  paste 
and  then  diluted  with  four  liters  of  distilled  water  for  every  kilo 
of  flour;  after  settling,  the  supernatant  Uquid  was  removed,  and 
the  operation  frequently  repeated  for  a  period  of  three  days,  after 
which  the  flour  was  finally  dried  in  the  same  manner  as  described 
for  the  dialyzed  flour.  Sufficient  chloroform  was  used  throughout 
the  experiments  to  allay  fermentation. 

Dough  Flour.  Not  knowing  what  influence  the  water  would 
have  upon  the  physical  properties  of  the  flour,  it  was  necessary, 
in  order  to  obtain  checks,  to  treat  the  flour  with  enough  water 
to  make  a  dough,  allowing  it  to  stand  for  three  to  four  hours. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  285 

then  rolling  this  dough  out  into  thin  sheets,  crumbhng  and  mill- 
ing as  described  for  the  dialyzed  flour. 

Plan  of  Investigation.  After  the  treated  flours  were  prepared 
as  described  above,  the  next  step  consisted  in  planning  a  method 
whereby  the  physical  properties  of  the  glutens  could  be  studied. 
After  some  consideration  and  thought  it  was  decided  that  in 
place  of  taking  bits  of  gluten  prepared  from  these  flours  and 
subjecting  them  to  acid,  alkali  or  salt  as  Wood  did,  that  the 
flour  be  treated  with  these  agents  directly  and  the  changes  occur- 
ing,  if  any,  be  noted,  and  the  amount  of  dry  gluten  and  the 
nitrogen  in  the  gluten  be  determined.  It  can  readily  be  seen 
that  such  a  plan  takes  into  account  other  things  besides  salts  and 
acids,  since  it  would  also  determine  the  effect  of  adding  these 
reagents  to  the  flour  directly.  Later  baking  tests  of  flour  treated 
similarly  could  be  made  and  the  influence  of  the  reagents  upon  the 
shape  of  the  loaf  be  noted. 

Gluten  Determinations.  Ten  gram  lots  of  the  treated  and  origi- 
nal flour  were  mixed  with  six  cubic  centimeters  of  either  dis- 
tilled water  or  N-10  normal  hydrochloric  acid,  sulfuric  acid, 
phosphoric  acid,  sodium  hydroxide,  potassium  hydroxide, 
dipotassium  acid  phosphate,  disodium  acid  phosphate,  dicalcium 
acid  phosphate,  sodium  chloride,  sodium  sulfate,  aluminum  sul- 
fate and  magnesium  sulfate,  and  worked  up  into  small  wads. 
These  wads  of  flour  were  then  allowed  to  stand  for  one  hour,  after 
which  they  were  finally  washed  over  silk  with  running  water. 
In  some  cases  the  particles  of  gluten  cohered  and  were  easy  to 
gather,  while  in  other  instances  the  gluten  particles  scattered  and 
fell  upon  the  silk.  All  scattering  glutens  which  fell  upon  the 
silk,  together  with  those  that  cohered,  were  gathered  together, 
washed,  dried  and  weighed  according  to  the  usual  method.  The 
length  of  time  required  for  drying  was  20  hours  at  maximum 
temperature  of  the  water  oven.  Nitrogen  determinations  of  the 
dry  glutens  were  finally  made  by  the  Kjeldahl  method.  The 
results  of  the  percent  of  gluten,  weight  and  percent  of  nitrogen 
in  the  gluten,  percent  of  total  nitrogen  and  percent  of  total  nitro- 
gen calculated  from  the  nitrogen  in  the  gluten  from  the  original 
flour  as  100,  are  given  in  the  following  table,  which  is  subdivided 
into  four. separate  parts  according  to  the  treatment  of  the  flour. 


286        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


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xvm]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  287 

Comparing  the  data  obtained  for  dry  gluten  in  the  original  dough, 
dialyzed,  and  decanted  flours  as  modified  by  either  water,  acid, 
alkali,  or  salt,  it  will  be  noted  that  with  the  exception  of  sodium 
sulfate  none  of  the  N/lO  solutions  of  salt,  acid,  or  alkali  gave  as 
high  results  as  was  obtained  with  the  water  in  the  original  flour. 
In  Table  1  (a)  the  prejudicial*  influence  upon  the  gluten  increased 
in  the  order  named,  disodium  acid  phosphate,  sodium  chloride, 
magnesium  sulphate,  dipotassium  acid  phosphate,  dicalcium 
acid  phosphate,  aluminum  sulfate,  sodium  hydroxide,  potassium 
hydroxide,  sulfuric  acid,  phosphoric  acid,  and  hydrochloric 
acid. 

It  will  be  further  noted  from  the  results  given  in  table  1  (b) 
that  the  dough  flour  agrees  fairly  well  with  the  original  flour,  the 
widest  variations  occurring  where  the  flour  had  been  treated  with 
sulfuric  acid,  phosphoric  acid,  and  hydrochloric  acid.  In  the 
same  way  the  weight  of  nitrogen  varied  and  the  percent  of  total 
nitrogen  calculated  on  the  basis  of  100  for  the  original  flour  per- 
haps illustrates  more  clearly  the  effect  of  the  acid  upon  the 
dough  flour  when  compared  with  the  original. 

In  regard  to  the  dialyzed  flour,  when  compared  with  the  origi- 
nal, water  has  affected  the  yield  of  gluten  and  the  weight  of 
nitrogen  to  a  slight  extent.  Sulfuric  acid,  phosphoric  acid  and 
hydrochloric  acid  have  been  prejudicial  even  to  a  much  greater 
extent  than  was  the  case  in  the  dough  flour.  Sodimn  hydroxide 
and  potassium  hydrocide  were  apparently  beneficial,**  the  former 
more  so  than  the  latter.  Comparing  salts  of  phosphoric  acid, 
the  sodium  salt  increased  the  gluten  and  nitrogen  content  to  a 
greater  extent  than  the  potassium  salt,  while  the  calcium  salt 
was  slightly  prejudicial  in  this  case,  being  an  exception  to  that 
observed  in  case  of  the  dough  flour.  Sodium  chloride  was  bene- 
ficial when  weight  of  the  nitrogen  contained  in  the  gluten  is 
considered.  On  the  basis  of  weight  of  nitrogen,  alimiinum 
sulfate  was  prejudicial,  sodium  sulfate  was  without  effect  and 
magnesium  sulfate  was  beneficial.     Comparing  the  influence  of 

*  Prejudicial  refers  to  decreased  amounts  of  dry  gluten  or  nitrogen  in  the 
gluten. 

**  Beneficial  refers  to  an  increased  amount  of  dry  gluten  or  nitrogen  in  the 
gluten. 


288        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

the  reagents  on  the  gluten  content  and  weight  of  nitrogen  with 
water,  it  will  be  noted  that  disodium  acid  phosphate,  magnesium 
sulfate,  sodium  sulfate  and  sodium  chloride  were  beneficial  in 
the  order  named,  while  dipotassium  acid  phosphate,  dicalcium 
acid  phosphate,  sodium  hydroxide,  potassium  hydroxide,  alum- 
inum sulfate,  phosphoric  acid,  sulfuric  acid  and  hydrochloric  acid 
were  prejudicial  in  the  order  named. 

The  dalysate  from  dialyzed  flour  (based  upon  the  weight  of 
flour  used)  contained  0.655  percent  total  solids,  of  which  0.57 
per  cent  was  combustible  and  0.084  percent  was  ash. 

The  flour  obtained  after  decanting  the  soluble  extract  gave 
the  most  remarkable  results  of  any  in  the  series.  Neither  water, 
salts,  nor  acid  yielded  gluten,  while  sodium  and  potassium  hydrox- 
ides were  beneficial  to  gluten  formation.  In  addition,  calcium 
hydroxide,  glycerol,  alcohol  and  flour  extract  were  tried  and 
only  the  glycerol  and  calcium  hydroxide  were  found  to  be  bene- 
ficial. 

Collectively,  tlie  results  given  in  Table  I  (a,  b,  c  and  d)  clearly 
show  that  acid  is  more  prejudicial  than  alkali  of  same  normal 
strength  and  the  salts  with  one  exception  (aluminum  sulfate  in 
case  of  the  dialyzed  flour)  has  practically  a  very  slight  effect  upon 
the  physical  properties  of  the  gluten.  On  this  basis,  sodium  was 
least  active  and  calcium  most  active  on  gluten  disintegration. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  substances  contained  in  the 
water  extract  play  an  important  part  in  modifying  the  physical 
properties  of  the  gluten.  Whether  the  substances  contained 
in  this  extract,  which  play  so  important  a  role,  are  inorganic  or 
not  must  be  determined.  It  appears  that  the  (OH)  radical  tends 
to  produce  coherence.  This  view  is  supported  from  the  results 
obtained  in  the  dialyzed  flour  when  compared  with  the  original, 
and  in  the  decanted  flour  where  other  substances  failed  to  bring 
on  coherence.  Just  what  causes  the  disintegration  of  the  gluten 
complex  has  not  as  yet  been  satisfactorily  established. 

Physical  Condition  of  the  Gluten.  The  gluten  in  the  flour 
studied  from  physical  appearances  was  fair.  None  of  the  salts 
used  showed  any  marked  variation  in  the  physical  appearances 
of  the  gluten  other  than  was  observed  in  the  case  of  water. 
N/10  acids  tended  to  produce  scattering  glutens,  which  when 


xvni] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


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290        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

gathered  were  dry  and  seemingly  free  from  water,  while  alkalies 
of  the  same  strength  affected  the  gluten  in  such  a  way  that  in 
the  process  of  washing  out  the  starch  the  gluten  rolled  or  washed 
down  with  the  water  on  to  the  silk  in  little  bits,  which  when  col- 
lected together,  (the  gluten)  had  a  very  dry  touch,  indicating  that 
glutens  treated  in  this  way  contain  very  little  water.  The 
amount  of  water  contained  in  N/10  acid  and  alkali  prepared 
glutens  was  not  determined. 

Influence  of  Acids,  Alkalies  and  Salts  on  Gluten  from  Patent 
Flours.  Four  patent  flours  were  next  studied  with  the  object  of 
determining  whether  or  not  the  addition  of  acid,  alkali,  or  salt 
to  the  flour  modified  the  physical  properties,  the  yield  and  the 
nitrogen  content  of  the  gluten  in  these  flours.  The  flour  selected 
for  this  series  of  investigations  represent  four  different  localities 
with  different  climates,  soil  and  types  of  wheat.  The  glutens 
from  these  flours  varied  considerably  in  their  physical  qualities. 

As  in  the  case  of  the  previous  experiments,  ten  gram  samples 
were  mixed  with  six  cubic  centimeters  of  either  N/lO  acid, 
alkali  or  salt,  and  in  addition  to  these  Uke  qualities  of  N/lOO 
and  N/l  acid  and  alkali  were  tried.  These  different  lots  were 
worked  up  into  wads  and  the  gluten  collected  by  washing  over 
silk.  The  weight  and  the  per  cent  of  the  nitrogen  in  the  gluten 
are  recorded  in  Table  II.  The  grams  of  nitrogen  in  the  gluten 
and  the  ratio  of  total  nitrogen  in  the  flour  to  nitrogen  in  the 
gluten  are  recorded  in  Table  III.  In  place  of  phosphoric  acid, 
lactic  acid  was  used  in  these  experiments.  Potassium  hydroxide 
was  not  tried. 

It  will  be  noted  from  the  data  given  in  Table  II  that  the  acids, 
alkali  and  salt  affected  the  weight  of  gluten  similarly  as  found  in 
Table  I  (a).  "While  the  strength  of  N/IOO  acid  was  sUghtly 
prejudicial,  increasing  the  strength  to  N/lO  and  N/1  had 
marked  effects  upon  the  yield  of  gluten  when  compared  to  those 
treated  with  distilled  water  and  run  as  controls.  The  increased 
or  equal  weight  of  gluten  in  the  flour  treated  with  N/l  sulfuric 
acid  compared  to  N/10  sulfuric  acid  was  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  former  was  poorer  in  nitrogen.  Disodium  acid  phosphate 
was  beneficial  in  all  cases.  Sodium  chloride  and  sodium  sulfate 
were  beneficial  in  three  out  of  four  instances.    It  was  impossible 


xvin] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


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292        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

to  obtain  gluten  from  flour  treated  with  N/1  sodium  hydroxide, 
N/lOO  sodium  hydroxide  was  less  prejudicial  than  N/10.  The 
most  pecuhar  modification  of  gluten  that  took  place  was  with 
N/lOO  sodium  hydroxide  in  case  of  the  Bridgeport  bluestem 
where  the  weight  of  the  gluten  increased.  The  per  cents  of 
nitrogen  in  the  glutens  varied  irregularly. 

The  data  given  in  Table  III  show  the  actual  amounts  of 
nitrogen  entering  into  the  gluten  make-up.  The  ratio  of  total 
nitrogen  in  the  flour  to  that  found  in  the  gluten  shows  how  re- 
agents of  identical  normal  strengths  modify  the  nitrogen  com- 
plexes in  the  gluten.  Particular  attention  should  be  called  to 
the  effect  of  N/lOO  acid.  The  ratio  constant  was  remarkably 
uniform  for  each  regardless  of  source  or  natiu-e  of  the  flour. 
SUghtly  higher  ratios  were  obtained  with  hydrochloric  acid 
and  sulphuric  acid  than  with  lactic  acid.  With  N/10  solution, 
sulphuric  acid  was  the  least  prejudicial.  Hydrochloric  acid 
disintegrated  the  gluten  rapidly  at  this  strength,  while  with 
lactic  acid  practically  no  gluten  was  obtained.  No  results  could 
be  obtained  with  either  N/1  hydrochloric  acid  or  N/1  lactic 
acid.  The  accompanying  cut  illustrated  the  effect  of  N/lOO, 
N/10  and  N/l  sulphxu-ic  and  hydrochloric  acids  upon  the  yield 
of  gluten. 
(CUT)  (1)  (See  legend  on  back  of  photo.) 

The  physical  condition  of  the  glutens  resulting  from  washing 
the  floiu-  after  it  had  been  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid,  lactic 
acid,  and  sodium  hydroxide  of  N/lOO,  N/lO  and  N/l  strengths 
are  tabulated  in  Table  IV. 

From  the  physical  appearances  of  the  gluten  as  affected  by 
either  acid  or  alkaU,  it  may  be  said  that  alkali  behaves  similarly 
to  acid  of  the  same  normal  strength. 

Flour  with  Gliadin  Removed.  Since  it  is  more  difficult  to 
remove  glutenin  than  gliadin  from  flour  it  was  decided  to  study 
the  influence  of  acid,  alkali,  and  salts  on  flour  with  the  gliadin 
removed.  Flour  was  repeatedly  extracted  with  cold  70  per  cent 
alcohol  and  finally  dried,  milled  and  bolted  thru  a  lOxx  bolting 
cloth.  As  in  previous  experiments,  10  grams  of  flour  and  6 
cubic  centimeters  of  water  or  specified  reagent  were  used.  The 
amount  of  gluten  obtained  with  water   0.14%,  N/lO    sodium 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


293 


TABLE  IV 

Physical  Properties  of  Gluten  as  Affected  by  Acid  and 
Sodium    Hydroxide 


HCl 

H,SO. 

CiH,0. 

Na  (OH) 

N/1 

disintegrated 

soft,  massive, 
lack  cohe- 
siveness. 

disintegrated 

tough  dough, 
soapy  and  diffi- 
cult to  remove 
gluten 

N/10 

separated  in  par- 

same as  for 

disintegrated 

separates  into  par- 

ticles, firm  and 

N/10  HCl 

ticles,  firm  and 

seemingly  dry 

dry 

N/100 

excellent    cohe- 

same as  for 

same  as  for 

soft,    voluminous 

sion,  elastic 

N/100  HCl 

N/100  HCl 

gluten,  easy  to 
wash,  elastic 

hydroxide  0.712%,  N/lO  sodium  chloride  0.100%  and  N/lO 
hydrochloric  acid  none,  was  insignificant  when  compared  with 
flours  treated  by  dialysis  or  decantation  and  as  a  result  it  was 
considered  futile  to  try  other  reagents  on  this  gliadin-free  flour. 
These  results,  however,  appear  to  indicate  that  gliadin  does  not 
act  as  an  acid,  alkali,  or  salt,  for  if  such  was  the  case,  it  is  reason- 
able to  believe  that  all  of  the  glutenin  could  have  been  recovered 
by  the  addition  of  an  acid,  alkali,  or  salt. 

Nitrogen-free  Flour  with  Gliadin  Added.  In  the  previous 
paragraph,  the  effect  of  acid,  alkaU,  and  salt  upon  gliadin-free 
flour  was  discussed.  In  a  similar  way  the  same  original  flour 
was  treated  with  weak  potassium  hydroxide  N/50  several  times. 
The  supernatant  liquid  resulting  after  the  flour  stood  for  four 
hour  intervals  was  replaced  with  fresh  lots  of  potassium  hydroxide 
and  finally  the  treated  flour  was  washed  with  frequent  changes  of 
distilled  water,  then  rolled  into  thin  layers,  dried  and  milled. 
The  amount  of  nitrogen  components  present  after  the  above 
treatment  was  determined  and  found  to  be  a  trace  of  globulin 
and  albumin  nitrogen,  amid  nitrogen  0.119%,  alcohol  soluble 
(gliadin)  nitrogen  0.133%,  total  nitrogen  0.301%.  The  total 
nitrogen  in  the  original  flour  was  1.63%. 


294        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

It  appears  from  these  results  that  water  is  more  prejudicial 
than  either  N/lOO  hydrochloric  acid  or  sodium  hydroxide  and 
N/IO  hydrochloric  acid  or  sodium  chloride.  It  is  reasonable 
to  believe,  however,  that  such  was  not  the  case,  since  the  gliadin 
in  the  course  of  preparation  and  purifying  has  been  altered  and 
when  dried  and  ground  is  made  up  of  minute  hard  particles  of 
ghadin.  Just  as  dried  gluten  takes  up  water  only  after  long 
periods  of  soaking,  so  it  is  with  these  hard  particles  of  gliadin 
which,  when  mixed  with  water,  require  long  periods  of  time  to 
even  swell.  Thus  when  flour  is  incorporated  with  an  addition 
of  these  hard  particles  of  gUadin  and  then  mixed  into  wads  with 
water  and  gluten  determinations  made,  the  finest  particles  of 
gliadin  pass  thru  the  fine  silk  and  are  lost.  The  only  gliadin  that 
can  be  recovered  are  the  partly  swelled  particles  which  are  too 
large  to  pass  thru  the  silk.  The  presence  of  N/lOO  hydrochloric 
acid  or  sodium  hydroxide  and  N/10  hydrochloric  acid  and  sodium 
chloride,  undoubtedly,  has  increased  the  tendencies  of  the  hard 
particles  of  gUadin  to  absorb  more  water  than  was  the  case  with 
distilled  water  and  as  a  result  increased  the  number  of  particles 
too  large  to  pass  thru  the  silk  hence  a  larger  yield.  With  larger 
quantities  of  water  than  was  used  in  these  experiments  more 
gliadin  would  undoubtedly  have  resulted  since  gUadin  takes  up 
water  in  time  and  with  an  increased  amount  accelerates  water 
absorption  thereby  increasing  the  number  of  larger  particles. 

Nitrogen  Components  of  Treated  and  Untreated  Flour.  Aside 
from  studying  the  effect  of  acid,  alkali  and  salts  upon  the  yield 
of  gluten  and  the  weight  of  nitrogen  in  the  same,  a  systematic 
study  of  the  nitrogenous  components  in  the  flours  mentioned  above 
was  made.  The  first  flours  investigated  were  the  dough,  dialyzed, 
and  decanted  compared  with  the  original.  All  nitrogen  deter- 
minations were  made  according  to  the  straight  Kjeldahl  method. 
The  total  nitrogen,  the  percent  of  nitrogen  of  flour  entering  into 
the  gluten  makeup,  the  percent  of  alcohol  soluble  nitrogen  (using 
70%  alcohol  by  volume),  the  percent  of  nitrogen  compounds 
precipitated  by  phosphotimgstic  acid  from  a  one  percent  sodium 
chloride  soluble  of  flour  and  the  percent  of  nitrogen  in  the  salt 
soluble  extract  not  precipitated  by  phosphotungstic  acid  were 
determined. 


xvni] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


295 


TABLE  V 
Nitrogen  Components  in  Differently  Treated  Flovirs 


Nitrogen 
in  Flour 

Per  Cent. 


Nitrogen  in 
Gluten 

Per  Cent. 


Gliadin 
Nitrogen 

Per  Cent. 


Edestin 

and 
Leuoosm 
Nitrogen 
Per  Cent. 


Amide 
Nitrogen 

Per  Cent. 


Glutenin 
Nitrogen 
baaed  on 

Flour 
Per  Cent. 


Ghitenin 
Nitrogen 
baaed  on 
Gluten 
Per  Cent. 


Original. 
Dough . . . 
Dialyzed . 
Decanted 


1.63 
1.63 
1.69 
1.66 


1.5218 
1.5176 
1.4658 
1.4255* 


0.602 
0.609 
0.6^3 
0.756 


0.378 


0.056 


0.594 


0.4858 


0.308 
0.273 


0.070 
0.077 


0.689 
0.554 


0.4648 
0.3195 


The  results  given  in  Table  V  show  a  higher  nitrogen  content 
for  the  dialyzed  and  decanted  flours,  than  was  found  in  case  of 
dough  and  original  flour.  These  differences  in  total  nitrogen 
in  the  dialyzed  and  decanted  flours  may  be  due  to  the  renaoval 
of  nitrogen-free  or  nitrogen-poor  material.  The  fact  that 
the  decanted  flour  contains  less  nitrogen  than  the  dialyzed  flour 
would  tend  to  indicate  that  this  was  not  the  case;  on  the  other 
hand,  it  must  be  considered  that  small  quantities  of  the  more 
highly  complex  nitrogen  bodies  are  carried  away  with  water 
and  with  the  large  quantities  of  water  used  repeatedly  for  de- 
cantation  some  of  the  higher  nitrogen  bodies  have  been  affected 
and  their  losses  have  resulted  in  diminishing  the  nitrogen  con- 
tent. The  amount  of  nitrogen  in  the  glutens  (expressed  in  per- 
cent of  the  nitrogen  of  the  flour  in  gluten),  also  supports  this 
thought,  being  higher  in  amounts  for  the  original  and  dough 
than  in  either  the  dialyzed  or  decanted.  Although,  it  was  im- 
possible to  obtain  any  gluten  with  water  (see  Table  1,  d)  in  the 
decanted  flour,  the  result  1.4295%  nitrogen  cannot  be  far  off 
from  the  actual  amount  present  if  a  gluten  could  have  been 
made.  This  result  has  been  calculated  from  the  data  given  in 
table  1,  a  &  d,  and  confirmed  by  those  given  in  Table  V.  The 
increased  amount  of  alcohol  soluble  nitrogen  in  the  decanted 
flour  cannot  be  entirely  accounted  for  by  the  removal  of  the 
nitrogen-free  and  nitrogen-poor  material.  In  this  same  flour 
there  is  less  precipitated  nitrogen  and  more  nitrogen  not  pre- 
cipitated by  phosphotungstic  acid.     The  same  is  true  to  a  less 

*  Calculated. 


296        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

extent  in  case  of  the  dialyzed  flour.  The  glutenin  was  obtained 
by  difference  between  the  nitrogen  obtained  in  gluten  and  the 
sum  of  alcohol  and  the  salt  soluble.  Another  column  for  glutenin 
has  been  inserted  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  subtract  the  alcohol 
and  salt  soluble  from  the  total  nitrogen. 

In  Table  VI  the  results  given  in  Table  V  are  calciilated  as 
proteins  using  the  factor  6.25. 

TABLE  VI 
Nitrogen  Components  Calculated  as  Proteins 


Protein  m 
Flour 

Per  Cent. 


GHadin 
Per  Cent. 


Edeetin 

and 
Leucosin 
Per  Cent. 


Amides 
Per  Cent. 


Glutenin 
baaed  on 

Flour 
Per  Cent. 


Glutenin 

based  on 

Gluten 

Per  Cent. 


Gluten 
Per  Cent. 


Original . 
Dough . . . 
Dialyzed . 
Decanted 


10.19 
10.19 
10.56 
10.38 


3.76 
3.81 
3.89 
4.73 


2.36 

1.93 
1.70 


0.36 

0.43 
0.49 


3.71 

4.31 
3.46 


3.04 

2.91 
2.00 


9.51 
9.49 
9.16 
8.91 


Owing  to  the  increased  amount  of  alcohol-soluble  nitrogen 
obtained  in  the  decanted  floiu-  over  that  found  in  the  original, 
two  other  flours  were  treated  by  the  decantation  method.  The 
nitrogen  components  of  these  flours  in  conjunction  with  the  same 
flours  imtreated  were  also  made.  The  data  for  the  original  and 
decanted  flour  given  in  Table  V  are  included  in  Table  VII  for 
comparison. 

TABLE  VII 
Nitrogen  Components  in  Patent  Flour  Compared  with  the  Same  Flour  after 

Decantation. 


Total 
Nitrogen 

Per  Cent. 


Gluten 
Nitrogen 

Per  Cent. 


Gliadin 

Nitrogen 

Per  Cent. 


Edeslin 
and  ^ 
Leucosin 
Nitrogen 
Per  Cent. 


Amide 
Nitrogen 

Per  Cent. 


Glutenin 
Nitrogen 
based  on 

Flour 
Per  Cent. 


Glutenin 
Vitrogen 
based  on 
Gluten 
Per  Cent. 


Pullman,  Original. . . 

Decanted  . 

Bridgeport,  Original . . 

Decanted 
Vancouver,  Original . . 

Decanted 


1.18 
1.20 
1.79 
1.74 
1.63 
1.66 


0.987 


1.526 


1.5218 
1.4255* 


0.651 
0.686 
0.910 
0.950 
0.602 
0.756 


0.329 
0.217 
0.350 
0.245 
0.378 
0.273 


0.028 
0.021 
0.049 
0.035 
0-.0S6 
0.077 


0.172 
0.256 
0.481 
0.510 
0.594 
0.554 


None 


0.217 
0.486 


*  Calculated. 


Increasing  the  strength  of  acid  alters  the  physical  quaUty  of  gluten. 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


297 


It  will  be  seen  from  the  results  given  in  Table  VII  that  the 
amount  of  alcohol-soluble  nitrogen  in  the  decanted  flours  were 
again  found  to  be  higher  than  that  found  in  the  original  flours. 
The  amount  of  amid  nitrogen  foimd  was,  however,  the  reverse 
of  that  found  in  Table  V.  When  the  nitrogen  in  the  gluten 
makeup  is  assumed  to  be  composed  of  the  ghadin  and  glutenin 
it  will  be  noted  that  the  Pullman  flour  is  devoid  of  glutenin. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  the  total  nitrogen  is  considered  instead  of 
the  nitrogen  entering  into  the  gluten  makeup  there  is  found 
0.172%  of  gluten. 

Extract  from  Decanted  Flour.  In  addition  to  having  determined 
the  nitrogen  components  of  both  the  control  and  the  decanted 
flours,  the  extract  of  the  decanted  flour  was  also  studied  in  regard 
to  the  total  nitrogen,  nitrogen  precipitated  and  not  precipitated 
by  phosphotungstic  acid.  The  total  soUds  and  total  ash  were 
also  made.    These  results  are  recorded  in  Table  VIII. 


TABLE  VIII 
Nitrogen  Components  in  Decanted  Liquid  from  Patent  Flour 


Total  Nitrogen 
Percent. 

Edeatin  and 
Lewcosin 
Nitrogen 
Percent. 

Amide  Nitrogen 
Percent. 

Total  Asli 
Percent. 

Total  Solida 
Percent. 

Pullman 

Bridgeport 

0.094 
0.081 

0.079 
0.074 

0.015 
0.007 

0.36 
0.38 

3.00 
2.74 

The  results  given  in  Table  VIII  show  that  the  total  solids  and 
nitrogen  components  for  the  Bridgeport  flour  are  slightly  lower 
than  was  the  case  in  the  Pullman  flour.  It  may  be  of  interest  to 
know  what  these  extracted  substances  are,  since  all  or  some  one 
of  them  may  be  important  in  determining  the  baking  qualities 
of  a  flour.  Although  some  work  has  been  done  by  the  writer 
along  this  line  of  research,  nothing  definite  has  been  determined 
thus  far. 

In  Table  IX  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  correlate  some  of  the 
data  given  in  preceding  tables.  The  ratio  of  total  nitrogen  to 
gluten  nitrogen,  as  affected  by  water,  sodium  hydroxide,  disodium 


298        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

acid  phosphate,  and  sodium  sulphate  on  the  one  hand,  with  the 
ratio  of  gliadin  to  glutenin  nitrogen  on  the  other,  are  recorded. 


TABLE   IX 

Ratio  of  Total  Nitrogen  to  Gluten    Nitrogen  as  Affected  by  Alkali, 

Water  and  Salt  and  Ratio  of  Gliadin  to 

Glutenin  Nitrogen 


Ratio  of 
gliadin  to- 
gluten  ni- 
trogen 


Total  nitrogen  to  gluten  nitrogen  ratio 


N/10 
Na  (OH) 


Water 


N/10 
Na.H2 
(P0.)= 


N/10 
Naj 
(SO.) 


Pullman.  . 
Bridgeport 
Vancouver 


1:0.264 
1:0.628 
1:0.986 


1:0.57 

1:0.636 

1:0.743 


1:0.837 
1:0.852 
1:0.934 


1:0.87 
1:0.88 
1:0.91 


1:0.87 
1:0.88 
1:0.95 


When  flour  was  treated  with  either  water,  alkaU  or  salt  the 
ratio  of  total  nitrogen  to  gluten  nitrogen  decreased  as  the  ratio 
of  gliadin  nitrogen  to  glutenin  nitrogen  decreased;  this  fact  is 
clearly  brought  out  in  table  IX.  In  other  words,  the  more 
glutenin  nitrogen  a  flour  contains  the  higher  will  the  gluten 
nitrogen  be.  On  the  other  hand,  this  view  is  contradicted,  since 
the  flour  which  had  the  gliadin  removed  practically  yielded  no 
gluten  when  treated  with  acid,  alkali,  or  salt.  In  the  same  way 
decanted  flour  having  nearly  all  of  its  glutenin  and  gliadin 
yielded  only  a  part  of  its  gluten  when  treated  with  sodium  hydrox- 
ide, potassium  hydroxide,  calcium  hydroxide,  and  glycerol. 
From  these  observations  there  appears  to  be  some  as  yet  unknown 
substance  or  physical  change  which  is  more  important  in  caus- 
ing a  transformation  of  the  physical  properties  of  gluten  than 
either  acid,  alkali,  or  salt.  Whether  this  be  in  the  form  of  some 
organic  salt,  acid,  or  alkali,  or  not  is  a  problem  for  the  future. 


XYOi]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  299 


Conclusions 

1.  Flours  were  either  made  into  dough  with  water,  dialyzed 
or  decanted,  then  dried,  remilled  and  bolted  into  flour  again. 
Gluten  determinations  were  made,  using  different  reagents  in 
order  to  note  the  differences  in  yield  caused  by  modifying  the 
surroundings. 

2.  Mixing  untreated  flour  with  N/lO  solutions  of  different 
salts,  acids  and  alkali  was  prejudicial  to  the  yield  of  gluten. 
The  prejudicial  influence  increased  in  the  following  order:  Sod- 
ium phosphate,  sodium  chloride,  magnesium  sulphate,  potassium 
phosphate,  calcium  phosphate,  aluminum  sulphate,  sodium 
hydroxide,  potassium  hydroxide,  sulphuric  acid,  phosphoric 
acid  and  hydrochloric  acid. 

3.  Flour  treated  with  sufficient  water  to  form  a  dough  then 
dried  and  remilled  into  flour  again,  has  resulted  in  slightly  modi- 
fying the  gluten  of  that  flour  when  compared  with  the  original. 
N/lO  solutions  of  sulphuric  acid,  phosphoric  acid  and  hydro- 
chloric acid  were  more  prejudicial  to  gluten  formation  in  dough 
flour  than  in  the  original  one. 

4.  The  gluten  from  flour  which  has  been  dialyzed  has  been 
affected  to  a  greater  extent  than  was  the  case  with  the  dough 
flour. 

5.  No  gluten  could  be  obtained  from  the  residual  flour  by 
decantation  when  mixed  with  either  water,  salts  or  acids.  Mixed 
with  N/10  solutions  of  sodium,  potassium,  and  calcium  hydrox- 
ides and  glycerol,  varying  amounts  of  gluten  were  obtained. 
The  amount  of  gluten  obtained  decreased  with  the  hydroxides 
used  in  the  order  mentioned  above  in  No.  2  of  conclusions. 

6.  N/10  solutions  of  salts  appear  to  have  no  effect  upon  the 
physical  appearance  of  the  resulting  gluten  when  compared 
with  similar  ones  which  were  mixed  with  water.  N/lO  acid  and 
alkah  tend  to  produce  scattering  glutens  which  when  gathered 
appear  to  be  rather  free  from  water.  The  amount  of  water 
held  by  such  glutens  was  not  determined. 

7.  Using  patent  flours  from  various  sources  it  was  found  that 
the  glutens  prepared  from  these  behaved  similarly  to  those  pre- 
viously obtained  and  treated  in  Uke  manner. 


300         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

8.  Patent  flours  were  treated  with  N/100,  N/iO,  and  N/1 
sulphuric  acid,  hydrochloric  acid,  lactic  acid  and  sodium  hydrox- 
ide. N/100  strength  solutions  had  the  least  efifect  upon  the 
yield  of  gluten.  N/lO  strength  solutions,  the  hydrochloric 
acid  yielded  some  and  the  lactic  acid  practically  no  gluten. 
Using  N/1  strength  solutions  non-cohering  gluten  resulted  with 
sulphuric  acid  and  no  yield  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  lactic  acid. 

9.  In  determining  the  nitrogen  present  in  the  glutens  resulting 
from  treating  flour  with  N/lOO  strength,  solutions  of  sulphuric 
acid,  hydrochloric  acid  or  lactic  acid,  gave  fairly  concordant 
results  when  compared  with  one  another  and  the  ratio  of  total 
nitrogen  to  gluten  nitrogen  was  practically  constant,  regardless 
of  the  kind  of  acid  used. 

10.  Flour  with  the  gliadin  removed  does  not  form  gluten 
either  in  the  presence  of  water,  acid,  alkali  or  salt.  This  fact 
indicates  that  gliadin  does  not  behave  either  as  an  acid,  alkali 
or  salt. 

11.  Nitrogen  free  flour  with  gliadin  added  to  it  does  not 
form  gluten  either  in  the  presence  of  acid,  alkali  or  salt.  The 
failure  to  recover  the  admixed,  previously  dried,  gliadin  is 
undoubtedly  due  to  the  limited  time  the  gliadin  was  exposed  to 
water;  in  addition  to  the  small  quantity  of  water  used. 

12.  In  studying  the  nitrogen  components  of  the  original 
dough,  dialyzed,  and  decanted  flam's,  it  was  found  that  the 
dialyzed  and  decanted  flours  showed  slightly  higher  total  nitro- 
gen and  alcohol  soluble  nitrogen  contents  than  was  found  in 
either  the  original  or  dough  flour. 

13.  An  attempt  was  made  to  correlate  the  ratio  of  gliadin 
nitrogen  to  glutenin  nitrogen  with  the  ratio  of  total  nitrogen  to 
gluten  nitrogen  as  affected  by  either  water,  sodimn  hydroxide, 
sodium  phosphate  and  sodium  sulphate.  According  to  the  data 
obtained  it  appears  that  the  ratio  of  total  nitrogen  to  gluten 
nitrogen  decreased  as  the  ratio  of  gliadin  nitrogen  to  glutenin 
nitrogen  decreased.  On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  considered 
that  gliadin-free  flour  yielded  no  gluten  and  decanted  flour  jdelded 
only  a  part  of  its  gluten.  Accordingly  there  appears  to  be  as 
yet  some  unknown  substance  which  is  important  in  causing  a 
transformation  of  the  physical  properties  of  the  gluten. 


A  METHOD  FOR  THE  DETECTION  OF  COLOR  IN  TEA 

By  E.  Albebta  Read,  Ph.D.,  M.D. 

Bureau  of  Chemistry,   Department  of  Agriculture,    Washington, 

D.  C. 

The  following  method  was  devised  for  the  purpose  of  detecting 
color  on  tea,  the  United  States  Treasury  Department  having 
issued  regulations  prohibiting  the  entry  into  this  country  of 
colored  teas. 

For  the  demonstration  of  color  and  facing  on  tea,  the  chemical 
methods,  as  suggested  by  Allen  (1),  Leach  (2),  Villiers  et  Collin 
(3),  and  The  International  Committee  (4),  have  usually  been 
employed.  The  difficulty  with  such  methods  is  in  the  small 
amount  of  color  used  and  the  masking  of  the  color  reactions  by 
the  solution  of  natural  color  in  the  tea. 

The  method  suggested  in  this  paper  has  the  advantage  in  that 
it  can  detect  much  smaller  amounts  than  can  be  found  by  chemi- 
cal methods,  but  at  the  same  time  overlooks  traces  of  color  which 
would  be  found  by  a  compound  microscope. 

Hilger  and  Mayrhofer  (5)  suggest  a  method  of  rubbing  wet  tea 
leaves  on  white  paper,  to  detect  artificial  color. 

The  method  suggested  in  this  paper  has  an  advantage  over  the 
use  of  wet  tea  leaves  in  that  a  larger  sample  can  be  used  in  a 
single  examination,  and  it  is  more  easily  and  quickly  handled. 
In  cases  where  there  is  a  blending  of  colored  and  uncolored  tea, 
many  of  the  wet  leaves  might  be  used  without  detecting  the 
color.    These  authors  also  suggest  the  sifting  of  the  tea,  but  no 

(1)  Commercial  Organic  Analysis,  1911;  V,  658. 

(2)  Food  Inspection  and  Analysis,  1911;  375. 

(3)  Traitd  des  Alterations  et  Falsifications  des  Substances  Alimentaires, 
1900;  258. 

(4)  Report  on  the  Unification  of  Analytical  Methods  for  Food-products; 
1912;  148. 

(5)  Vereinbanmgen  zur  Einheitlichen  Untersuchung  und  Beurtheilung  von 
Nahrungs-und  Genusamitteln  fur  das  Deutsche  Reich,  1-3, 1897-1902;  54. 

301 


302        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

mention  is  made  in  the  article  of  crushing  the  particles  on  paper 
to  demonstrate  the  presence  of  color,  and  thus  not  only  affording 
a  method  surer  and  safer  for  the  chemist  but  also  one  which  can 
be  used  by  mfen  untrained  in  Science;  therefore,  making  it  avail- 
able for  tea  examiners  at  the  ports  and  for  the  tea  tasters  employed 
by  the  importers  and  dealers  in  tea.  It  also  allows  the  accurate 
handling  of  large  numbers  of  samples  within  a  short  time,  thus 
preventing  the  detention  of  tea  at  the  ports  for  any  considerable 
time  and  consequent  financial  loss  to  the  importer. 

The  articles  needed  for  testing  the  tea  are  sieves,  16  to  24 
meshes  to  the  centimeter,  a  spatula  or  case  knife  and  a  piece  of 
unglazed,  white  paper. 

A  small  amount  of  tea,  about  25  to  50  grams,  is  placed  in  a 
sieve  and  shaken  over  a  piece  of  white  paper.  If  the  tea  is 
tightly  rolled,  it  should  be  slightly  crushed,  either  before  putting 
into  the  sieve  or  by  rubbing  it  against  the  sieve.  The  dust  on  the 
paper  is  then  crushed  by  dragging  over  it  a  spatula  or  case  knife, 
pressure  being  applied  by  the  finger  to  the  end  of  the  spatula. 
This  crushes  not  only  the  tea  dust,  but  any  particles  of  color  which 
are  present.  The  process  of  dragging  the  knife  across  the  paper, 
streaks  the  color,  making  it  more  easily  seen.  A  lens  with  a 
magnification  of  8  to  12  diameters  is  useful  in  detecting  the 
smaller  streaks.  Sunlight  is  desirable;  bright  light  is  essential 
for  this  work. 

This  method  will  detect  any  coloring  as  blue,  turmeric  or  car- 
bon. An  apphcation  of  the  method  has  been  made  by  Mr.  G. 
F.  Mitchell,  Supervising  Tea  Examiner,  Treasury  Department, 
to  the  detection  of  facing  on  tea.  Black,  unglazed  paper  is  used 
in  place  of  the  white  paper.  The  facing  leaves  a  white  streak  on 
the  black  paper. 

Microchemical  Tests  for  Color: 

A  black  streak  would  suggest  carbon;  the  blue  may  be  Prussian 
blue,  indigo  or  ultramarine;  and  a  yellow  streak  suggests  turmeric. 
These  may  be  identified  as  follows:  The  carbon,  by  its  glossy 
appearance;  the  blue  and  turmeric  can  be  tested  directly  on  the 
paper  or  by  mounting  on  a  microscopic  slide.  To  the  blue 
streak  on  the  paper  or  to  the  particle  on  the  microscopic  slide,  add 
a  drop  of  40  %  sodium  hydroxide.     Prussian  blue  will  turn 


xvra]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  303 

yellowish-brown;  indigo  or  ultramarine  will  remain  unchanged 
in  color.  Ultramarine  is  discolored  by  acid;  indigo  remains 
unchanged  when  treated  with  either  acid  or  alkali.  Turmeric 
turns  bright  red  when  a  drop  of  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  boracic 
acid  and  concentrated  hydrochloric  are  added  to  the  yellow  streak. 
Concentrated  sulphuric  also  turns  turmeric  bright  red. 


RECHERCHE  DE  PETITES  QUANTITES  DE  GRAISSE 
DE   COCO   DANS   LE   BEURRE   DE   VACHE 

Par  M.  Lucien  Robin 
Chimiste  au  Laboratoire  Municipal  de  Paris,  Paris,  France 

La  m^thode  d'analyse  du  beurre  que  j 'expose  dans  iin  premier 
memoirs,  est  assez  sensible  pour  d^celer  10%  de  coco.  En  y 
apportant  quelques  variantes,  on  pourrait  en  augmenter  encore 
la  sensibility,  ainsi  que  j'ai  pu  le  verifier  d^jk  par  un  certain 
nombre  d'exp^riences  que  je  tiens  k  renouveler  encore,  et  dont 
les  r^sultats  me  semblent  assez  int^ressants  pour  que  je  les 
fasse  connaltre. 

Le  beurre  de  coco  renfermant  beaucoup  d'acides  caprique, 
caproSque  et  laurique  dont  la  majeure  partie  se  trouve  dans  le 
groupe  des  acides  gras  insolubles  dans  I'eau,  et  ces  acides  ayant 
un  indice  de  saponification  6lev6,  j'avais  pens6  qu'en  isolant 
assez  d'acides  gras  de  ce  groupe  pour  en  determiner  cet  indice, 
je  trouverais  peut-6tre  1^  un  renseignement  pr^cieux. 

Un  certain  nombre  de  tentatives  de  ce  genre  m'ont  bien  fait 
voir  que  I'indice  de  saponification  des  acides  de  ce  groupe  obtenus 
avec  le  coco,  6tait  relativement  61ev6,  et  le  plus  souvent  sup6- 
rieur  k  celui  que  donnent  les  mSmes  acides  retires  du  beurre 
pur,  mais  que  pourtant  on  ne  pouvait  esp6rer  pouvoir  s'en  tenir 
exclusivement  k  cette  determination  pour  aflBrmer  la  pr&ence 
de  5%  de  coco. 

Mais  il  n'en  est  plus  de  mime,  si  Ton  compare  les  rapports 
6tablis  comme  je  vais  I'indiquer: 

Appelons  I  S  I'indice  de  saponification  du  beurre 

i  s  celui  de  ses  acides  gras  insolubles  dans  I'eau 
I  E  les  acides  gras  insolubles  dans  I'eau  dos&  sui- 

vant  ma  m^thode  (ler  m^moire). 
S  E  les  acides  solubles  dans  I'eau  dos^s  aussi  sui- 
vaat  ma  m^thode. 
305 


306        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Si  Ton  4tablit  les  rapports  suivants: 

g^  =  Riet  j^  =R2 

on  constate  que  les  beurres  purs  doanent 

B}  toujours  inf^rieur  k  BP 

tandis  que  les  beurres  cocotfe  k  5%  seulement  donnent  le  con- 
traire :  R^  sup&ieur  k  R^ 

si  I'on  ajoute  10%  d'um  melange  k  parties  ^gales  de  coco  et  de 
margarine,  R^  reste  encore  le  plus  souvent  superieur  k  R^  malgr6  la 
margarine  ou  les  deux  rapports  deviennent  au  plus  6gaux. 

Mode  operative 

Je  vais  indiquer  rapidement  comment  j'isole  une  quantity 
suffisante  d'acides  gras  insolubles  dans  I'eau  pour  determiner  en 
suite  leur  indice  de  saponification. 

II  consiste  k  suivre  la  technique  expos^e  dans  le  premier 
m^moire,  avec  cette  difference,  que  je  pr616ve  10  grammes  de 
beurre  fondu  et  filtr^  au  lieu  de  5  grammes;  prends  un  ballon 
jaug6  k  300  au  lieu  de  150,  je  saponifie  avec  50  cent,  cubes  de 
liqueur  de  saponification  au  lieu  de  25,  et  j 'ajoute  34  cent,  cubes 
d'eau  au  lieu  de  17,  pour  amener  le  titre  alcoolique  k  56°5. 

Apr^s  la  filtration  k  la  temperature  de  15°,  je  dose  les  acides 
gras  solubles  dans  I'alcool  a  56°5  et  ceux  solubles  dans  I'eau, 
sur  le  filtratum,  exactement  comme  je  le  fais  savoir  dans  le  ler 
m^moire.  Ce  qui  reste  de  liquide  filtr^  est  introduit  dans  un 
b^cherglass  de  250  et  ^vapor^  au  bain-marie  jusqu'S,  reduction 
au  volume  de  45  cent,  cubes.  La  liqueur  concentr^e,  sur  laquelle 
les  acides  gras  insolubles  dans  I'eau  surnagent,  est  vers^e  etant 
chaude,  (car  la  filtration  est  alors  plus  rapide)  sur  un  petit 
filtre  sans  plis  que  Ton  a  pr^alablement  echauff^  lui-m^me,  en 
le  remplissant  d'eau  bien  chaude. 

Apr&s  avoir  lav6  le  b^cherglass  avec  de  I'eau  chaude,  pour 
entrainer  le  plus  possible  d'acides  gras  qui  y  adherent,  ceux-ci 
sont  lavfe  aussi  4  ou  5  fois  sur  le  filtre  avec  de  I'eau  bien  chaude. 

On  laisse  alors  le  filtre  s'^goutter  2  ou  3  minutes,  puis  k  I'aide 
d'un  tube  de  tr^s  petit  diam^tre,  et  a  extr^mite  l^g^rement 


xvra]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  307 

effil6e,  on  pr616ve  les  acides  gras  retenus  sur  le  filtre,  pour  les 
introduire  dans  un  petit  ballon  ta,v6  (1). 

Une  nouvelle  pesfie  fait  connattre  le  poids  de  ces  acides. 

On  les  dissout  par  addition  de  20  cent,  cubes  d'alcool  neutre 
k  90°  95°  et  aprSs  agitation  on  prend  I'acidit^  en  presence  de 
2  gouttes  de  solution  de  phtal6ine,  en  se  servant  de  potasse 
d^ci  normale  dont  on  cesse  I'addition,  d^s  que  se  manifeste  le 
virage  au  rose  trSs  faible. 

Supposons  avoir  op6r^  sur  0  gramme  453  d'acides  gras  et  que 
leur  saturation  a  n^cessit^  20  cent,  cubes  de  potasse  d^cime; 
I'indice  de  saponification  sera  donn6  par  le  calcul  ordinaire  k 

savoir: 

20X0.0056    „._,,.    ,.      ,  ._     ,. 

— fTTco —  =  247  d  mdice  de  sapomncation. 

Le  tableau  suivant  donne  une  id4e  des  renseignements  que 
peut  fournir  I'application  des  operations  que  j'ai  cities. 

II  est  bien  certain  que  si  Ton  peut  ainsi  d^coavrir  5%  de  coco, 
on  comprend  qu'^  fortiori,  il  sera  ais6  d'en  trouver  une  teneur 
plus  61ev4e;  le  rapport  R^  pourrait  ^tre  utilement  cherch^; 
du  rests  sa  determination  ainsi  que  Ton  a  pu  s'en  rendre  compte, 
peut  se  lier  k  la  pratique  de  ma  m^thode  rapide  d'analyse  des 
beurres  (voir  ler  m^moire). 

Ri  R« 

B.P 38  43 

B.C 40  35  abr^viation 

B.CM 41  38  B.P.     -beurre  pur 

B.P 34  37  B.C.     -  beurre -^  5%  de  coco 

B.C 36  34  BCM.  -beurreH-5%  de  coco-J-5% 

BCM 38  36  margarine 

(1)  II  est  bien  de  chauffer  un  peu  ce  tube,  pour  que  les  acides  ne  s'y  solidi- 
fient  point. 


THE  CHEMIST  IN  THE  SERVICE  OF  THE  PACKING 

HOUSE 

Paul  Rudnick 
Chicago,  III. 

There  is  perhaps  no  other  industrial  line  of  work  embracing  so 
great  a  variety  of  subjects  as  packing  house  chemistry.  This 
work  may  vary  from  the  routine  analysis  of  occasional  samples 
of  a  few  fats  and  fertilizer  materials  such  as  blood,  bone  and 
tankage,  often  performed  under  contract  by  a  commercial 
chemist,  to  the  great  variety  of  work  performed  in  the  laboratories 
of  the  larger  packing  houses  by  a  corps  of  chemists  and  trained 
helpers. 

Confining  the  subject  under  discussion  to  the  larger  labora- 
tories, the  work  may  be  classified  in  a  general  way  into  three 
fairly  distinctive  lines,  namely  analytical,  research,  and  consult- 
ing work. 

The  analytical  work  embraces  two  principal  lines;  first,  the 
examination  of  purchased  materials,  so  far  as  they  can  be  pur- 
chased on  specifications  involving  chemical  control,  and  second, 
the  control  of  the  finished  manufactured  products,  often  includ- 
ing the  various  stages  of  manufacture  as  well.  Under  the  head 
of  purchased  materials  may  be  mentioned,  for  example,  steel, 
iron  and  cement  for  construction  work;  paper,  tin  plate,  wood, 
fiber  board,  jute,  and  burlap,  for  containers  or  wrapping  purposes; 
and  such  raw  materials  as  edible  and  inedible  fats  and  oils, 
phosphate  rock,  and  potash  salts,  which  enter  into  the  manu- 
facture of  finished  goods. 

Very  often  unusual  specifications  have  to  be  made  for  pur- 
chased materials,  as  for  example  in  the  case  of  special  coverings 
or  special  containers  for  meats  which  have  to  withstand  the 
deteriorating  infiuence  of  tropical,  humid  climates. 

In  the  control  of  products  manufactured  in  the  packing  house, 
one  of  the  principal  aims  in  the  case  of  edible  products  is,  of  course, 
to  comply  fully  with  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  foreign  and 

309 


310        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

domestic  laws,  including  the  Meat  Inspection  Regulations,  the 
Foods  and  Drugs  Act,  and  the  laws  of  the  various  individual 
states.  It  is  also  important,  however,  that  the  product  shall 
suit  the  consumer,  who  often  enough  seems  to  know  better  what 
he  doesn't  want,  than  exactly  what  he  does  want.  Local 
customs,  Ukes,  dislikes  and  often  prejudices  on  the  part  of  the 
consumer  and  retailer  must  be  met,  and  as  in  other  selhng  transac- 
tions, this  is  often  possible  only  by  an  analysis  or  examination  of 
a  sample  of  the  product  which  suits  the  consumer. 

In  the  long  list  of  work  on  edible  packing  house  products  may 
be  included  the  control  of  the  fresh,  cured,  smoked,  and  canned 
meats,  sausages,  edible  fatsi,  and  the  processes  by  which  they  are 
produced.  To  this  may  also  be  added  the  animal  products, 
used  chiefly  for  medicinal  purposes,  such  as  pepsin,  pancreatin, 
desiccated  glands  and  their  active  principles. 

Aside  from  the  routine  analytical  work  there  are  often  special 
analytical  problems  presented  in  the  control  of  manufacturing 
processes.  In  the  manufacture,  for  instance,  of  pemmican  for 
polar  expeditions  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  have  not  only  a 
well-balanced  ration  of  protein,  fat  and  carbohydrates,  but  the 
percentage  of  moisture  in  the  meat,  the  sweetness  of  the  meat 
and  fat,  the  amount  of  salt,  spices,  sweetening,  etc.,  must  be 
rigidly  controlled.  Again,  in  an  emergency  methods  can  and 
must  be  changed  or  adapted  to  meet  the  situation.  Some  years 
ago,  for  example,  it  became  necessary  to  determine  the  absence  of 
boron  compounds  in  not  less  than  500  samples  of  cured  meat 
daily.  To  incinerate  and  extract  such  a  number  of  samples  daily 
was  impossible  with  the  equipment  and  help  at  hand.  A  number 
of  comparative  analyses  confirmed  the  idea  that  the  qualitative 
test  for  boric  acid  could  be  made  on  the  brine  in  which  the  meats 
had  been  cured  by  simple  treatment  with  hydrochloric  acid,  and 
direct  appHcation  of  the  Goske  method,  the  results  being  just  as 
satisfactory  as  if  the  determinations  had  been  made  on  the  ash  of 
the  meat.  In  this  manner  it  was  easily  possible  for  one  man  to 
carry  on  the  work  at  the  rate  of  500  samples  daily. 

In  the  case  of  soaps,  glues,  fertihzers,  inedible  fats  and  oils, 
and  other  inedible  products  such  partial  or  complete  analyses 
are  made  as  will  assure  the  selling  department  that  the  product 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  311 

will  fully  meet  with  the  requirements  of  the  purchaser  and  his 
specifications,  or  in  the  case  there  are  no  such  requirements  or 
specifications  that  the  products  will  prove  acceptable  for  the 
purposes  for  which  they  are  intended.  In  a  very  large  part  of 
the  work  the  highest  accuracy  must  be  sacrificed  to  a  certain 
extent  to  the  necessary  speed.  For  instance,  it  is  far  more 
important  to  avoid  per  diam  penalties  or  so-called  demurrage 
charges  on  cars  held  on  the  track,  to  secure  cash  discounts  on 
materials  bought  subject  to  analysis,  to  avoid  costly  interruptions 
in  manufacturing  processes,  the  adjustment  of  which  depends 
on  analyses  made  on  the  finished  product,  or  to  furnish  a  tele- 
graphic quotation  on  the  day  of  the  inquiry,  than  to  employ 
unnecessarily  refined  methods  of  analysis. 

Where  so  much  analytical  work  must  be  done,  economy  of 
materials  and  of  operation  becomes  a  very  important  matter. 
It  is  necessary,  for  instance,  to  arrange  the  apparatus,  for  determi- 
nations which  have  to  be  made  in  great  numbers,  in  the  most 
compact,  simple  and  convenient  form  possible,  so  that  the  opera- 
tor will  not  have  to  waste  time  in  carrying  out  the  different  steps 
of  his  work.  The  expense  of  reagents  can  often  be  materially 
reduced.  For  example,  the  potassium  sulphate  for  nitrogen 
determinations  can  be  bought  from  the  wholesale  druggist  in  the 
powdered  form  in  which  it  is  used  in  medicinal  preparations, 
much  more  cheaply  than  the  so-called  chemically  pure  article  of 
the  chemical  supply  houses.  The  only  requisite  in  this  case  is 
its  freedom  from  nitrogen,  and  this  must  be  determined  in  any 
event  by  blank  determinations.  Again,  ammonium  nitrate, 
which  is  used  so  largely  in  phosphoric  acid  determinations,  can 
be  purchased  at  a  relatively  low  price,  if  the  specifications 
regarding  its  purity  be  limited  to  absence  of  phosphates. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  refer  to  a  mistaken  notion  which  seems 
to  have  grown  up  regarding  the  value  of  such  analytical  work,  a 
notion  which  has  crept  even  into  undergraduate  life,  namely  that 
analytical  work  is  something  to  be  shunned  because  of  the  lack 
of  opportunity  for  advancement.  Nothing  coxild  be  further 
from  the  truth.  There  is  no  more  valuable  training  for  the  indus- 
trial chemist  and  chemical  engineer  than  that  which  he  can 
obtain  in  such  work  as  has  been  described  above.    If  he  will 


312        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

stop  to  realize  what  an  important  bearing  even  the  simplest 
routine  operation  may  have  on  manufacturing  processes  and  how 
often  large  money  values  are  involved  and  depend  on  the  faith- 
fulness with  which  such  a  simple  routine  determination  is  carried 
out,  then  his  work  will  take  on  a  new  meaning,  and  actual  experi- 
ence shows  that  he  will  make  a  better  man  in  every  way,  other 
things  being  equal,  than  the  one  who  lacks  such  experience  and 
training.  Advancement  simply  depends  upon  whether  or  not 
he  is  content  to  remain  a  routine  analyst. 

Little  can  be  said  regarding  the  research  work  which  falls  to 
the  lot  of  the  packing  house  chemist.  Like  all  industrial  research 
work  it  is,  from  its  very  nature  and  purpose,  confidential  in 
character,  although  more  frequently  than  ever  before,  certain 
phases  of  it  may  be  of  sufiScient  scientific  interest  to  bear  publica- 
tion without  destroying  the  value  of  the  general  proposition  at 
hand.  If  this  is  so,  it  will  doubtless  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
methods  employed  are  becoming  more  and  more  scientific  and 
less  empirical  than  they  have  been. 

It  is  out  of  the  question  to  indicate  even  in  the  briefest  way 
the  variety  of  subjects  considered  in  the  consulting  work  required 
of  the  packing  house  chemist,  except  perhaps,  to  say  that  the 
executive  heads,  general  and  department  superintendents,  engi- 
neers, architects,  attorneys  and  many  others  daily  refer  questions 
to  the  chemist  for  answer.  Many  of  these  subjects  are  of  the 
greatest  interest,  sometimes  involving  careful  and  extended 
experimental  work,  at  other  times  a  carefully  planned  series  of 
analytical  determinations  or  of  microscopical  or  bacteriological 
work.  Occasionally,  however,  emergencies  arise  where  decisions 
must  be  made  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  without  time  for  a 
search  of  the  literature  or  for  actual  experiments,  otherwise  the 
time  for  decision  would  be  past. 

In  conclusion,  I  cannot  emphasize  too  strongly  a  fact  quite 
commonly  overlooked  by  the  chemist,  namely  that  his  work  is  of 
no  value  to  the  business  man  unless  results,  conclusions,  judg- 
ments, or  opinions  be  reported  in  simple,  clear  and  concise  lan- 
guage, avoiding  as  far  as  possible  the  use  of  technical,  involved, 
or  indefinite  expressions,  or  conditional  statements. 


AN  INVESTIGATION  ON  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  TEA 

By  S.  Sawamura 
College  of  Agriculture,  Imperial  University,  Tokyo 

I.  Effect  of  Steaming  on  the  Activity  of  the  Enzyms  of 
Tea  Leaves 

In  green  tea  leaves  there  are  present  abundant  oxydising 
enzym,  wherefore  Mann  in  India  holds  an  opinion  that  oxydising 
enzym  is  one  of  the  factors  which  determine  the  quality  of  tea. 
In  the  manufacture  of  green  tea,  however,  oxydising  enzym 
of  tea  leaves  is  killed  by  steaming,  because  when  it  is  active 
the  green  color  of  tea  leaves  can  no  more  be  retained.  The 
author^  foimd  in  another  investigation  that  the  formation  of 
some  aroma  of  manufactured  tea,  which  takes  place  usually 
during  the  rolling  of  tea  leaves,  is  due  to  the  action  of  a  certain 
enzym  on  a  certain  compound  of  tea  leaf.  Hence  if  steaming 
kills  all  the  enzyms  of  tea  leaves  the  production  of  aroma  may  be 
more  or  less  hindered.  . 

In  1909  I  tried  to  know  whether  all  the  enzyms  of  tea  leaves 
lose  activity  by  steaming  in  the  usual  manner.  In  these  trials 
green  leaves  were  steamed  in  the  usual  manner,  respectively 
for  30  seconds,  50  seconds  and  one  minute,  and  the  steamed 
leaves  as  well  as  the  unsteamed  were  crushed  and  extracted 
with  40%  alcohol.  The  extracts  are  precipitated  with  ether- 
alcohol  and  filtered.  The  precipitates  were  washed  with  alcohol 
and  again  dissolved  in  water.  The  solution  gave  no  reaction 
with  FejCle,  proving  the  absence  of  tannin.  Oxydising  enzyms 
were  tested  with  guayak  tincture,  and  guayacol  and  H2O2,  by 
which  the  solution  obtained  from  unsteamed  leaves  showed  the 
characteristic  reaction,  while  the  steamed  did  not.  Steaming  for 
30  seconds  killed  oxydising  enzyms  completely.  In  another  trial 
tea  leaves  steamed  for  20  seconds  were  tested  for  the  presence 
of  oxydases,  and  a  faint  reaction  was  observed.     From  these 

'  Bulletin  of  Agric.  Exp.  station,  No.  1. 

313 


314        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

facts  we  know  that  the  oxydising  enzyms  of  tea  leaves  lose  activity 
when  they  are  steamed  only  for  30  seconds. 

I  tried  then  to  see  whether  the  enzyms  other  than  oxydase 
lose  activity  by  steaming  for  a  short  time.  Preliminarily  I 
detected  diastase  in  tea  leaf  by  the  following  manner.  Green 
tea  leaves  were  crushed  in  a  mortar  and  extracted  with  40% 
alcohol.  To  the  extract  ether-alcohol  was  added,  and  the  pre- 
cipitate thereby  formed  was  washed  and  again  dissolved  in  water. 
In  this  solution  tannin  was  removed  by  hide  powder  and  putre- 
faction was  prevented  by  the  addition  of  thymol.  It  was  filtered, 
and  the  filtrate  which  gave  no  reaction  with  Fe2Cl6  and  did  not 
reduce  Fehling's  solution,  some  boiled  starch  and  thymol  were 
put  in.  The  solution  after  having  been  kept  at  40°  C.  for  4  days, 
reduced  Fehling's  solution  considerably.  We  confirmed  by  this 
trial  that  diastase  of  tea  leaves  can  be  detected  in  this  manner. 

The  tea  leaves  steamed  for  30  seconds,  in  which  oxydase  was 
completely  killed,  reduced  also  Fehhng's  solution  when  treated 
in  the  same  manner.  Hence  we  know  that  oxydase  is  much  more 
sensible  than  other  enzyms  such  as  diastase  and  it  is  highly 
probable  that  some  enzymatic  actions  take  place  in  the  first 
stage  of  rolling  tea  leaves,  and  the  production  of  some  fine  aroma 
is  due  to  them.  In  practice,  therefore,  steaming  of  tea  leaves 
must  be  so  regulated  as  to  kill  only  oxydising  enzyms  but  not 
other  enzyms. 

II.  Effect  of  Rolling  on  the  Solubility  of  Tea 

Whether  the  object  of  rolling  tea  leaves  in  the  manufacture 
of  green  tea  is  to  give  tea  a  fine  shape  or  to  press  out  the  juice 
in  order  to  accelerate  the  desiccation  of  the  leaves,  or  to  break 
the  cells  in  order  to  increase  solubility  is,  as  far  as  I  know,  not 
yet  decided.  According  to  the  investigation  of  Dr.  Kozai' 
the  solubihty  of  green  tea  was  little  increased  by  the  manufacture, 
but  Rombe  and  Roman's  experiment^  showed  on  the  contrary 
the  decrease  of  soluble  tannin  and  thein. 

To  settle  this  question  I  made  an  experiment  in  1905,  in  which 

»  Bulletin  of  College  of  Agriculture  and  Dendrology  No.  7. 
'  Kdnig.     Chemie  der  Nahrungs  und  genussmittel  B.  II. 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


315 


fresh  tea  leaves,  picked  at  a  sheltered  tea  garden,  were  divided 
into  three  parts,  and  one  of  them  was  steamed  and  dried  without 
rolling  which  served  as  control;  the  second  part  was  prepared 
into  green  tea  (Gyokuro),  and  the  third  part  into  Tencha,  which 
is  usually  prepared  without  rolling  the  leaves.  The  infusion  of 
these  three  kinds  of  tea  was  found  to  be  as  follows: — 


Control 

Tencha 

Gyokuro 

Color 

Flavor 

Taste 

light 
weak 
faint 

deeper 

Btronger 

good 

deepest 

strongest 

best 

The  reaction  of  the  infusion  with  FejCle  was  not  the  same  in 
three  kinds;  that  of  Gyokuro  produced  deep  black  color,  while 
control  and  Tencha  a  very  faint  black  color.  The  solubility  of 
tea  was  determined  as  follows: — 400  cc.  of  boiling  water  were 
poured  on  10  gr.  of  the  powdered  sample  which  had  been  kept 
at  100°  C.  for  an  hoxir.  It  was  filtered  after  leaving  it  to  stand 
for  5  minutes  and  washed  on  filter  with  100  cc.  of  boihng  water, 
and  soluble  matters  were  estimated  in  it. 
The  composition  of  the  control  tea  was  as  follows : — 


In  100  pts.  of  air  dry  substance 

water 

6.215 

In  100  pts.  of  dry  substance 

Crude  protein 

41.984 

Albuminoids 

28.252 

Ethereal  extract 

9.042 

Crude  fiber 

12.012 

Nitrogen  free  extract 

14.101 

Thein 

3.529 

Tannin 

15.968 

Crude  ash 

6.883 

Total  nitrogen 

6.717 

Albuminous  nitrogen 

4.520 

Thein  nitrogen 

0.934 

Amide  nitrogen 

1.263 

316        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  soluble  constituents  of  the  three  samples  were  as  follows: — 
IlSf  100  PTS.  OP  DRY  MATTERS 


Control 

Tencha 

Gyokuro 

Dry  matter 

Tn.TiTiiTi 

34.057 
7.083 
3.124 
5.249 

34.130 
6.939 
2.996 
5.373 

33.862 
6.477 

Thein 

3.088 

Ash 

5.197 

According  to  these  results  Gyokuro,  which  was  prepared  by 
rolling  the  leaves,  showed  no  greater  solubility  than  the  other 
two.  Soluble  tannin  decreased  in  Gyokuro  probably  in  conse- 
quence of  oxydation  during  the  rolling. 

In  the  other  experiment  I  determined  solubiUty  of  three 
samples  in  a  different  manner.  10  gr.  of  whole,  not  powdered 
sample  were  put  in  a  beaker,  and  after  keeping  it  at  100°  C.  for 
an  hour  200  cc.  of  boiling  water  were  poured  on  and  filtered 
through  glass  wool  after  leaving  it  to  stand  5  minutes.  In  the 
filtrate  dry  substance,  crude  protein,  tannin,  thein  and  ash  were 
estimated.     They  were  as  follows: — 


Control 


Tencha 


Gyokuro 


In  100  part  of  air 

dry 

substance 

Water 

8.375 

In    100   pts.    of 

dry 

matter    there 

were  soluble 

Dry  matter.  . 

16.076 

1.885 

Tannin 

0.659 

Thein 

1.975 

Ash 

3.405 

7.953 


21.190 
2.141 
1.312 
2.243 
4.411 


7.638 


29.233 
2.313 
5.492 
2.804 
4.385 


xvinl 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


317 


In  100  pts.  of  each 
constituent  there 
were  soluble 

Dry  matter .... 

Nitrogen 

Tannin 

Thein 

Ash 


Control 


17.645 
28.068 
4.127 
65.965 
49.760 


Tcncha 


23.021 
31.869 
8.216 
63.559 
64.083 


Gyokuro 


31.656 
34.427 
34.374 
79.453 
63.708 


The  increase  of  solubility  compared  with  the  control  was  found 
to  be  as  follows: — 


Gyokuro 


Dry  matter 
Nitrogen.  . 
Tannin .... 

Thein 

Ash 


14.111 
6.359 
30.247 
23.488 
13.958 


We  see  that,  when  the  whole,  not  powdered  samples  were  used, 
there  were  greater  increase  of  solubility  in  the  rolled  leaves. 
Hence  we  may  conclude,  that  the  rolling  of  tea  leaves  has  the 
effect  of  increasing  easily  soluble  matter  by  crushing  the  cells 
and  pressing  out  the  juice  and  making  it  dry  on  the  surface  of  the 
leaves. 

Second  experiment  on  the  same  subject  was  carried  on  in  1906 
with  tea  leaves  picked  in  unsheltered  tea  garden.  The  leaves 
were  divided  into  two  parts,  and  one  part  was  dried  after  steam- 
ing and  served  as  control,  and  the  other  part  prepared  into  green 
tea.  The  infusion  of  the  two  samples  was  foxmd  to  be  as  fol- 
lows:— 


Control 

Green  Tea 

Color 

For  lighter 
Nearly  null 
Faint 

Common 

Flavor 

Good 

Taste 

Good 

318        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  composition  of  the  original  leaves  was  found  to  be  as 
follows : — 


In  100  pts.  of  air  dry  substance 

water 
In  100  parts  of  dry  substance 

Crude  protein 

Ethereal  extract 

Tannin 

Thein 

Ash 

Soluble  matter 

Total  nitrogen 

Thein  nitrogen 


6.008 

33.209 

25.656 

18.889 

3.266 

5.719 

44.525 

5.313 

0.864 


The  solubility  which  was  determined  in  whole,  not  powdered 
samples,  was  foimd  to  be  as  follows : — 


Control 

Green  tea 

Drv  matter 

9.879 
0.969 
4.883 
1.995 
1.383 

26  692 

1.410 

TaTlTllTl 

12  802 

Thein 

2.136 

Ash 

3  077 

Control 


Green  tea 


Increase  in 
Green  tea 


In  100  pts.  of  each  constitu- 
ent there  were   soluble 

Dry  matter 

Nitrogen 

Tannin 

Thein 

Ash 


22.119 
18.227 
25.850 
61.074 
24.186 


69.948 
26.531 
67.778 
65.403 
53.811 


37.829 
8.304 

41.928 
4.329 

29.625 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


319 


The  result  of  this  trial  agreed  with  that  of  the  former  one, 
showing  the  increase  of  easy  solubility  in  the  rolled  leaves. 
Hence  we  may  conclude,  that  the  chief  effect  of  rolling  tea  leaves 
is  the  increase  of  easy  solubility  of  the  constituents.  The  desic- 
cation of  the  leaves  will  also  be  accelerated  by  rolling  by  press- 
ing out  the  juice  from  the  interior  of  the  cells.  From  these  facts 
we  are  justified  in  testing  tea-infusion  to  take  whole,  not  powdered 
sample,  and  to  infuse  it  only  for  a  few  minutes.  Total  solubility 
as  was  determined  in  the  usual  method  is  not  of  much  use  for 
practical  purpose. 

III.  The  Effect  of  Fihinq  on  the  Chemical  Composition 

OF  Tea 

Green  tea  as  well  as  black  tea  are  usually  refired  some  days 
later  after  the  manufacture.  By  refiring  the  flavor  is  much 
improved,  but  the  infusion  becomes  usually  darker  in  color. 
In  1908  and  1909  I  made  some  investigation  on  the  effect  of  re- 
firing  on  the  quality  and  composition  of  tea.  I  kept  respectively 
green  tea  and  black  tea  at  various  temperatures  for  one  hour  and 
then  analyzed.  Tannin  was  estimated  by  Lowenthal's  method 
and  thein  by  Mulder's  method.  Solubility  was  determined  by 
infusing  2  gr.  of  whole  tea  leaves  in  400  cc.  of  distilled  water  for 
2  hours,  and  after  100  cc.  of  water  had  been  added  it  was  filtered. 
The  temperature  used  for  firing,  the  color  and  flavor  of  the  in- 
fusion and  the  color  of  the  infused  leaves  were  found  to  be  as 
follows : — 

1908 

1.  GREEN  TEA 


Color  of  the 

No. 

Temperature 

Color 

Flavor 

infused  leaves 

1 

Control 

Little  lighter  than 

Weaker  than 

(not  fired) 

No.  3 

No.  2 

Greenish  yel- 

2 

61°C 

Nearly  same  as  No.  3 

Best 

low 

3 

82°C 

Best 

Little  too  strong 

4 

101°C 

Rather  red 

Little  reddish 

5 

123°C 

Reddish  than  No.  4 

Bad  smell 

Reddish 

6 

140°C 

More  reddish    No.  5 

7 

160°C 

Reddish 

Blackish  brown 

320        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


2.  BLACK  TEA 


Color  of  the 

No. 

Temperature 

Color 

Flavor 

infused  leaves 

1 

Control 
(not  fired) 

Lighter  than  No.  2 

Weaker  than 
No.  2 

2 

62°C 

Lighter  than  No.  5 

Weaker  than 
No.  3 

Brown 

3 

81°C 

Lighter  than  No.  1 

Best 

4 

101°C 

Lighter  than  No.  3 

5 
6 

iig-c 

141°C 

Most  reddish 
Lighter  than  No.  4 

Bad  smell 

Blackish 
brown 

7 

166°C 

Lighter  than  No.  6 

1909 
1.  GREEN  TEA 


Color  of 

Aroma  of 

Taste  of 

Color  of  the 

Mo. 

Temperature 

infusion 

infusion 

infusion 

infused  leaves 

1 

Control 
(not  fired) 

Faint 

Weak 

Weak 

2 

60°C 

Best 

Weak 

Astringent 

3 

70°C 

Lighter  than 
No.  4 

Best 

Good 

Usual 

4 

80°C 

Lighter  than 
No.  2 

Good 

Best 

5 

90°C 

Reddish 

Bad 

Bitter 

6 

100°C 

Worst 

Most  bitter 

Little  burnt 

2.  BLACK  TEA 


1 

Control 
(not  fired) 

Not  clear 

Faint 

Weak 

2 
3 

60°C 
70°C 

Light 

Best 

Good 
Best 

Usual 

4 

80°C 

Best 

Weaker  than 

Weaker  than 

No.  3 

No.  3 

6 

90°C 

Worse  than 

No.  4 

Bad 

Bad 

6 

100°C 

Blackish 

Blackish 

xvm] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


321 


The  chief  constituents  of  the  tea  \frere  found  to  be  as  fol- 
lows:— 

1908 

1.  GREEN  TEA 


No. 

Temperature 

In  100 
pts.  of 
air  dry 
subst. 

In  100  pts.  of  dry  substance 

Water 

Tannin 

Thein 

Solu- 
bility 

Soluble 
tannin 

Soluble 
thein 

1 
2 

Control 

(not  fired) 

61°C 

82°C 

101°C 

123°C 

140°C 

160°C 

5.228 

4.633 
3.158 
1.383 
2.045 
2.453 
3.005 

15.690 

3.210 

37.458 

36.786 
35.417 
35.553 
37.364 
35.162 
29.898 

11.724 

11.906 
11.785 
11.688 
11.096 
10.400 
6.470 

2.506 
2  600 

8 

2.601 

4 
5 

14.602 

3.101 

2.444 
2.455 

6 

2.287 

7 

13.248 

3.098 

2.317 

2.  BLACK  TEA 


1 

?, 

Control 
(not  fired) 

62°C 

81°C 
101°C 
119°C 
141°C 
156°C 

4.445 

3.985 
3.703 
2.293 
4.875 
2.230 
1.460 

8.575 

3.075 

27.393 

27.027 
27.415 
27.020 
26.281 
24.957 
22.757 

4.045 

4.151 
4.390 
4.450 
3.682 
2.594 
1.961 

2.518 
2.676 

3 

2.290 

4 

5 

7.247 

3.130 

2.705 
2.477 

A 

2.443 

7 

5.797 

3.135 

2.500 

322        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


1909 
1.  GREEN  TEA 


No. 

Temperature 

In  100 
pta.  of 
air  dry 
Bubst. 

In  100  pts.  of  dry  substance 

Water 

Tannin 

Thein 

Solu- 
bility 

Soluble 
tanniii 

Soluble 
thein 

1 

2 
3 

Control 
(not  fired) 
60°C 
70°C 
80°C 
90°C 
100°C 

5.157 

4.512 
3.903 
3.168 
2.105 
1.844 

15.857 
15.844 

3.077 
3.134 

37.557 

37.252 
37.463 
36.455 
35.569 
24.666 

11.621 

11.883 
11.936 
11.711 
11.236 
11.451 

2.191 

2.425 
2.483 

4 
5 

15.418 

3.209 

2.536 
2.442 

6 

14.586 

3.061 

2.487 

2.  BLACK  TEA 


Control 

(not  fired) 

60°C 

70°C 

80°C 

go-c 

100°C 


6.320 

4.541 
3.574 
3.218 
2.271 
2.049 

8.484 
8.632 

3.165 
3.163 

27.556 

27.137 
27.378 
27.098 
26.727 
26.475 

3.917 

3.844 
3.955 
3.979 
3.479 
3.283 

7.402 

3.147 

7.093 

3.046 

2.348 

2.456 
2.403 
2.407 
2.221 
2.200 


From  these  results  we  may  conclude,  that  green  tea  is  improved 
in  quality  by  being  fired  at  70°  C.  for  one  hour,  and  temperature 
higher  than  70°  C.  spoils  both  the  flavor  and  color.  The  optimum 
temperature  for  firing  black  tea  hes  little  higher  than  for  green 
tea;  viz.  80°  C  ,  and  Uke  green  tea  higher  temperature  spoils  the 
flavor  and  color.  By  reflring  tannin  and  thein  decrease  more  or 
less,  probably  the  former  being  due  to  oxydation  and  the  latter 
to  volatilization.  Solubility  increases  little  when  tea  is  not 
strongly  heated,  but  when  temperature  is  high  total  soluble 
substance  and  tannin  decrease  remarkably.  Therefore  in  firing 
tea  temperature  must  of  course  be  properly  applied.  If  it  is 
too  high,  the  quality  of  tea  is  much  deteriorated. 


WHEAT  FLOUR.    A  MONOGRAPH 

Harry  Snyder,  B.  S. 
Minneapolis,  Minn. 

In  considering  the  chemical  composition  of  a  flour,  its  moisture 
content  and  the  basis  upon  which  the  results  are  reported,  are 
matters  of  first  importance.  Flour  freshly  milled  may  contain 
from  12.50  to  13,50  per  cent  of  moisture.  When  stored  under 
the  best  conditions  its  moisture  content  appreciably  decreases. 
Often  the  chemist  receives  for  analysis  a  small,  over-dried  sam- 
ple sent  in  paper  envelope.  This  sample  may  contain  less  than 
8%  moisture.  Comparison  of  such  a  sample  with  one  freshly 
milled  is  inconsistent  unless  the  necessary  corrections  for  dif- 
ferences in  moisture  content  be  made.  This  difference  in  moist- 
ure content,  unless  corrected,  disturbs  comparative  analytical 
results  and  is  the  occasion  of  much  unfavorable  comment  as  to 
the  value  of  a  chemical  analysis  of  flour. 

The  extent  to  which  a  variation  of  6%  in  moisture  may  affect 
results  is  large.  A  freshly  milled  flour  with  13.50%  moisture 
and  .40%  ash,  would  when  dried  to  7|%  moisture  show  nearly 
.43%  (.427)  ash: 

The  maximum  standard  of  13.50  per  cent  of  moisture  adopted 
by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  is  reasonable  when  the 
wide  range  in  moisture  content  of  wheat  is  considered.  As  an 
illustration  of  this  range,  278  cars  of  wheat  tested  for  moisture 
by  myself  during  the  present  year  showed  48  cars  with  less  than 
13.5  %moisture  and  230  cars  with  more  than  13.5%  moisture. 

The  question  of  the  moisture  content  of  flour  is  a  disturbing 
factor  not  only  in  chemical  analysis  but  also  in  the  matter  of 
weight  of  a  package.  Any  loss  of  moisture  causes  a  propor- 
tional loss  of  weight.  Since  the  Government  has  established 
the  maximum  moisture  content  of  flour  at  13|%,  that  neces- 
sarily establishes  the  minimum  dry  matter  at  86|%  and  in  turn 
determines  the  approximate  tolerance  allowable  for  shrinkage  in 

323 


324         Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol. 

weight.  To  illustrate:  if  a  98-lb.  package  of  flour  after  storage 
and  handling  weighs  97  lbs.  and  is  carefully  sampled  and  its 
moisture  content  found  to  be  11|%,  it  means  that  the  97  lbs.  on 
an  11|%  moisture  basis  contains  85.84  lbs  of  dry  matter.  If 
the  flour  had  been  packed  with  13.50%  the  98-lb.  package  would 
have  contained  84.77  lbs.  of  dry  matter.  As  it  is,  it  contains 
about  one  pound  of  dry  matter  or  dry  flour  more  than  is  called 
for  on  the  minimum  dry  matter  basis  and  hence  cannot  be  con- 
sidered as  short  in  weight.  On  the  basis  of  dry  matter  it  is  not 
short  in  weight  and  when  packed  it  did  not  contain  the  maxi- 
mum moisture  content  allowed  by  the  Government  standard. 
Hence  in  the  consideration  of  both  weight  and  chemical  compo- 
sition of  flour  the  moisture  content  is  a  matter  of  first  import- 
ance. All  comparisons  of  composition  should  be  made  on  a  uni- 
form moisture  basis.  The  extent  to  which  a  flour  sample  may 
dry  cannot  be  anticipated  and  the  moisture  removed  by  drjdng 
must  in  turn  be  added  in  bread-making.  Thus  the  consumer  is 
in  no  way  defrauded  by  the  drying  of  flour  provided  it  is  packed 
full  weight  and  without  excessive  moisture,  that  is  above  131%. 
Indeed  more  water  than  that  would  endanger  the  keeping  quali- 
ties of  the  flour  and  entail  loss  on  the  part  of  the  manufacturer. 
Flour  with  either  an  excessively  low  or  high  moisture  content  is 
not  normal  flour. 

Over-dryness  of  flour  may  affect  the  analytical  results  by  trans- 
location of  soluble  ingredients.  In  the  case  of  a  sample  of  flour 
freshly  milled  with  .40%  ash,  about  one-fourth  is  mechanically 
combined^or  chemically  united  with  the  gluten,  one-fourth  with 
the  starch  and  one-half  is  capable  of  being  dissolved  in  distilled 
water.  When  a  flour  dries  an  uneven  distribution  of  the  solu- 
ble constituents  may  occur,  depending  entirely  upon  governing 
conditions.  Thus  if  a  sample  of  flour  be  drawn  from  only  one 
part  of  a  large  flour  package  it  may  show  an  abnormal  ash 
content. 


XVIIl] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


325 


Example  oj  Translocation  of  Flour  Ash. 


Ash  Content 
of  Flour 

Moisture 
Content* 

1. 

2. 

Fresh  Flour  140-lb.  packages 
Sample  from  exterior  of  pack- 
age after  storage  3  mos.  in 
flour  store  room 

.37+ 

.41 
.37 

12.92     .37+ 
10.84     .40+ 

3. 

Sample  from  Center  of  pkg. . 

11.58     .36+ 

Drying  of  a  flour  accompanied  by  translocation,  and  drawing 
of  the  sample  from  a  portion  only  of  the  package  may  affect 
the  ash  results  to  the  extent  of  .06  of  a  per  cent.  Not  infrequently 
do  the  results  of  two  laboratories  reporting  on  the  same  sample 
of  flour  show  as  large  and  even  a  larger  difference  than  .06%. 

In  the  determination  of  the  ash  of  flour  other  errors  that 
may  occur  result  from :  too  high  a  temperature  during  combustion, 
incomplete  combustion,  fusion  and  occlusion  of  particles  of 
carbon  and  failure  to  make  the  necessary  distinction  between 
crude  ash  and  pure  ash.  The  temperature  during  combustion 
should  be  appreciably  below  675°C.  and  the  combustion  should 
be  continued  until  a  light  grey  granular  ash  is  secured,  reasonable 
constant  in  weight.  The  ash  should  not  be  fused  and  should  be 
corrected  for  carbon  and  combined  carbon  dioxide.  The  ash 
from  a  refined  flour  can  be  obtained  quite  free  from  carbon  and 
combined  carbon  dioxide,  so  that  there  is  no  appreciable  differ- 
ence between  the  crude  ash  and  the  pure  ash.  But,  if  the  com- 
bustion is  not  made  with  care,  the  difference  is  large. 

The  main  loss  caused  by  high  temperatures  for  combustion 
is  sulphur.  This,  however,  affects  the  ash  percentage  less  than 
.01  per  cent.  There  appears  to  be  no  loss  of  phosphorus  during 
the  combustion  process  at  low  temperature  as  there  is  sufficient 
alkaline  matter  to  form  non-volatile  pyro  phosphates.  In  fact 
I  have  been  uuable  to  obtain  any  difference  in  the  phosphorus 

•Ash  on  basis  of  uniform  moisture  content. 


326        Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol. 

content  of  a  flour  from  the  analysis  of  the  ash,  and  from  the 
analysis  of  the  residue  of  the  calorimeter  where  the  flour  is  burned 
in  such  a  way  as  to  preclude  any  possible  loss  of  phosphorus 
compounds. 

No  official  method  has  yet  been  adopted  by  the  Association 
of  Official  Agricultural  Chemists  for  the  determination  of  the 
ash  of  cereals.  In  the  work  on  ffours  and  cereals  by  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture  a  just  distinction  has  been  made 
between  crude  ash  and  pure  ash  along  the  lines  laid  down  by 
European  Chemists. 

Methods  have  been  proposed  for  the  complete  analysis  of  the 
inorganic  constituents  of  plants  in  which  calcium  acetate  is  used 
to  prevent  volatihzation  of  sulphur,  and  then  corrections  are 
made  for  the  lime  and  carbon  dioxide  introduced  by  its  use.  The 
application  to  flour  of  such  a  method  for  obtaining  ash  is  not 
feasible  as  corrections  for  carbon  dioxide  &c.  must  be  made  on 
each  individual  sample  tested.  This  in  turn  calls  for  the  com- 
bustion of  100  grams  of  flour  so  as  to  get  enough  crude  ash  to 
determine  the  quantities  of  impurities  to  be  deducted.  Such  a 
method  would  be  impracticable  in  flour  mill  work.  No  common 
factor  could  be  assumed  for  correction  as  a  more  or  less  richly 
carbonated  ash  of  a  variable  degree  of  purity  is  obtained.  The 
acetate  introduces  one-fourth  as  much  mineral  matter  as  is 
naturally  present  in  the  flour  and  its  use  may  occasion  the  intro- 
duction of  a  larger  error  than*  it  is  intended  to  correct:  viz. 
volatilization  of  sulphur. 

When  made  under  uniform  conditions  and  by  one  person,  the 
ash  results  indicate  the  mechanical  uniformity  of  a  flour  to  a 
high  degree  and  are  of  value  in  flour  mill  control  work  but 
alone — the  ash  results  are  incapable  of  determining  the  bread- 
making  value  of  a  flour. 

When  the  ash  results  of  two  chemists  working  on  the  same 
sample  of  flour  are  compared  wide  differences  may  be  observed 
because  of  variation  in  moisture  content,  occlusion,  transloca- 
tion, incomplete  combustion  and  failure  to  make  the  necessary 
distinction  between  crude  and  pure  ash.  These  variations  are 
often  so  large,  and  unnecessarily  so,  as  to  cast  much  discredit  on 

*  Through  formation  of  carbonates. 


xvni]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  327 

chemical  tests  and  their  application  to  determining  the  value  of 
flour. 

Another  source  of  confusion  in  the  interpretation  of  a  flour 
analysis  is  the  occasional  use  of  the  factor  5.7  for  converting 
total  nitrogen  into  protein,  instead  of  6.25  and  then  no  mention 
being  made  of  the  factor  used.  In  technical  scientific  investiga- 
tion the  use  of  special  factors  for  protein  determination  is  neces- 
sary and  unquestionable,  but  to  use  a  special  factor  for  wheat 
and  a  general  factor  (6.25)  for  all  other  foods  is  inconsistent. 
From  a  nutritive  point  of  view  the  6.25  factor  for  wheat  is  more 
correct  than  5.70  because  the  wheat  proteins  are  concentrated 
in  nitrogen  containing  17.50%  against  the  general  average  of 
16.25.  It  is  the  nitrogenous  part  of  the  molecule  which  gives 
the  unique  food  value  to  the  proteins,  and  in  the  wheat  proteins 
the  consumer  gets  more  of  this  material.  In  fact  the  5.7  factor 
assigns  too  low  a  nutritive  value  to  wheat.  Wheat  proteids  are 
too  concentrated  in  distinctive  nitrogenous  material  to  be  as- 
signed so  low  a  percentage  value — when  compared  with  other 
foods  where  the  proteins  are  of  lower  nitrogen  content.  It  is 
the  quality  of  the  protein  that  determines  its  nutritive  value 
as  well  as  the  amount,  and  in  wheat  the  proteins  are  of  strong 
nitrogenous  character. 

The  general  method  for  the  determination  of  crude  fiber  is  not 
satisfactory  for  determining  the  fiber  content  of  flour,  as  the 
action  of  the  acid  and  alkali  solutions  for  the  removal  of  non-fiber 
materials  is  not  complete.  By  extracting  the  flour  with 
70%  alcohol,  after  extraction  with  ether,  better  results  are 
obtained  as  the  gliadin  is  removed,  foaming  is  prevented  and 
the  material  is  in  better  mechanical  condition  for  extraction  with 
acid  and  alkali  solutions.  This  extraction  with  alcohol  is  bene- 
ficial in  determining  the  fiber  of  wheat  products. 

In  conclusion,  it  may  be  said  that  the  chemist  can  do  most  in 
the  way  of  flour  investigations  by  making  a  study  of  bread-making 
processes  and  the  factors  which  control  them.  Flour  making  is 
distinctly  a  mechanical  process  and  the  whole  tendency  of  modern 
flour  manufacture  is  in  the  direction  of  producing  cleaner  flom-. 

Since  wheat  flour  takes  such  an  important  part  in  the  dietary 
and  because  it  supplies  such  a  large  amoimt  of  nutrients  at  com- 


328        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

paratively  low  cost,  it  is  consistent  that  the  efforts  of  the  chemist 
be  directed  toward  encouraging  the  farmer  to  raise  the  best  of 
bread  wheats  in  the  most  approved  ways  through  scientific 
agriculture,  and  that  a  broader  knowledge  be  secured  and  gen- 
erally disseminated  concerning  the  principles  of  bread-making 
and  the  nutritive  value  of  bread  and  foods  in  general.  In  this 
work  the  food  chemist  must  necessarily  take  the  leading  part. 
If  indifferent,  he  is  not  doing  his  duty. 


ON    SOME    DRIED     MILKS     AND     PATENT     FOODS 

By  a.  W.  Stewaht,  D.Sc. 
West  Hampstead,  London,  N.W.,  England 

Whether  dried  milks,  infants'  foods  and  other  milk  food  prepa- 
rations are  becoming  more  popular  or  that  mothers  find  it  more 
convenient  to  bring  up  their  children  on  these  products,  the 
fact  remains  that  there  is  a  steady  increase  in  the  number  of 
these  preparations.  Although  some  are  of  a  wholesome  nature 
there  are  on  the  market  nevertheless  a  large  number  whose  chief 
ingredient  is  starch,  contained  in  such  a  proportion  as  to  be 
totally  unsuitable  for  infants.  Artificial  products  cannot  effec- 
tually replace  what  nature  has  supphed.  The  characters  of 
human  milk  are  such  that  its  imitation  seems  almost  irrealis- 
able.  It  is  true  that  by  diluting  cows'  milk  with  water  and 
adding  lactose  and  cream,  an  article  can  be  produced  much 
resembling  human  milk,  but  it  has  not  those  properties  that 
render  mothers'  milk  the  ideal  food  for  children.  Sommerville 
pointed  out  the  value  of  dried  milk  for  infant  feeding  on  account 
of  its  relative  sterility  and  the  absence  of  a  dense  clot  in  the 
infant's  stomach.  When  one  studies  the  results  of  the  analyses 
of  the  infants'  foods  on  the  market,  the  unsuitabihty  of  the 
majority  of  them  is  greatly  in  evidence.  The  AustraUan  Food 
Standards  Committee  1906,  recommended  that  "Infants'  food 
shall  contain  no  woody  fibre,  no  preservative  substance  and  no 
mineral  substance  insoluble  in  water;  and  unless  described  or 
sold  specifically  as  a  food  suitable  only  for  infants  over  the  age 
of  seven  months  shall,  when  prepared  as  directed  by  an  accom- 
panying label,  contain  no  starch  and  shall  contain  the  essential 
ingredients  of  and  conform  approximately  in  composition  to 
normal  mothers'  milk."  Apart  from  the  high  starch  percentage 
of  a  number  of  brands,  there  are  not  many  which  form  even  in 
10%  solutions  anything  approaching  a  homogeneous  solution. 
In  several  cases  this  was  not  possible,  the  result  being  a  thick 
12  329 


330        Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol. 

pasty  mass  caused  by  the  swelling  and  cohesion  of  the  starch. 
The  small  %  of  fat  is  an  outstanding  feature  of  inferior  brands; 
they  are  deficient  in  the  chief  body  fuel  namely  fat.  Abun- 
dance of  fat  should  be  the  main  characteristic  of  the  diet  of 
infancy  just  as  abundance  of  carbohydrates  is  the  chief  feature 
of  the  adult  and  laborious  life.  The  frequent  connection  between 
rickets  and  deficiency  in  fat  is  an  undeniable  clinical  fact. 
Again,  the  desiccating  process  destroys  the  enzjones  always  pres- 
ent in  raw  milk  and  to  which  its  anti-scorbutic  properties  are 
generally  ascribed. 

Preparation 

Until  lately  the  process  of  separating  the  soHd  and  liquid 
constituents  of  milk  was  too  costly  to  render  the  manufacture 
of  "dried  milk"  a  profitable  industry.  The  machine  used  in  the 
"Just-Hatmaker"  process  appears  to  give  the  most  satisfactory 
results;  it  consists  of  two  large  metallic  drums  28  inches  in 
diameter  and  6  feet  long,  mounted  horizontally  in  a  framework 
with  a  space  of  about  fth  inch  between  them.  High-pressure 
steam,  admitted  to  the  drums  through  axial  pipes,  raises  their 
surfaces  to  a  temperature  of  220°  F.  The  milk  is  allowed  to 
flow  in  thin  streams  over  the  revolving  drums,  the  heat  of  which 
quickly  evaporates  the  water.  A  coating  of  solid  matter  gradu- 
ally forms  which  is  scraped  off  by  a  knife  and  falls  into  a  recep- 
tacle. The  milk  is  not  boiled,  though  completely  sterilised  by 
the  heat.  A  slight  decomposition  of  the  proteins  and  fat  prob- 
ably takes  place. 

Classification 

1.  Dried  milks  and  milk  products;  they  consist  of  milk 
evaporated  and  dried,  with  or  without  the  addition  of  lactose 
and  fat.  They  are  free  from  starch.  The  results  are  given  in 
table  I. 

2.  Farinaceous  and  malted  foods;  in  this  are  included  foods 
containing  either  malt  or  starch  or  both.  In  many  cases  the 
diastase  was  not  active.    The  results  are  given  in  table  II. 

3.  Miscellaneous  products,  oats,  barley,  etc.,  for  growing 
children.     The  results  will  be  found  in  table  III. 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  331 

Methods  of  Analysis 

Water:  This  was  estimated  by  drying  10  grams  of  the  sample 
at  100°  C.  for  4-6  hours. 

Ash:  The  residue  was  incinerated  and  weighed  in  the  usual 
manner. 

Total  Pid:  Where  it  was  desirable  to  estimate  the  phos- 
phates, a  titration  with  N-10  uranium  nitrate  using  K4Fe  (CN)6 
as  indicator  was  made. 

Total  proteins:  This  was  estimated  by  the  usual  Kjeldahl 
process.  The  factor  N  x  6 .  38  was  used  unless  otherwise  stated. 
A  verification  of  this  factor  was  effected  by  D.  Richmond  (Ana- 
lyst, 1908,  p.  179).  When  the  nitrogen  is  present  as  casein  or 
albumen  the  factor  6.38  should  be  used  but  when  its  origin  is 
uncertain  6 .  25  is  recommended  as  a  general  factor. 

Soluble  albumen:  10  cc.  of  a  10%  solution  are  digested  with 
20  cc.  of  saturated  MgS04  solution  and  crystals  of  magnesium 
sulphate  are  added  until  they  no  longer  dissolve.  An  excess 
does  not  matter,  provided  the  MgS04  is  free  from  Na2S04.  The 
solution  is  put  aside  till  the  next  morning,  when  it  is  filtered  and 
washed  with  a  little  saturated  MgS04  solution.  The  filtrate  is 
then  treated  with  Almen's  reagent  (4  gram  tannic  acid,  190  cc. 
50%  alcohol,  8  cc.  25%  acetic  acid)  and  the  precipitate  allowed 
to  settle  till  the  next  day.  It  is  then  filtered,  paper  and  con- 
tents transferred  to  a  Kjeldahl  flask  and  the  estimation  of  the 
proteins  carried  out  in  the  usual  way. 
Lactose  and  Carbohydrates.    These  were  obtained  by  difference. 

Fat:  We  utihsed  3  methods:  (1)  Leffmann  and  Beam,  centri- 
fugalisation  of  fat  (2)  Adams  and  Soxhlet  process,  the  latter  in 
certain  cases  where  the  Adams  process  could  not  be  applied 
owing  to  the  product  not  forming  a  solution  with  water  (3) 
Werner-Schmidt.  The  last  named  is  the  only  reUable  method 
combining  accuracy  with  rapidity.  The  Adams  and  Soxhlet 
extraction  were  often  found  to  be  unrehable.  This  is  in  agree- 
ment with  McLellan  {Analyst,  1908,  p.  353) ;  he  found  that  the 
incompleteness  of  the  extraction  of  the  fat  is  due  to  the  coating 
of  the  fat  globules  in  the  milk  during  the  process  of  evaporation 
with  an  impermeable  substance  which  prevents  the  solvent 
from  penetrating.    He  found  that  it  was  possible  to  completely 


332        Original  Communications:   Eighth  International        [vol. 

extract  the  fat  from  dry  milk  in  a  soxhlet  apparatus  if  the  sample 
was  soaked  overnight,  then  extracted  for  8  hours  and  allowed 
to  soak  again  overnight  and  finally  extracted  for  1  to  2  hours. 
That  the  results  obtained  by  the  Adams  process  are  too  low  is 
further  borne  out  by  Siegfeld  {Molkerei  Zeitung,  1909,  N.  25), 
Grunhut  {Zeit  f.  Anal.  Chem.,  1911,  p.  649),  and  Anton  Burr 
(Milchwirtschaftl.  ZentroM.,  7,  p.  118).  The  latter  found  the 
Werner-Schmidt  and  Rose-Gottlieb  processes  to  give  good 
results,  the  last  named  requiring  special  conditions  to  be  com- 
plied with  according  to  D.  Richmond  {Analyst,  1908,  p.  389). 

Physiological  Fuel  Value:  The  results  are  expressed  in  large 
calories  per  100  grams  of  the  sample.  The  factors  used  were 
fat  9,  protein  4,  and  carbohydrate  4,  these  being  the  physiological 
fuel  values  of  food  constituents. 

Nutritive  Ratio:  is  the  ratio  of  proteid  to  carbohydrate  and 
fat,  i.e.,  the  ratio  of  nitrogenous  to  non-nitrogenous  nutrients 
compared  on  the  basis  of  fuel  values.  It  is  deduced  from  the 
formula  (Sherman,  Chemistry  of  food  and  nutrition  1911): — 

carbohydrates-f-2|  fat 
proteins 

No  preservatives  (formaldehyde,  boric  acid)  were  found  in 
any  of  the  samples  analysed. 


XVIIl] 


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xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  337 

The  question  of  starch  in  infants'  foods 

A  short  perusal  of  the  results  tabulated  will  show  that  nearly 
50%  of  the  samples  analysed  contained  starch.  Nearly  all  of 
these  milk  food  preparations  are  intended  for  infants'  food,  so 
that  this  question  is  of  capital  importance  in  the  bringing  up  of 
children  from  birth.  This  subject  was  dealt  with  in  an  interest- 
ing paper  by  Cautley. — (Lancet,  Nov.  6,  1909),  amongst  whose 
conclusions  are : — 

(I)  A  diastasic  ferment  is  secreted  by  the  salivary  glands 
and  pancreas  of  new-born  infants;  the  salivary  secretion  how- 
ever is  scanty  in  young  infants  and  rarely  appreciable  before 
the  age  of  two  months. 

(II)  Barley  water  contains  about  2%  of  starch;  mixtures 
containing  this  percentgae  of  starch  are  not  injurious  but  may 
be  beneficial,  for  the  growth  of  lactic  acid  bacilli  and  the  forma- 
tion of  lactic  acid  are  thereby  encouraged.  These  organisms 
are  of  undoubted  advantage  in  the  prevention  of  the  growth  of 
proteolytic  bacteria. 

(III)  The  evil  effects  of  starch  in  early  life  are  due  to  (a) 
excess,  (b)  its  admistration  in  the  form  of  a  more  or  less  in- 
soluble emulsion  instead  of  as  soluble  starch  (c)  the  substitution 
of  starch  for  the  necessary  protein,  fat  and  salts. 

Under  the  title  "Patent  Foods"  an  interesting  pamphlet  has 
been  written  by  R.  Hutchison.  The  defects  of  artificial  foods 
may  be  summed  up  as  follows : — 

(I)  They  are  often  recommended  when  there  is  marked  loss 
of  appetite;  they  do  not  promote  it. 

(II)  It  is  often  contended  for  these  products  that  they  are 
more  easily  digested  than  natural  foods  and  many  of  them  exist 
because  they  are  pre-digested.  The  necessity  for  peptonizing 
foods  is  greatly  exaggerated.  In  pathological  chemistry  pepsin 
is  almost  never  absent  from  the  gastric  juice  xmless  HCL  is 
also  absent.  If  HCL  can  be  found  in  the  stomach  pepsin  is 
sure  to  be  there  too;  there  is  therefore  little  necessity  for  pre- 
digtisted  foods. 

(III)  The  claim  often  put  forward  for  artificial  foods  that  they 
enable  you  to  enrich  the  diet  in  certain  constituents  is  largely 
fallacious. 


338        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol, 

(IV)  None  of  them  is  worth  the  money  asked  for  it;  some  of 
them  contain  a  ricidulously  small  amoimt  of  nourishment  at  the 
price.  It  is  vastly  more  expensive  to  rear  a  child  upon  one  of 
them  than  upon  fresh  or  even  condensed  milk. 


iJBER    DIE    CHEMISCHE    ZUSAMMENSETZUNG    DES 
"SALZBREIES"   VON  BONITO  ("SHIOKARA") 

Von  U.  Suzuki,  C.  Yoneyama  und  S.  Odake, 
Landwirtschaftliche  Facultdt,  Kaiserliche  Universit&t,  Tokyo,  Japan 

Zur  Bereitung  des  "Salzbreies"  wird  der  Magen  und  Darm 
des  Bonitos  vom  inneren  Inhalt  befreit,  gut  gewaschen,  fein 
zerhackt  und  mit  viel  Kochsalz  vermischt,  so  dass  es  einen 
dicken  Brei  gibt.  Die  Leber  wird  auch  manchmal  dazu  gemengt. 
Man  lasst  nun  den  so  bereiteten  Brei  wochenlang  bei  Zim- 
mertemperatur  stehen  und  riihrt  ofters  um.  Es  tritt  dabei  all- 
m&hlich  die  Reifung  ein;  es  entwickelt  sich  ein  eigentiimlicher 
Geruch  und  Geschmack,  und  von  vielen  Leuten,  besonders 
von  Sakekennern  wird  der  Artikel  als  Delikatesse  mit  Vorliebe 
genossen.  Die  an  der  Reifung  des  Breies  teilnehmenden  Mikro- 
ben  sind  bis  jetzt  nicht  untersucht,  und  die  chemischen  Vorgange, 
die  wahrend  des  Reifeprozesses  vor  sich  gehen,  sind  auch  noch 
nicht  naher  erforscht.  Nur  vermutet  man,  dass  sie  den  bei  der 
"ShOyu"  Bereitung  auftretenden  ziemlich  ahnlich  sind.  Durch 
Einwirkung  von  Mikroben  und  Enzymen  werden  verschiedene 
Stoffe,  besonders  Eiweissstoffe,  allmahlich  gelost  imd  abge- 
baut,  unter  Bildung  von  Peptonen  und  Aminosauren,  die  zum 
Teii  weiter  desamidiert,  oxidiert  oder  reduziert  werden.  Es 
entstehen  dabei  verschiedene  Sauren,  Alkohole,  Amine  u.s.w. 
Die  Zusammensetzung  des  Breies  ist  deshalb  sehr  komphziert. 
Es  kommen  bei  verschiedenen  Reifestadien  verschiedene  Stoffe 
zum  Vorschein. 

Wir  beschranken  uns  vorlaufig  mit  der  Untersuchung  der 
stickstoffhaltigen  Bestandteile  des  kauflichen,  gereiften  Breies. 
Das  von  uns  imtersuchte  Material  war  aus  Odawara  bezogen. 
Es  war  grau-rotlich-braun  gefarbt  und  reagierte  ziemlich  stark 
sauer.    Die  quantitative  Bestimmung  gab  folgendes  Resultat: 

339 


340        Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol. 

In  100  Teilen  frischen  Breies 

Wasser 65.13 

Trockensubstanz 34 .  87 

In  100  Teilen  Trockensubstanz 

Organische  Stoffe 30 .  06 

Asche 69.94 

Chlor 29.80 

(Als  NaCl  berechnet) 49. 18 


In  lOOg  frischen  Breies 

Gesamt-N  als  100 

Gesamt-N 

1.735 

100.0 

Eiweiss-N 

0.472 

27.2 

Org.-Basen-N .  .  .    . 

0.447 

25.7 

Ammoniak-N 

0.131 

7.6 

Anderes  N 

0.685 

39.5 

Zur  Isolierung  der  stickstoffhaltigen  Stoffe  wurden  4  Kilo 
Brei  aus  gepresst.  Der  Riickstand  wm-de  drei  mal  mit  war- 
mem  Wasser  (40-50°)  extrahiert.  Die  vereinigten  Ausziige,  die 
schwach  sauer  reagierten,  betrugen  rund  9  liter.  Sie  wurden 
mit  20%  iger  Tannin  losung  gefallt.  Der  Tannin-Niederschlag 
(B)  wurde  abgesaugt  und  mit  Wasser  gewaschen.  Das  Filtrat 
vom  Tannin-Niederschlag  wurde  mit  verdiinnter  Natronlauge 
verstezt,  bis  es  schwach  alkalisch  reagierte.  Es  entstand  dabei 
eine  flockige  Fallung  (C)  in  reichUcher  Menge.  Man  saugte 
davon  ab,  und  setzte  dem  Filtrat  viel  Baryt  zu,  um  das  Tannin 
zu  entfernen,  saugte  wieder  ab  und  nach  dem  Entfernen  des 
Baryts  mittelst  Schwefelsaure  dampfte  man  bei  niederem 
Druck  stark  ein.  Es  schieden  sich  dabei  Tyrosin,  Leucin  und 
anorganische  Salze  aus.  Aus  heissem  Wasser  umkrystallisiert, 
erhielt  man  zuerst  3  g  Tyrosin  und  von  der  Mutterlauge  desselben 
2 . 1  g  Leucin.  Beide  Aminosauren  wurden  nochmals  fiir  sich 
umkrystallisiert  und  analysiert. 


xviii]                  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 

341 

Tyrosin: 

0.1604  g  Subst.  gaben  10.7  c.c.  N  (16°  760  ttitti) 

N 

CJIiiNOs    Ber 

7.70 

Gef 

7  78 

Leucin: 
0.1719g  Subst.  gaben  15.7  c.c.  N  (14°  758  m.m.). 

N 

CaHisNOj    Ber 

10  07 

Gef 

10.71 

Die  Mutterlauge  von  Leucin  und  Tyrosin  wurde  mit  Schwefel- 
saure  angesauert  und  mit  Phosphowolframsaure  gefallt. 

A    Der  Phosphowolframsaure-Niederschlag 

Die  aus  diesem  Niederschlag  dargestellte  alkalische  Fliissig- 
keit,  die  freie  Basen  enthielt,  lieferte  nach  starkem  Einengen 
im  Vakuum  keine  Krystalle,  so  wurde  sie  mit  Kohlensaure 
gesattigt  und  mit  Quecksilberchlorid  gefallt. 

a)  Der  Quecksilberchlorid-Niederschlag  wurde  mit  Schwefelwas- 
serstoff  zerlegt,  im  Vakuum  ein  gedampft  und  mit  Pikrinsaure 
erwarmt.  Nach  dem  Erkalten  schieden  sich  8.5  g  fast  reines 
Lysinpikrat  aus,  welches  aus  heissem  Wasser  umkrystallisiert 
und  analysiert  wurde. 

0.1414  g  Subst.  gaben  22.0  c.c.  N  (13°  766  mm) 
0.1491  g      "  "      0.2094  gCOs    0.0612  gHjO 

0.4149  g      "  "      0.2533  g  Pikrinsaure 


342          Origina    Communications:  Eighth  International      [vol. 

C 

H 

N 

7?" 

Pikriosaure 

CaHuNzO!  CeHiNaOi      Ber 

38.40 
38.34 

4.53 
4.56 

18.67 
18.53 

61  07 

Gef 

61.05 

Im  Kapillarrohr  erhitzt,  zersetzte  sich  das  Pikrat  gegen  247° 
(unkorr.). 

Das  Platinchlorid-doppelsalz  des  Lysins  waren  hygroska^ 
pische  goldgelbe  lange  Prismen.    Es  schmolz  bei  205°  (unkorr.). 

Fiir  die  Analyse  wurde  es  im  Vakuum  bei  100°  getrocknet. 

0 .  3014  g  Subst.  gaben    0 .  1055  g  Pt. 


Pt. 


CeHuNjOj,  HsPtCls    Ber. 
Gef. 


3.500 
35.00 


b)  Das  Filtrat  vom  Quecksilberchlorid-Niederschlag  wurde 
nach  dem  Entfernen  des  Quecksilbers  durch  Schwefelwasser- 
stoff  und  der  Salzsaure  durcli  Silbernitrat,  mit  einem  Uberschuss 
von  Silbernitrat  und  Baryt  versetzt.  Der  braune  Niederschlag 
lieferte  1 .3  g  Lysinpikrat. 

Die  Analyse  des  gereinigten  Salzes  gab  folgendes  Resultat: 
0 .  1313  g  Subst.  gaben    21 . 3  c.c.  N  (20°  760min) 


N 

CeHuNaOa,  C6H3N3O7 

Bar. 

18  67 

Gef 

18  56 

c)  Das  Filtrat  vom  Silbernitrat  und  Baryt-Niederschlag 
wurde  in  bekannter  Weise  mit  Phosphowolframsaure  gefallt. 
Aus  diesem  Niederschlag  erhielt  man  wieder  6  g  Lysin  pikrat. 

0.1374  g  Subst.  gaben  22.3  c.c.  N  (21°  763  mm) 
0.1526  g      "  "      0.2160gCOi!    0.0672gH2O 


xvni]                   Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry                      343 

C 

H 

N 

CiHuN.O»  CeHiNiOr     Ber 

38.40 
38.60 

4.53 
4.89 

18  67 

Gef 

18.55 

B.    Der  Tannin-Niederschlag  (Trytophan) 

Der  vom  wasserigen  Extrakt  des  Salzbreies  durch  Zusatz  von 
Tannin  erhaltene  Niederschlag  wurde  mit  3%  iger  Schwefel- 
saure  wiederholt  verrieben.  Ein  Teil  ging  dabei  in  Losnng. 
Man  filtrierte  nun  vom  unloslichen  Riickstand  ab  und  setzte 
dem  Filtrate  viel  Baryt  zu,  um  damit  Tannin  und  Schwefelsaure 
wegzuschaffen.  Das  vom  dabei  entstandenen  Niederschlag 
abgesaugte  Filtrat  wurde  mit  Schwefelsaure  angesauert  und  mit 
Phosphowolframsaure  gefallt. 

a)  Durch  Zerlegung  des  phosphowolframsauren  Nieder- 
schlags  wurde  eine  Fliissigkeit  erhalten,  welche  schone  Trypto- 
phanreaktion  gab.  Wird  diese  Fliissigkeit  mit  Essigsaure 
angesauert  und  mit  einigen  Tropfen  Bromwasser  versetzt,  so 
entsteht  eine  rot  violette  Farbung.  Beim  Schiitteln  mit  Amyl- 
alkohol  geht  der  Farbstoff  in  das  letztere  Reagenz  iiber.  Um  das 
Tryptophan  zu  isolieren,  wurde  die  Fliissigkeit  mit  so-\riel 
Schwefelsaure  versetzt,  bis  sie  5%  der  Saure  enthielt,  imd  mit 
Hopkinischem  Reagenz  gefallt.  Es  enstand  dabei  eine  weisse 
flockige  Fallung,  die  absesaugt,  mit  5%  iger  Schwefelsaure 
gewaschen  und  mit  Schwefelwasserstoff  zerlegt  wurde.  Beim 
Eindampfen  des  Filtrats  im  Vakuum  schied  sich  ein  Teil  des 
Tryptophans  krystallinisch  aus.  Die  Hauptmasse  blieb  jedoch 
amorph,  so  dass  das  gereinigte  Tryptophan  nicht  zur  Analyse 
ausreichte. 

Aus  dem  Filtrate  vom  Quecksilbersulfat-Niederschlag  des 
Tryptophans  wurde  eine  Base  als  pikrinsaures  Salz  isoliert. 
Dies  geniigte  auch  zur  weiteren  Untersuchung  nicht. 

b)  Das  Filtrat  vom  Phosphowolframsaure-Niederschlag  lie- 
ferte,  nach  der  Estermethode  verarbeitet,  eine  kleine  Menge 
Leucin. 


344        Original  Communications:   Eighth  International        [vol. 

C.     Der  Tannin =und  Natronlauge  Niederschlag 

Wie  oben  erwahnt,  lieferte  das  Filtrat  vom  Tannin  Nieder- 
schlag (B)  durch  Zusatz  von  verdtinnter  Natronlauge,  wieder 
eine  reichliche  Fallung,  die  eine  nicht  unbetrachtliche  Menge 
Basen  enthielt.  Um  die  Basen  zu  isolieren  wurde  der  Nieder- 
schlag mit  5%  iger  Schwefelsaure  verrieben,  wobei  ein  grosser 
Teil  in  Losung  ging.  Die  braune  Fliissigkeit  wurde  nun  mit 
einem  Uberschuss  von  Baryt  versetzt,  vom  dabei  entstandenen 
Niederschlag  abgesaugt,  mit  Schwefelsaure  angesauert  und  mit 
Phosphowolframsaure  gefallt.  Nach  Zerlegung  des  phospho- 
wolframsauren  Niederschlags  in  bekannter  Weise  erhielt  man 
eine  alkalische  Fliissigkeit,  die  freie  Basen  enthielt.  Diese 
Fliissigkeit  wurde  nun  mit  Kohlensaure  gesattigt  und  mit 
Quecksilberchlorid  gefallt. 

p)  Der  Quecksilberchlorid-Niederschlag  (Histidin) 
Aus  diesem  Niederschlag  erhielt  man  eine  alkalische  Fliissig- 
keit, die  sowohl  starke  Paulysche  Reaktion,  wie  auch  Biuret- 
reaktion  beim   Erwarmen   gab.     Bei   Zusatz   von  Pikrinsaure 
wurde   0.5g   Histidinpikrat    gewonnen,    welches    aus    heissem 
Wasser  umkrystallisiert,  im  Vakuum  bei  100°  getrocknet  und 
analj'siert  wurde. 
0. 1430  g  Subst.  gaben  27.8  c.c  N  (24°  759  mm) 
0.1517g      "  "        0.2034gCO2    0.0457gH2O 


C 

H 

N 

CHtNaO:,  CHaNsO, 

Ber 

Gef 

37.50 
37.56 

3.13 
3.35 

21.91 
21.77 

Die  Analyse  stimmt  also  mit  dem  Histidin  pikrat  iiberein. 
Der  Schmelzpunkt  war  jedoch  viel  hoher  als  beim  gewohn- 
lichen  Histidin  pikrat,  welches  aus  den  Spaltungsprodukten  des 
Eiweisses  dargestellt  wird.  Im  Kapillarrohr  erhitzt,  wurde  es 
gegen  200°  braun  und  zersetzte  sich  gegen  210°  (unkorr.)  unter 
Schaumen.  Es  handelt  sich  wahrscheinlich  um  eine  Isomeric 
des  Histidins.  Wegen  Mangel  an  Material  konnten  wir  das 
optische  Verhalten  nicht  untersuchen. 

b)  Das    Filtrat     vom    Quecksilberchlorid-Niederschlag    des 


xvni] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


345 


Ilistidins  wurde  mit  Silbernitrat  und  Baryt  gefallt.  Aus  diesem 
Niederschlag  isolierte  man  eine  Base  als  pikrinsaures  Salz, 
welches  1.5g  betrug.  Das  Pikrat  bestand  aus  rot  braunen 
blattrigen  Krystallen  mit  dem  Schmelzpunkt  225°  (unkorr.). 
Die  Analyse  gab  f olgendes  Resultat : 
0.1171  g  Subst.  gaben  24.2  c.c.  N  (20°  760  mm) 
0.1372g      "  "        0.1715gCO2    0.0496  gHjO 

0.2504g      "  "        0.1919g  Pikrinsaure. 


C 

H 

N 

Pikrinsatire 

CiH.J>J.O.  (CHiNiO:),    Ber 

34.18 
34.09 

3.16 
4.02 

22.15 
23.64 

72  47 

Gef 

76  63 

Die  Analyse  stimmt  also  mit  dem  Arginindipikrat,  nur  ist 
der  Gehalt  an  Stickstoff  und  Pikrinsaure  etwas  hOher. 

c)  Das  Filtrat  vom  Silbernitrat  und  Baryt-Niederschlag 
(b)  vrarde  wieder  mit  Phosphowolframsaure  gefallt.  Der 
Niederschlag  lieferte  2.34g  Lysinpikrat  mit  dem  Zersetzungs- 
pimkt  245°  (unkorr.). 

D.    Das  Filtrat  vom  phosphowolframsauren  Niederschlag 

Das  Filtrat  vom  phosphowolframsauren  Niederschlag  wurde 
nach  der  Estermethode  verarbeitet,  indem  die  Phosphowolf- 
ramsaure und  Schwefelsaure  durch  Baryt  entfernt  und  der 
Uberschuss  vom  Baryt  mittelst  Schwefelsaure  beseitigt  und  im 
Vakuum  stark  eingedampft  wurde.  Der  zuriickgebliebene 
Syrup  MTirde  nun  mit  absolutem  Alkohol  versetzt,  mit  trockenem 
Salzsauregas  gesattigt  und  in  bekannter  Weise  in  die  freien  Estern 
der  Aminosauren  verwandelt.  Nach  fraktionierter  Destination 
der  Estern,  wurden  die  f olgenden  drei  Fraktionen  erhalten : 


Temperatur 

Estermenge 

Aminosauren  nach 
der  Verseifung 

1 

2 
3 

bis  75°  (20mm) 
75-100°    " 
fiber    100°   " 

9.0g 
10.5 
7.0 

3.0g 

7.8 

6.0 

346         Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol. 

Fraktion  1  bestand  aus  Alanin.  Aus  heissem  Wasser  umkrye- 
tallisiert,  bildete  es  farblose  Nadeln  mit  slissen  Geschmack  und 
zersetzte  sich  gegen  270°.  Fiir  die  Analyse  wurde  es  im  Vakuum 
bei  100°  getrocknet. 

0.1553g  Subst.  gaben  21.3  c.c.  N  (17°  760  mm) 
0.1530g      "  "      0.2248gCO2    0.1040gH2O 


C 

H 

N 

C3H7NO2    Ber 

Gef 

40.45 
40.07 

7.87 
7.55 

15.88 
16.03 

Fraktion  II.  bestand  auch    hauptsachlich  aus  Alanin,  nebst 
einer  Kleinen  Menge  Prolin. 

Analyse  des  Alanins: 

0. 1476  g  Subst.  gaben  20.4  c.c.  N  (21°  751  mm) 


C3H7NO2    Ber. 
Gef. 


N 


15.88 
15.62 


Kupfersalz  des  Alanins: 

0.2114  g  Subst.  gaben  0.0703  g  CuO. 


(C3H6N02)2Cu    Ber. 
Gef. 


Cu 


26.22 
26.57 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  347 

Fraktion  III.  bestand  zum  grossten  Teil  aus  Leucin,  nebst 
Alanin  und  Prolin.  Zweimal  aus  heissem  Wasser  umkrystalli- 
siert  wurde  das  Leucin  in  ziemlich  reinem  Zustande  erhalten. 
Es  schmeckte  schwach  bitter  und  zersetzte  sich  gegen  280°. 

Analyse  des  Leucine: 

0.1467g  Subst.  gaben  13.4  c.c.  N  (19°  762  mm) 


C6H18NO2   Ber. 
Gef. 


N 


10.07 
10.56 


Das  Prolin  wurde  isoliert,  indem  die  nach  der  Verseifung  des 
Esters  erhaltenen  Aminosauren  mit  heissem  absolutem  Alkohol 
extrahiert  wurden.  Der  vereinigte  alkoholische  Extrakt  wurde 
eingedampft  und  der  Riickstand  nochmals  mit  absolutem 
Alkohol  extrahiert.  Nach  dem  Verdampfen  des  Alkohols 
wurde  das  Prolin  in  bekannter  Weise  in  das  charakteristische 
Kupfersalz  verwandelt,  welches  in  heissem  absolutem  Alkohol 
Mich  war. 

Die  Ausbeute  an  Kupfersalz  betrug  1 .  03  g.  Fiii-  die  Analyse 
wurde  das  gereinigte  Salz  im  Vakuum  bei  100°  getrocknet : 

0.1613g  Subst.  gaben  13.8  c.c.  N  (22°  752  mm) 


(C6H8N02)2Cu  Ber. 
Gef. 


N 


9.60 
9.59 


Ferner  wurde  das  Vorhandensein  von  Glutaninsaure  im 
Filtrat  des  phosphowolframsauren  Niederschlags  durch  ihren 
charakteristischen  faden  Geschmack  ausser  Zweifel  gestellt. 
Wegen  Mangel  an  Zeit  haben  wir  diese  Saure  nicht  isoliert. 


348        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Aus  4  Kilo  Salzbrei  des  Bonitos  wurden  isoliert: 

1.  Lysin  pikrat 18 .  14g 

2.  Histidin  pikrat 0. 50 

3.  Tyrosin 3.00 

4.  Leucin 4 .  06 

5.  Alanin 10.80 

6.  Leucin + Alanin 4.00 

7.  Prolin  Kupfer 1.03 

8.  Tr3Tptophan Vorhanden 

9.  Arginin  di  pikrat(?) 1 .  50 

10.  Glutaninsaure Vorhanden 


ON   THE   CHEMICAL   COMPOSITION   OF   "SAKE" 

By  T.  Takahashi  and  Goro  Abe 
College  of  Agriculture,  Imperial  University,  Tokyo,  Japan 

On  the  chemical  composition  of  Sak6  many  reports  have  been 
made:  Some  authors  write  on  the  composition  which  is  con- 
tained originally  in  the  fermented  mash  and  others  on  the 
constituents  which  have  been  derived  from  the  vat  or  cask  which 
contain  sak6.  In  the  factories  of  sak6  the  fermenting  vat  and 
the  cask  which  is  employed  for  the  transportation  of  sak6,  are 
made  from  cryptomeria  japonica;  and  therefore  certain  compo- 
nents of  the  material  of  the  vessels  must  be  present  and  dissolved 
in  8ak6  Ch.  Kimoto'  reported  on  sughi-oil  in  1903  and 
N.  Nagai^  and  T.  Kimura  made  some  researches  on  its  chemical 
composition  and  found  protocatechin,  a  phinon-like  substance, 
vanillin  and  a  kind  of  terpene  and  they  have  proved  the  presence 
of  the  same  substances  in  sak4.  The  terpene,  mentioned  by 
the  above  authors,  was  by  K.  Keimatsu'  proved  to  be  a  sex- 
terpene  and  he  also  added  as  a  new  component  of  cryptomeria 
japonica  a  phenol-like  substance,  having  reducing  property. 
In  the  same  year  Yamamoto  and  Ishikawa*  made  studies  on  the 
same  reducing  substance  as  regards  its  influence  in  determining 
the  reducing  sugar  in  sak6. 

On  the  proper  composition  of  sak6  K.  Keimatsu'  made  a 
report  on  the  furfurol  in  sak6  and  one  of  us'  made  research  on 
the  contents  of  furfurol  and  found  that  in  young  sak6,  or  shortly 
after  the  fermented  mash  is  pressed,  there  was  no  furfurol  or,  if 

■Bulletin  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  Tokyo  Imp.  Univ.  vol.  4.  page 
403. 

•In  a  speech  made  at  the  Tokyo  Chemical  Society  (1904) . 

•Yakugakuzasshi  (Journal  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Japan,  1905, 
March.) 

•do:  Sept.  1905. 

•do:  Decemb.  1904. 

•T.  Takahashi:  The  Journal  of  the  Agricult.  Society  of  Japan.  May,  1905. 

349 


350        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

present,  it  was  a  trace;  while  in  aged  sak6,  i.e.,  after  the  storage 
during  summer,  it  was  always  present  in  it.  In  the  same  year 
H.  Nishizaki'  made  a  quantitative  determination  of  furfurol, 
but  arrived  at  somewhat  different  results  from  the  writer. 
Recently  H.  Ito  made  experiments  on  this  subject"  with  about 
111  samples  of  sak6  and  arrived  at  the  same  conclusion  as  the 
writer.  One  of  us*  has  made  a  report  in  respect  to  the  quantity 
of  fusel  oil  and  pointed  out  that  the  quantity  of  the  substance 
must  be  examined  when  we  classify  sake  as  regards  quaUty. 
Moreover,  a  small  quantity  of  methyl  alcohol  was  proved  to  be 
present  in  ordinary  sake',  and  a  somewhat  evident  quantity  of 
methyl-lactate  in  certain  samples  of  sak4  was  found  by  one  of 
usi". 

H.  Nishizaki  made  a  report  on  free  acids"  and  sugars'*  of  sakd 
and  mentioned  that  the  latter  consisted  chiefly  of  glucose,  while 
K.  Suda^'  already  sixteen  years  ago  made  experiments  on  the 
contents  of  the  sugar  of  sak6  and  reported  that  the  sugar  con- 
sists chiefly  of  maltose.  It  seems  to  the  writer  that  both  authors 
may  be  right;  because  they  used  only  a  limited  number  of 
samples  and  arrived  at  altogether  opposite  results.  If  they  had 
examined  a  wider  range  of  sanaples  they  would  probably  have 
foimd  out  that  their  results  were  one  sided.  K.  Keimatsu" 
and  Shimizu  reported  on  the  presence  of  acetaldehyde,  fusel 
oil,  succinic  acid,  lactic  acid  and  acetic  acid  in  sak6. 

On  animo-acids,  however,  no  one  has  reported  yet  and  we 
therefore  present  here  the  results  of  OTir  investigations  about 
amino-acids  and  other  components. 

The  general  chemical  composition  of  the  samples  was  as  follows: 

'Journal  of  the  Phaxmaceutical  Society  of  Japan.     Novemb.  1905. 

''Journal  of  Tokyo  Chemical  Society.  Vol.  32,  No.  7.  He  proved 
directly,  chiefly  by  anilUn  acetate,  but  the  quantity  was  too  small;  he  has 
distilled  sak6  under  reduced  pressure  and  below  35°C  neutralized  sak6. 

sT.  Takahashi.    Journal  of  the  Agricu.  Society  of  Japan.    Apr.     1905. 

»T.  Takahashi.    Bulletin  of  the  Agr.  CoU.  Tokyo  Im.  Univ.  Vol.  6.  No.  4. 

loT.  Takahashi.    Bulletin  of  the  Agr.  Coll.  Tokyo  Im.  Univ.  Vol.  7.  No.  4. 

"Journal  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Japan.     May,  1905. 

'2do:    May,  1906. 

"do:   Apr.  1890. 

'•do:   Decern.  1905. 


xvm]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  351 

1).  Total— N 0.1865  % 

2).  Protein— N. 

a).  Stutzer's  method 0.0072  % 

b).  Rumpler's  method" 0.00672% 

c).  Precipitate  by  Pb-acetate  and  Pb-oxide 0.00447% 

(Bungener  u.  Fries.  Zeit.  f.  d.  ges.  B.  1894.69.) 
d).  Precipitate  by  basic  lead  acetate 0.00435% 

3).  Non-albuminoid — N. 

a).  Ammonia— N.  (Wurster's  method) 0.00629% 

b).  Organic  base— N 0.0598  % 

c). Other— N.  (chiefly  amino-acids) 0. 1131  % 

4).  Esters  (as  acetic  ester) 0.0457  % 

5).  Total  acid  (as  succinic  acid) 0.2666  % 

a) .  Non-vol.  acid  (as  succinic  acid) 0 .  2596  % 

b).  Volatile  acid  (by  difference) 

(as  acetic  acid) 0. 00715% 

c).  Volatile  acid   (determined  in  the  distillate) 

(as  acetic  acid) 0.0216  % 

The  protein  nitrogen  determined  by  Stutzer's  and  Rumpler's 
method  is  always  higher  than  that  of  the  nitrogen  found  in  the 
basic-lead-acetate  precipitate  of  lead-acetate  and  lead  oxide; 
because  the  former  two  methods  always  precipitate  in  a  certain 
degree  a  part  of  albumoses  and  peptones  beside  proper  proteins. 
For  this  reason  therefore,  we  must  assume  the  presence  of  albu- 
moses and  peptones  in  sak6;  but  we  can  prove  directly  the 
presence  of  both  substances.  If  we  take  100-200  c.c.  of  sak6 
and  after  removing  the  protein  by  basic  lead  acetate  and  from 
this  filtrate  after  removing  lead  by  H2S  and  evaporating  to  a 
small  volume  a  suSicient  quantity  of  Zu-sulphate  is  added  to 
suturaled  the  solution,  acidifying  with  sulphuric  acid,  there  will 
be  found  a  precipitate  of  albumoses.  From  the  filtrate  of  albu- 
moses, after  removing  zinc  by  H2S  and  condensing  in  a  small 

"Rttmpler;  Deutsch.  Zeit.  Ind.  1898, 1729. 

The  difference  between  contents  of  nitrogen  determined  by  Stutzer's  method 
and  that  of  the  precipitate  made  by  lead-acetate  is  shown  from  the  above  table 
to  be  0,0027%,  and  this  must  be  the  least  quantity  of  the  nitrogen  of  albumose 
and  peptones. 


352        Original  Communications:   Eighth  International       [vol. 

volume,  this  'will  contain  peptones  in  solution,   which  will  be 
proved  easily  by  Biuret  reaction. 

(I)     Organic  Bases 

10  litres  of  the  samples  were  evaporated  imder  reduced  pres- 
sure and  at  60°  C.  to  a  small  volume,  almost  equal  to  i  of  the 
original  volume.  After  this  operation  the  protein-substance 
was  removed  by  basic  lead-acetate  and  researches  were  made 
about  bases  according  to  Kossel's  method;  but  of  histidine  only 
a  trace  was  found  and  the  characteristic  crystals  of  the  chloride 
were  not  obtained,  giving  Pauly's  diazo-reaction  (1904).  Ar- 
ginin  was  not  found.  Picrate  of  lysin,  about  1.1  grms,  was  ob- 
tained as  fine  needles  and  platy  crystals,  which  melted  at  230°  C. 
(uncorr.),  so  that  it  contained  some  impurities. 

(II)       MONO-AMINO-ACIDS 

Ten  litres  of  sak6  were  used  for  the  isolation  of  mono-amino- 
acids  after  E.  Fischer's  well-known  ester  method. 

a)    Under  the  pressure  below  20  m.m. 
(Esters  prepared  from  10  1.  sak^.) 

First        fraction 60°-92°  C.  1 . 0  grms. 

Second    fraction 92°-150°  C.   1 .5  grms. 

Third      fraction 150°-235°  C.  Trace. 

b)    Under  the  pressure  below  18  m.m. 
(Esters  prepared  from  10  1.  sak^.) 

First  fraction,  below 41° C.  0.6  grms. 

Second  fraction 41°-60°C.  1.0  grms. 

Third  fraction 60°-98°C.  3.0  grms. 

Fourth  fraction 98°-150°C.  4.5  grms. 

From  the  first  fraction  of  series  (a),  0.2  grms  of  alanin,  0.2 
grms  of  leucine,  and  0 . 1  grms  of  prolin  were  obtained.  In  the 
second  series  0.2  gr.  of  alanin  from  first  fraction  and  1  g.  of  leu- 
cine, trace  prolin  from  third  fraction,  were  obtained.  The 
Alanin  obtained  from  first  series  was  added  to  the  same  from 
the  second  series  and  after  purification  analysis  was  carried  out. 
It  was  very  sweet,  having  a  melting  point  of  243-245°  C.  (uncorr.) 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  353 

and  decomposed  at  the  point  with  evolution  of  gas.    The  result 
of  analysis  was  as  follows : — 

Substance  taken: — 0.972. 
Nitrogen  =  12  c.c.  (at  15°  C.  760  m.m.) 
Calculated  as  C3H7NO2     N  =  15 .  67% 
Found N  =  14.51% 

Prolin  was  bitter  in  taste  and  its  copper  salts  contained  two 
components,  one  of  which  dissolved  in  absolute  alcohol,  while 
others  do  not,  indicating  the  presence  of  active  and  inactive 
prolin. 

Leucin  was  bitter  in  slightest  degree  so  that  it  was  washed 
with  absolute  alcohol.  It  gave  a  melting  point  of  290-293°  C. 
(uncorr.),  changing  in  brown  at  270°  C.  already.  It  decomposed 
at  the  melting  point  with  emission  of  gas.  The  analytical  result 
was  as  follows: 

Substance  taken :  0 .  1226  grms. 

Nitrogen 10.7  c.c.  (at  11°  C.  758  m.m.) 

Substance  taken :  0 .  1102  grms. 

Cou 0.2165  grms. 

Calculated  as  CeHuNoa  Found. 

N  =  10.85 10.46 

C  =  55.80 53.57 

H  =  10.07 9.73 

The  above  result  tells  us  that  the  substance  was  not  pure. 

Phenylalanin  and  glutannic  acid  were  not  found,  but  trace 
of  aepartic  acid  was  found. 

Leucinimid.  (CijH2N202).  After  all  esters  were  evaporated, 
the  residue  was  treated  with  acetic-ester,  which  dissolved  a  part 
of  it.  When  the  dissolved  part  was  evaporated,  there  remained 
hexagonal  or  quadratic  plate,  which  tasted  very  bitter.  The 
platy  crystals-  were  dissolved  again  in  acetic  ester  and  after 
evaporaton  ether  and  ethyl-alcohol  were  added,  but  there  were 
found  no  crystals.  So  we  could  not  prove  the  presence  of 
leucinimid. 


354        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Tyrosin.  The  presence  of  this  substance  was  easily  proved 
by  Millon's  reaction  by  the  filtrate  from  the  precipitate  of  pro- 
tein— substance  of  sak^.  But  for  the  isolation  of  this  substance 
we  followed  Brown"  and  Willer's  operation,  which  they  em- 
ployed for  the  isolation  of  this  substance  from  malt.  Thus  1  grm. 
of  tsTosin  was  obtained  from  three  litres  of  sake.  While,  as  in 
other  cases,  10  litres  of  the  sample  was  evaporated  to  a  small 
volume  and  after  separation  of  protein,  the  filtrate  free  from 
lead,  was  evaporated  to  almost  one-fifth  of  the  original  volume 
of  sak^  and  left  standing  over  night  in  a  cool  place,  there  ap- 
peared the  characteristic  silky  crystals  of  tyrosin  amounting 
almost  to  6  grams.  The  isolated  tyrosin  gave  strong  red  colora- 
tion by  Millon's  reagent,  faint  reaction  of  Pauly's'^  diazo- 
reaction  strong  by  Wurster's  reaction"  and  Denige's  reaction." 
The  analytical  result  was: 

Substance  taken:     0. 1048  grms. 

Nitrogen 6.8  c.c.  (at  10°  C.  762  m.m.) 

Calculated  as  CgHnNOa N  =  7-.777% 

Found N=7.79% 

Cystin.  This  substance  was  proved  very  easily  in  the  filtrate 
which  was  obtained  in  removing  the  protein-substance  of  sak6, 
but  the  quantity  was  too  small  to  isolate  it. 

Tryptophane,  (C11H12N2O2).  This  substance  was  obtained 
from  110  c.c.  of  sak6  by  Hopkins'  and  Cole's'"'  method.  The 
crystals  were  platy  and  bright ;  giving  red  coloration  with  bromine- 
water  and  precipitated  by  phosphotungstic  acid.  A  few  crystals 
were  mixed  with  caustic  potash  and  after  fusing  and  subjected 
to  the  dry  distillation,  pyroll  reaction  was  observed  in  this  dis- 
tillate. However,  the  presence  of  tryptophane  in  sak6  is  hmited 
only  to  young  sak6,  or  not  aged  sak^. 

"  Brown  u  Wilier.    Woch.  f.  Brauerei,  1907.  Nr.  11.  S.  139. 
"  Beautiful  red  color  by  acetic  acid  and  natrium-nitrite  (c.  f .  Ph.  1.  1903 
(1888). 
IS  Hoppe-Seyler's  zeit.  f.  ph.  ch.  42,  517  (1904). 

1.  Wine-red  by  form  aldehyd  and  HiSO.  (comptes  rendus,  130,  583, 1900). 
"Journal  of  Phys.  27,  418  (1902),  29,  451  (1903). 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  355 


On  this  fact  one  of  us"  has  reported  already.  On  the  question, 
that  why  this  substance  disappears  in  the  aging  process  of 
8ak6,  H.  Ito*'  has  made  some  observations  and  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  that  the  tryptophane  in  yoimg  sak6  is  assimilated 
or  rather  decomposed  by  so-called  aging  yeast^: — ^WilUa  anomala 
varieties. 

The  Substances  which  dissolved  in  Ether 

1.)  Succinic  acid. 

Ten  litres  of  sakd  were  evaporated  to  about  400  c.c.  under 
reduced  pressure  below  70°  C.  The  syrup  thus  obtained  was 
extracted  with  ether,  using  Kumazama  and  Sudo's  extraction 
apparatus  and  dried.  From  ether  extract,  the  ether  was  evap- 
orated for  a  long  time  in  sulphuric  acid  containing  desiccator, 
then  there  appeared  long  platy  or  mono-crinic  prismatic  crystals 
in  a  brown  colored  syrup.  The  crystals  were  separated  by 
filtration  and  after  washing  very  quickly  with  a  small  quantity 
of  cold  absolute  alcohol,  there  remained  rather  small  quantities 
of  the  crystals,  which  melted  at  181°-182.5°  C.  (uncorr.). 
The  substance  behaves  very  strongly  acidic  to  Utmus,  tasting 
characteristic  to  succinic  acid,  and  gave  pyroU  reaction  when 
subjected  to  Neuberg's  prove  (1900-1901).  Such  pure  sub- 
stance obtained  from  ten  litres  of  sak6  was  about  3  grams."* 

From  another  18  litres,  4.7  grams  of  the  substance  was  ob- 
tained as  raw  product,  which  was  brown  in  color,  so  that  it  was 
first  neutralized  with  a  5%  solution  of  natrium  hydroxide,  and 
after  evaporating  to  syrup,  absolute  alcohol  was  poured  on  there 
appeared  almost  spontaneously  fine  crystals  of  natrium  succinate. 
The  natrium  salt  thus  obtained  was  washed  repeatedly  with 
absolute  alcohol.  It  was  silky  white  and  gave  a  brown  precipi- 
tate with  ferric  chloride. 

"  T.  Takahashi.  Journal  of  the  Tokyo  Chemical  Society  of  Japan,  Vol.  32, 
No.  3, 1911.  Also,  Journal  of  the  College  of  Agr.  Tokyo  Imp.  Univ.  Vol.  000, 
No.  0. 

"H.  Ito.  Journal  of  the  Tokyo  Che.  Soc.  of  Japan,  Vol.  32.  No.  7,  1911. 
Also,  Journal  of  the  College  Agr.  Tokyo  Imp.  Univ.  Vol.  00,  No.  00. 

"  T.  Takahashi's  report.  Journal  of  the  College  of  Agr.  Tokyo  Imp.  Univ 
Vol.  1,  No.  3. 

"  The  inactive  form  of  zinc  salt  contains  18.17%  of  water  of  crystallization. 


356        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

2).   Lactic  acid. 

The  syrup  obtained  after  removal  of  succinic  acid  crystals 
was  neutralized  with  zn-carbonate  to  attain  a  thick  pasty  mass 
from  which,  after  standing  overnight,  the  crystals  of  zinc  lac- 
tate were  separated  by  "nutsche"  and  washed  with  absolute 
alcohol.  The  salt  thus  obtained  was  treated  with  H2S  to  sepa- 
rate zinc,  and  the  colorless  solution  of  free  acid  thus  obtained 
gave  intense  reaction  of  Ueffermann's  proof.  Zinc  salt  was  re- 
prepared  from  this  pure  lactic  acid  and  after  drying  well  in  the 
desiccator,  the  water  of  crystallization  was  determined,  drying 
several  hours  at  105-110°  C.  The  water^^  of  crystallization 
amounted  to  17.0%,  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  inactive  form 
of  lactic  acid. 

3).   Tyrosol.     OHC6H5CH2CH2OH. 

For  the  isolation  of  tyrosol  we  followed  Fe.  Ehrlichi's^' 
method.  Ten  litres  of  the  sample  were  evaporated  to  almost 
400  c.c.  and  after  basifying  with  NaHCO^,  ether  extract  was 
made  by  Sudo  and  Kumagawa's  extraction  apparatus.  The 
yield  was  4  grams  as  raw  product.  It  was  dissolved  again  in 
absolute  alcohol  and  decolorized  with  animal  black.  It  be- 
haved very  strongly  to  Millon's  reagent  and  diazobenzol  sul- 
fonic acid  and  faintly  to  ferric  chloride  and  Denigfe's-Moerner's 
proof.  Tyrosol-di-benzoate  prepared  by  the  addition  of  benzoyl 
chloride  and  natroulye,  melted  at  113°  C.  (upcorr.). 

SUMMAEIES 

The  above  statements  are  summarized  below: 

The  jdeld  of  the  observed  substance  from  10  litres  of  Sak6:— 

1).   GlycocoU Not  found. 

2).   Alanin 0.2  grams. 

3).   Leucin 0.6  grams. 

4).   ProUn  (active  and  racenic) 0.1  grams. 

5).  Phenylalanin Not  found. 

"  Ber.  I.  Deut.  ch.  G  XLIV,   Heft  I.  S.  139-146,  1911,  u  Bioch.  Zeit, 
36  Band,  15  Heft.  S.  477,  1911. 
"F.  Ehrlich,  Ber.  d.  Deut.  ch.  Ges.  1911,  XLIV,  Heft  I.  S.  143. 


xnv]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  357 

6).  Glutamic  acid Not  found. 

7).  Aspartic  acid Trace  (?) 

8).  Leucin-imid Not  found. 

9).  Tyrosin 6.0  grams. 

10).  Cystin Trace. 

11).  Tryptophane  (only  present  in  young 

sak6) 1.0  grams. 

12).  Lysin 0 .  25  grams. 

13).  Ristidin Trace. 

14).  Arginin Not  found. 

15).  Tyrosol 4  grams  (raw  products). 

16).  Succinic  acid 3  grams  (in  the  least). 

17).  Lactic  acid  (inactive) 2  grams  (in  the  least). 

18).  Albmnoses  and  peptones present. 

The  yield  of  amino-acid  is  too  small  in  comparison  to  the 
nitrogen  contents  of  amino-acids  obtained  from  calculation. 
The  main  cause  is  that  the  pressure,  under  which  we  have  made 
fractions  was  rather  high  (18-20  mm.),  but  beside  this  sakd 
contains  rather  high  percantage  of  carbohydrate,  which  makes 
it  diflBcult  to  isolate  the  esters.  In  conclusion  the  writer  must 
offer  many  thanks  to  his  assistant  M.  Sato,  for  his  faithful  help 
during  this  research. 


(Abstract) 


A  STUDY  OF  THE  COMPOSITION  OF  CIDER  VINEGAR 

MADE  BY  THE  GENERATOR  PROCESS 
L.  M.  TOLMAN  AND  E.  H.  GOODNOW 

Bureau  of  Chemistry,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington, 

D.C. 

This  paper  is  the  result  of  factory  experiments  on  a  very  large 
scale  of  the  conversion  of  fermented  cider  into  vinegar  in  the 
ordinary  commercial  type  of  vinegar  generator. 

Experiments  were  carried  on  for  a  period  of  several  months, 
and  some  40,000  to  50,000  gallons  of  hard  cider  were  run  through 
a  series  of  generators,  samples  being  taken  from  the  material  go- 
ing on  to  the  generator  and  from  the  finished  product,  and  analy- 
ses made  in  detail  to  show  the  changes  which  took  place.  Work 
was  undertaken  largely  because  the  existing  data  published,  re- 
garding American  cider  vinegars  was  based  wholly  upon  the  analy- 
ses of  vinegars  made  in  a  small  way,  and  fermented  under  the 
slow  fermentation  process,  which  takes  place  in  a  barrel  or  cask. 
It  was  found  at  the  beginning  of  this  investigation  that  the  results 
of  analyses  on  this  type  of  vinegar  showed  such  a  wide  variation 
that  it  was  practically  impossible  to  detect  any  forms  of  adulter- 
ation. And  it  was  concluded  from  our  analyses  of  ciders  existing 
at  that  time  that  this  wide  difference  in  results  was  due  to  the 
method  of  manufacture;  and  as  the  method  of  manufacture  in  this 
country  at  the  present  time  is  practically  confined  to  the  generator 
process,  it  was  found  that  it  was  necessary  to  have  data  upon  this 
product. 

Results  of  the  investigation  showed  that  vinegars  made  by  the 
generator  process  were  practically  as  uniform  in  composition  as 
the  cider  from  which  they  were  niade,  showing  a  very  different 
condition  from  that  found  to  exist  in  the  existing  data  on  cider 
vinegar. 

359 


THE  MICROSCOPICAL  EXAMINATION  OF  VEGETABLE 

PRODUCTS  AS  AN  ADJUNCT  TO  THEIR 

CHEMICAL  ANALYSIS 

By  a.  L.  Winton 
U.  S.  Food  and  Drug  Inspection  Laboratory,  Chicago,  III. 

In  solving  the  problems  of  man  and  nature  the  analytical 
chemist  too  often  limits  himself  to  chemical  or  physico-chemical 
methods.  He  is  an  analj'tical  chemist  in  the  strict  sense  of  the 
word  and  not  an  analyst,  which  implies  a  man  of  broader  training 
and  experience,  utilizing  the  principles  of  other  sciences  as  means 
to  his  end.  He  turns  his  back  on  the  methods  of  vegetable  and 
animal  histology,  physiology  and  bacteriology,  asserting  with 
satisfaction  that  he  is  a  specialist  and  as  such  must  limit  his  field 
of  activity. 

This  attitude  of  the  analytical  chemist  may  be  traced  to  a  mis- 
apprehension as  to  the  province  of  a  specialist.  Such  a  worker 
must  be  hmited  only  in  the  field  of  appUcation  and  not  in  training 
or  the  methods  employed.  An  occuhst,  for  example,  Umits  him- 
self to  defects  of  vision  and  diseases  of  the  eye  and  allied  organs, 
but  in  order  to  properly  carry  out  the  work  of  his  specialty  he 
must  have  broad  medical  training  and  be  conversant  with  the 
general  principles  of  optics,  bacteriology,  chemistry  and  perhaps 
other  sciences.  SpeciaUsts  in  other  sciences,  both  pure  and 
applied,  must  also  have  good  general  training  if  they  are  to 
achieve  distinction  in  their  limited  fields;  otherwise  they  are  in 
much  the  same  position  as  the  mechanic  who,  instead  of  mastering 
his  trade,  learns  to  operate  one  machine,  thus  becoming  a  mere 
automaton. 

Botany  and  chemistry  are  generally  considered  incompatibles. 
The  student  of  chemistry  sometimes  takes  up  bacteriology  as  a 
minor  subject,  but  comparatively  seldom  studies  advanced  bot- 
any, even  though  he  intends  to  speciahze  in  food  analysis,  textile 
chemistry,  paper  technology  or  some  other  subject  dealing  chiefly 
"  361 


362         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

with  materials  of  vegetable  origin.  No  physiological  chemist 
would  think  of  pursuing  his  investigation  of  animal  materials 
without  a  working  knowledge  of  animal  anatomy,  yet  agricultural 
and  food  analysts  and  others  dealing  with  vegetable  materials 
too  often  limit  themselves  to  a  knowledge  of  chemical  constitu- 
ents, ignoring  the  relation  of  composition  to  histological  structure. 

This  is  most  remarkable,  since  the  methods  of  vegetable  his- 
tology, as  well  as  of  chemistry,  are  invaluable  in  solving  problems 
relating  to  the  nature  or  constituents  of  foods,  drugs,  fibers  and 
other  products  of  vegetable  origin.  Sometimes  one  line  of 
investigation  alone  is  useful,  sometimes  the  other,  but  often  each 
throws  some  light  on  the  subject,  and  the  corroboratory  results 
obtained  by  such  widely  differing  means  furnish  an  indisputable 
chain  of  evidence. 

Let  us  look  more  closely  into  the  natm^e  and  relation  of  these 
two  applied  analytical  sciences. 

Chemical  analysis  deals  with  chemical  constituents;  microscop- 
ical analysis  deals  largely  with  the  form  of  some  of  these  constitu- 
ents. Chemical  analysis  determines  the  amount  of  fiber,  starch, 
protein,  oil,  etc.;  microscopical  analysis  determines  the  shape, 
size,  and  other  characteristics  of  the  cells  and  cell  contents. 
Chemical  analysis  usually  stops  with  the  mere  determination  of 
the  amount  of  chemical  constituents;  microscopical  analysis 
goes  further  and  names  the  particular  product  from  which  they 
were  derived.  Chemical  analysis  answers  a  question  only  in 
scientific  terms;  microscopical  analysis,  in  terms  which  all  can 
imderstand. 

In  many  cases,  the  best  idea  of  a  material  is  gained  by  following 
out  both  lines  of  investigation.  By  chemical  analysis  we  learn 
the  percentage  of  protein,  fiber,  starch,  etc.,  but  not  the  ingredi- 
ents from  which  they  were  derved;  by  microscopical  analysis 
we  learn  the  ingredients,  but  usually  gain  only  an  approjdmate 
idea  of  their  proportion.  Given  the  results  of  both  analyses, 
we  may  often  calculate  with  some  exactness  the  percentage  of 
the  different  materials  present. 

If,  for  example,  we  find  in  a  sample  of  wheat  bran  11  instead 
of  16  per  cent,  of  protein,  and  15  instead  of  8  per  cent,  of  fiber, 
we  know  it  is  not  pure  bran  but  we  do  not  know  the  adulterant; 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  363 

if  we  find  corn-cob  tissues  under  the  microscope,  we  learn  the 
adulterant  but  not  the  amount.  Knowing  that  the  material  is  a 
mixture  of  bran  and  ground  corn-cob,  and  knowing  the  average 
percentage  of  protein  and  fiber  in  both,  we  are  in  a  position  to 
calculate  from  the  results  of  the  chemical  analysis  the  relative 
amounts  of  these  ingredients. 

Again,  if  we  find  in  ground  mace  40  per  cent,  instead  of  20  per 
cent,  of  fixed  oil,  we  know  it  is  not  pure  mace;  if  we  find  imder 
the  microscope  a  large  amount  of  tissues  of  the  Bombay  mace, 
a  material  worthless  as  a  spice  containing  about  60  per  cent,  of 
fixed  oil,  we  learn  the  adulterant.  Knowing  all  this,  and  knowing 
the  average  percentage  of  oil  in  true  mace  and  Bombay  mace, 
we  have  the  data  for  calculating  roughly  the  percentage  of  each  in 
the  mixtiu-e. 

Still  again,  if  in  a  textile  fabric  we  find  a  certain  percentage  of 
organic  fiber  insoluble  in  boiling  alkali,  we  know  that  the  fabric 
is  not  all  wool.  If  under  the  microscope  we  identify  this  insoluble 
fiber  as  cotton,  we  have  found  the  missing  link  in  the  chain  of 
evidence. 

In  the  analysis  of  complicated  mixtures,  we  must  often  rely 
entirely  on  microscopical  examination.  For  example,  chemical 
analysis  of  a  mixture  of  wheat,  buckwheat  and  corn  flours  gives 
us  little  information,  and  it  is  only  after  the  characteristic  starch 
granules  and  tissues  of  each  have  been  found  under  the  microscope 
that  we  gain  a  definite  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  constituents. 

Again,  in  the  examination  of  paper,  the  microscope  is  our  sole 
dependence  in  learning  the  nature  and  approximate  percentages 
of  the  fibers  employed,  chemical  analysis  serving  merely  to 
determine  the  kind  and  amount  of  sizing,  coating  and  other  non- 
fibrous  constituents. 

Among  some  condimental  cattle  foods  examined  by  the  writer 
some  time  since  was  one,  the  chemical  analysis  of  which  disclosed 
but  one  proximate  constituent,  viz.,  common  salt;  the  micro- 
scope, however,  disclosed  linseed  meal,  corn  meal,  wheat  feed, 
mustard  hulls,  cocoa  shells,  malt  sprouts,  fenugreek  and  tiu-meric. 
In  such  a  case,  dependence  must  be  placed  entirely  on  the  micro- 
scope, except  for  noineral  ingredients. 

Chemical  analysis  of  another  sample  demonstrated  the  presence 


364        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

of  ground  bone,  carbonate  of  lime,  iron  oxide  and  free  sulphur; 
microscopical  examination  disclosed  linseed  meal,  wheat  feed  and 
charcoal.  This  is  a  striking  example  of  a  material  in  which  half 
the  constituents  (all  mineral)  can  only  be  detected  by  chemical 
analysis;  the  other  half  (all  vegetable)  by  the  microscope. 

Many  other  equally  striking  examples  of  the  interdependence 
of  these  two  applied  analytical  sciences  might  be  cited. 

The  point  now  arises  as  to  who  is  to  carry  on  these  two  hnes  of 
investigation  so  different  in  details  but  so  similar  in  purpose. 

One  plan  is  for  a  chemist  to  make  the  chemical  analysis  and  a 
botanist  the  microscopical  examination.  This  plan  has  the 
advantage  that  each  can  confine  his  attention  to  one  specialty, 
but  it  had  the  disadvantage  that  the  close  partnership  between 
the  two,  which  is  essential  to  the  best  results,  outside  of  large 
institutions,  is  both  difficult  and  expensive.  Such  a  division  of 
labor  would  usually  be  as  impracticable  as  to  divide  the  work 
of  a  chemical  laboratory  between  a  chemist  and  a  physicist,  the 
former  conducting  the  precipitations  and  other  chemical  processes 
the  latter,  polarizations,  determinations  of  specific  gravity, 
refractive  index  and  the  like. 

The  rational  plan  is  for  one  man  to  master  both  lines  of  research. 
Such  a  man  need  not  execute  all  the  details,  but  he  should  be 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  them  and  should  interpret  the 
results.  We  will  call  him  an  analyst,  not  a  chemist  or  a  botanist, 
and  his  laboratory  an  analytical  laboratory,  not  a  chemical  or 
botanical  laboratory.  His  equipment  should  consist  of  the 
necessary  apparatus  for  a  wide  variety  of  chemical  work  and 
a  complete  microscopical  outfit,  including  micro-reagents  and  a 
set  of  standard  specimens  of  economic  seeds,  roots,  barks,  fibers, 
woods,  etc. 

But  in  order  to  have  workers  in  this  field,  we  must  have 
suitable  courses  of  instruction  in  our  schools  of  science.  The 
subject  has  a  recognized  place  in  many  continental  imiversities, 
particularly  in  the  schools  of  medicine,  pharmacy  and  hygiene, 
but  outside  of  a  few  institutions,  receives  httle  attention  in 
America. 

The  student  who  seeks  to  prepare  himself  for  this  field  should 
take    both  chemical  and  botanical  studies.     In  chemistry,  he 


xviii]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  365 

should  study  the  branches  taught  in  a  well-regulated  chemical 
course — elementary  chemistry,  qualitative  and  quantitative 
analysis,  organic  and  physical  chemistry,  and  so  on.  In  botany 
he  should  take  up  successively  elementary  botany,  systematic 
botany  (at  least  of  the  phanerogams)  and  vegetable  anatomy  and 
physiology.  These  studies  are  all  on  the  curriculum  of  every  col- 
lege and  school  of  technology,  although  the  student  of  chemistry 
does  not  usually  take  all  the  botanical  studies  named.  Without 
a  certain  amount  of  botanical  training,  however,  a  chemist  is 
no  more  fitted  to  take  up  microscopical  analysis  than  a  botanist 
without  chemical  training  is  fitted  to  work  at  quantitative 
analysis. 

After  his  preliminary  studies  in  chemistry  and  botany,  the 
student  is  ready  to  take  up  a  course  in  the  methods  for  the 
chemical  and  microscopical  examination  of  the  various  raw 
materials  and  of  the  products  derived  from  them.  This  course 
should  be  so  arranged  that  the  student  will  carry  along  his  chemi- 
cal and  histological  practice  side  by  side,  as  he  must  do  after- 
wards in  practical  work.  For  example,  in  studying  the  cereal 
grains,  he  should  devote  part  of  his  time  to  the  methods  of  deter- 
mining water,  ash  (including  ash  analysis),  protein,  fiber,  starch, 
fat,  pantosans,  etc.,  and  another  part  to  a  systematic  study 
of  the  starches  and  the  histological  elements  of  the  bran  coats 
both  in  sections  and  in  powdered  form.  In  like  manner,  he  should 
take  up  a  chemical  and  histological  study  of  leguminous  seeds, 
oil  seeds,  spices,  tea,  coffee,  cocoa,  drugs,  fibers,  etc. 

His  work  in  the  chemical  laboratory  should  teach  him  not  only 
the  strictly  chemical  methods  but  also  the  use  of  the  polariscope, 
the  spectroscope  and  other  physical  apparat\is,  and  his  microscop- 
ical instruction  should  fit  him  not  only  to  differentiate  organized 
forms  but  other  characteristic  elements,  such  as  fat  crystals, 
mineral  crystals,  and  the  hke. 

After  such  a  course,  he  should  be  able  not  only  to  undertake 
investigations  in  physiological  or  plant  chemistry  but  also  the 
laboratory  work  of  an  official  food  department  or  a  custom  house, 
a  flour  mill,  a  brewery,  a  sugar  refinery,  a  candy  works,  a  fruit 
cannery,  a  drug  mill,  a  textile  mill,  a  paper  mill,  etc. 

It  is  my  firm  belief  that  courses  similar  to  that  outlined  should 


366        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

be  conducted  in  all  our  leading  universities  and  schools  of  tech- 
nology, and  the  student  should  be  taught  the  use  of  the  micro- 
scope in  conjunction  with  the  balance  in  solving  the  analytical 
problems  which  every  day  become  more  nimierous  and  intricate. 


GENERAL  INDEX 

TO  THE  TWENTY-FOUR  VOLUMES  OF 

ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS 

Volume 

Section 

1 

I. 

Analytical  Chemistry. 

2 

II 

Inorganic  Chemistry. 

3 

Ilia 

Metallurgy  and  Mining. 

4 

Illb 

Explosives. 

6 

IIIc 

SiUcate  Industries. 

6 

IV 

Organic  Chemistry. 

7 

IVa 

Coal  Tar  Colors  and  Dyestuffs. 

8 

Va 

Industry  and  Chemistry  of  Sugar. 

9 

Vb 

India  Rubber  and  other  Plastics. 

10 

Vc 

Fuels  and  Asphalt. 

11 

Vd 

Fats,  Fatty  Oils  and  Soaps. 

12 

Ve 

Paints,  Drying  Oils  and  Varnishes. 

13 

Via 

Starch,  Cellulose  and  Paper. 

U 

VIb 

Fermentation. 

15 

VII 

Agricultural  Chemistry. 

16 

Villa  Hygiene. 

17 

Vlllb  Pharmaceutical  Chemistry. 

18 

VIIIc  Bromatology. 

19 

Vllld  Biochemistry  including  Pharmacology. 

20 

IX 

Photochemistry. 

21 

Xa 

Electrochemistry. 

22 

Xb 

Physical  Chemistry. 

23 

XIa 

Law  and  Legislation  Affecting  Chemical 
Industry. 

24 

Xlb 

Political  Economy  and   Conservation   of 
Natural  Resources. 

ORIGINAL   COMMUNICATIONS 

EIGHTH  INTERNATIONAL 

CONGRESS 
OF  APPLIED  CHEMISTRY 


Washington  and  New  York 
September  4  to  13,  1912 


SECTION  Vllld:    BIOCHEMISTRY  INCLUDING 
PHARMACOLOGY 


VOL.  XIX 


ORIGINAL   COMMUNICATIONS 

EIGHTH  INTERNATIONAL 

CONGRESS 
OF  APPLIED  CHEMISTRY 


Washington  and  New  York 
September  4  to  13,  1912 


SECTION  Vllld:    BIOCHEMISTRY  INCLUDING 
PHARMACOLOGY 


VOL.  XIX 


The  matter  contained  in  this  volume  is  printed  in  exact  accordance  with  the  manuscript 
8ubmitted»  as  provided  for  in  the  rules  governing  papers  and  publicationB. 

La  mati^re  de  ce  volume  a  Sti!  imprimfte  strictement  d'aocord  avec  le  manuacrit  foumi  et 
lea  regies  gouvemant  tous  les  documents  et  publications. 

Die  In  dieaem  Heft  entiialtenen  BeitreLge  sind  genau  in  X^ereinstimmung  mit  den  ims 
unterbreiteten  Manuskripten  gednickt,  in  Gemdssheit  der  fiir  Beitrftge  und  Verlagaartikel 
geltenden  Bestimmungen. 

La  materia  di  questo  volume  e  stampata  in  accordo  al  manosoritto  presentato  ed  in  base 
alle  Tegole  que  govemano  i  dooumenti  e  le  publicazioni. 


THE     RUMFOBD     PRESS 
CONCORD-N-H'TT.S-A- 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS 

TO  THE 

EIGHTH  INTERNATIONAL  CONGRESS 

OF 

APPLIED    CHEMISTRY 


APPROVED 

BT  THE 


COMMITTEE  ON  PAPERS  AND  PUBLICATIONS 

mVING  W.  FAY,  Chairman 
T.  LYNTON  BMGGS  JOHN  C.  OLSEN 

F.  W.  FREMCHS  JOSEPH  W.  RICHARDS 

A.  C.  LANGMUm  E.  F.  ROEBER 

A.  F.  SEEKER 


SECTION  Vllld.     BROCHEMISTRY  INCLUDING  PHAR- 
MACOLOGY 


Executive  C!ommitteb 

President:  John  J.  Abel,  M.D. 
Vice-President:  William  J.  Gies,  Ph.D. 
Secretary:  John  A.  Mandel,  Sc.D. 

Reid  Hunt,  M.D.,  Ph.D. 
Thomas  B.  Osborne,  Sc.D.,  Ph.D. 

Sectional  Committee 


Carl  L.  Alsberg,  M.D. 
Silas  P.  Beebe,  Ph.D.,  M.D. 
Stanley  R.  Benedict,  Ph.D. 
Harold  C.  Bradley,  Ph.D. 
Russell  H.  Chittenden,  Ph. 

D.,  Sc.D.,  LL.D. 
Albert  C.  Crawford,  M.D. 
H.  D.  Dakin,  Sc.D. 
Edward  K.  Dunham,  M.D. 
Charles  W.  Edmunds,  M.D. 
Otto  Folin,  Ph.D. 
Harby-S.  Grindley,  Sc.D. 
Robert  A.  Hatcher,  M.D. 
P.  B.  Hawk,  Ph.D. 
L.  J.  Henderson,  M.D.  . 
Andrew  Hunter,  M.A. 
Walter  Jones,  Ph.D. 
Joseph  H.  Kastle,  Ph.D. 
P.  A.  Levene,  M.D. 
a.  s.  loevenhart,  m.d. 
John  H.  Long,  Sc.D. 
Graham  Lusk,  Ph.D.,  Sc.D. 

and  the  Sectional 


John  J.  Macleod,  D.P.H. 
Wm.  deB.  MacNideb,  M.D. 
John  Marshall,  M.D.,Sc.D., 
LL.D. 
Albert  P.  Mathews,  Ph.D. 
S.  J.  Meltzer,  M.D.,  LL.D. 
Lafayette  B.  Mendel,Ph.D. 
Frederick  G.  Novy,  Sc.D., 
M.D. 
Franz  Pfaff,  Ph.D.,  M.D. 
Alfred  N.  Richards,  Ph.D. 
T.    Brailsford   Robertson, 
Sc.D.,  Ph.D. 
William  Salant,  M.D. 
Philip  A.  Shaffer,  Ph.D. 
Torald  Sollman,  M.D. 
A.  E.  Taylor,  M.D. 
Frank  P.  Underhill,  Ph.D. 
Carl  Voegtlin,  Ph.D. 
Geo.  B.  Wallace,  M.D. 
Chas.  G.  L.  Wolf,  M.D. 
Horatio  C.  Wood,  Jr.,  M.D. 
Executive  Committee. 


VOLUME  XIX 

SECTION   Vllld:  BIOCHEMISTRY  INCLUDING  PHAR- 
MACOLOGY 

CONTENTS 

Alorich,  T.  B. 

The  Iodine  Content  of  the  Smali,  Medium  and  Large  Thyroid 

Glands  of  Sheep,  Beef  and  Hogs 9 

ALBBEna,  C.  L.  and  Black,  0.  F. 

Biochemical  and  Toxicological  Studies  on  PenicUlium  Stolonif- 

erum — Th<mi 15 

Bbko,  William  N. 

The  Effect  of  Sodium  Chlorid  and  Cold  Storage  upon  Activities  of 

Proteolytic  Enzymes 25 

Black,  0.  F.  and  Alsberg,  C.  L. 

Biochemical  and  Toxicological  Studies  on  PenicUlium  Stolonif- 

erum — Thom 15 

Bloor,  W.  R. 

Fatty  Add  Esters  of  Glucose 29 

BuNZEL,  Herbert  H. 

Qiuintitative  Oxidase  Measurements 37 

Carles,  P. 

Les  Phosphates  et  Le  Sou  De  Froment  Dans  L' Alimentation 

Animate 45 

Carles,  P. 

Entretien  Du  Tissu  Dentaire  Par  Une  Alimentation  Appropriee      49 
Clark,  Ernest  D. 

The  Origin  and  Significance  of  Starch 55 

Cooper,  E.  Ashley  and  Morgan,  Gilbert  T. 

The  Influence  of  the  Chemical  Constitviion  of  Certain  Organic 

Hydroxyl  and  Aminic  Derivatives  on  their  Germicidal  Power 243 

Crillat,  M.  a. 

Influence  Des  Impuretis  Gazeuses  De  L'Air  Sur  La  VitalitS  Des 

Microbes 71 

Crohn,  Burrill  B. 

Experiences  with  Duodenal  and  Stool  Ferments  in  Health  and 
Disease 73 


6  Contents  {vol. 

Dubois,  Raphael 

Mecanisme  Intime  De  La  Production  De  La  hwmiere  Physiolog- 

ique:  Lvciferase,  Lttciferine,  Ludferesceine 83 

Dubois,  Raphael 

Les  VacuoUdes  De  La  Purpurase  et  La  Theorie  Vaeuolidaire ....       91 
Dubois,  Raphael 

Pharmacologie  et  Chimie  Biologigue  Atmolyse  et  Atmolyseur. ...       95 
Ehhlich,  Felix 

Ueber  Einige  Chemische  Beabstionen  Der  Mihroorganismen  und 
Ihre  Bedentung  fur  Chemische  und  Biohgische  Probleme 99 

Eetzer,  Lewis  W. 

The  Chemical  Changes  Taking  Place  in  Milk  under  Pathological 
Conditions Ill 

Fohtbscue-Bbickdale,  J.  M. 

The  Aryl  Arsenates:    their  Pharmacology  Considered  from  the 
Experimental  and  Practical  Standpoints 115 

Foster,  Lawrence  F.  and  Hawk,  P.  B. 

The  Utilisation  of  Ingested  Protein  as  Influenced  by  Undermas- 
tication  ("Bolting  ")  and  Overmastication  {" Fletcherizing  ") 131 

Fourneau,  E.  and  Ochslin,  K. 

Chlorure  de  L'Adde  Dichloroarsinobenzoique.    Ethers  des  Acides 
Benzarsineux  et  Benzarsinigue 136 

Gebber,  M.  C. 

Etude  Comparie  des  Prisures  de  I'Amainte  Phallmde  et  de  I'Ama- 
doumer — Relations  Entre  Les  PrSsures  Des  Basidromycibtes  et  Des 

Vigitaux  Supirieurs 137 

GrvENS,  Maurice  H.  and  Hunter,  Andrew 

Purine  Catdbolism  in  the  Monkey 149 

Hawk,  P.  B.,  and  Foster,  Lawrence  F. 

The  Utilization  of  Ingested  Protein  as  Influenced  by  Undermas- 

tication  ("  Bolting  ")  and  Overmastication  ("  Fletcherizing  ") 131 

Hawk,  P.  B.  and  Howe,  Paul  E. 

The  Utilization  of  Individual  Proteins  by  Man  as  Influenced  by 
Repeated  Fasting 145 

Herles,  Franz 

SchneUes  Verfahren  zurBestimmung  der  Hamsaure im  Ham. ...     141 
Howe,  Paul  E.  and  Hawk,  P.  B. 

The  Utilization  of  Individual  Proteins  by  Man  as  Influenced  by 
Repeated  Fasting 145 

Hunter,  Andrew  and  Givens,  Maurice  H. 

Purine  Catabolism  in  the  Monkey 149 


XIX 


Contents  7 


JowBTT,  H.  A.  D.  AND  Pyman,  F.  L.  and  Remfhy,  F.  G.  p. 

The  Relation  Between  Cliemical  Consti.tUion  and  Physioloffical 
Action  as  Exemplified  by  the  Glyoxalines,  Isoquinolines  and  Add 

Anodes 153 

lewis,  Dean  D.  and  Miller,  Joseph  L. 

The  Relation  of  the  Hypophysis  to  Growth  and  the  Effect  of  Feeding 
Anterior  and  Posterior  Lobe 231 

LiNDET,  M.  L. 

Sur  Les  Elements  Mineraux  Conlenus  Dans  La  Caseine  du  Lait .  .     199 

Malvbzin,  Philippe 

La  Question  de  I'Adde  Sidfweaux  Dans  Les  Vins  Blancs 209 

Marshall,  C.  R. 

The  Influence  of  Hydroxyl  and  Carboxyl  Groups  on  the  Pharma- 
cological Action  of  Nitric  Esters 211 

Marshall,  C.  R. 

The  Pharmacological  Action  of  BromnStrychnines 217 

Maze,  P. 

Relations  de  la  Plante  avec  les  EUments  FertUisants  du  Sol:  Loi 
du  Minimum  et  Loi  des  Rapports  Physiologigues 225 

Menzb,  G.  a. 

Srnne  New  Compounds  of  the  Choline  Type 229 

Miller,  Joseph  L.  and  Lewis,  Dean  D. 

The  Relation  of  the  Hypophysis  to  Growth  and  the  Effect  of  Feed- 
ing Anterior  and  Posterior  Lobe 231 

Morgan,  Gilbert  T.  and  Cooper,  E.  Ashley 

•  The  Influence  of  the  Chemical  Constitutton  of  Certain  Organic 
Hydroxyl  and  Aminic  Derivatives  on  their  Germicidal  Power 243 

NicLoux,  Maurice 

Dosage  et  Moyen  de  Caraderiser  de  Petites  Quantities  d'Alcool 
Methylique  dans  le  Sang  et  les  Tissus 259 

Novi,  Ivo 

II  Calcio  e  U  Magnesia  del  CerveUo  in  Diverse  Condizioni  FisioU 
ogiche  e  Farmacologiche 261 

OCHBLIN,   K.   AND   FOURNEAU,   E. 

Chhrure  de  I'Adde  Dichtoroarsinabenzoique.    Ethers  des  Acides 

Bemarsineux  et  Benzarsinigue 1^" 

PlCCININI,  GuiDO  M. 

La  Importama  Fisiohgica  del  Manganese  NeU'Organismo  Ani- 
mate... .. 263 

Ptman,  F.  L.  and  Jowett,  H.  A.  D.  and  Rbmtry,  F.  G.  P. 

The  Relation  Between  Chemical  ConstUution  and  Physiological 
Action  as  Exemplified  by  the  Glyoxalines,  Isoguinolines  and  Add 
Amides ^^ 


8  Contents  [vol. 

Reed,  Howabd  S. 

The  Enzyme  Activities  Involved  in  Certain  Plant  Diseases 265 

Remfky,  F.  G.  p.  and  Pyman,  F.  L.  and  Jowett,  H.  A.  D. 

The  Relation  Between  Chemical  Constitution  and  Physiological 
Action  as  Exemplified  by  the  Glyoxalines,  Isoquinolines  and  Acid 

Amides 153 

Sauton,  B. 

Sur  la  Nutrition  Minirale  duBacille  Tuberculeux 267 

SCHtJLTZ,    W.   H.    AND   SEIDELL,   AtHEKTON 

Subcutaneous  Absorption  of  Thymol  from  Oils 271 

SCHULTZ,   W.   H.   AND   SEIDELL,   AtHERTON 

The  Determination  of  Thymol  in  Dog  Feces 281 

Seidell,  Atherton  and  ScHtFLTz,  W.  H. 

Subcutaneous  Absorption  of  Thymol  from  Oils 271 

Seidell,  Atherton  and  Schultz,  W.  H. 

The  Determination  of  Thymol  in  Dog  Feces 281 

Wolff,  M.  J. 

Sur  la  Risistance  de  la  Peroxydase  a  I'Ammoniaque  et  sur  Son 
Activation  par  Contact  avec  I'Alcali 287 


THE   IODINE    CONTENT   OF   THE   SMALL,   MEDIUM 

AND  LARGE  THYROID  GLANDS  OF  SHEEP/ 

BEEF  AND  HOGS 

By  T.  B.  Aldrich 

[From  the  Research  Laboratory  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  Detroit, 

Mich.) 

It  is  conceded  by  a  majority,  if  not  all  writers  on  the  subject 
of  thyroid  therapy,  that  the  thyroid  gland  (or  its  preparations) 
to  be  physiologically  active,  must  contain  at  least  some  iodine, 
furthermore  that  this  iodine  to  be  of  the  greatest  value  thera- 
peutically, must  be  combined  or  associated  with  some  protein  or 
organic  complex  found  in  the  gland.  Presumably  the  iodine  is 
the  more  important  constituent,  the  two,  however,  associated 
or  combined  seem  to  give  the  best  therapeutic  results  and  to-day 
the  efficiency  of  a  thyroid  preparation  is  generally  measured,  or 
should  be  by  its  iodine  content.  In  fact  for  some  time  a  number 
of  pharmaceutical  houses  have  been  putting  out  thyroid  prep- 
arations with  a  guaranteed  percentage  of  iodine.  Since  then  the 
iodine  content  of  a  thyroid  preparation  is  a  measure  of  its  thera- 
peutic efficiency,  it  is  desirable  to  select  if  possible  those  glands 
which  contain  the  most  iodine,  providing  other  factors  are  equal, 
and  from  those  animals,  whose  thyroids  contain  the  most  of 
this  constituent. 

The  following  work  was  taken  up  with  the  object  of  deter- 
mining the  iodine  content  and  thereby  the  therapeutic  efficacy 
of  some  thyroid  glands,  especially  the  small,  medium  and  large 
thyroid  glands  of  sheep,  beef  and  hogs  by  means  of  the  method 
employed  by  Hunter  (Journal  of  Biolog.  Chemistry  1909-1910, 
VII,  p.  321)  which  is  very  accurate  and  detects  the  presence  of 
very  small  amounts  of  iodine,  that  are  incapable  of  being  de- 
tected by  the  older  method  of  Baumann  (J.  Physiol.  Chem- 
1896,  21,  p.  489;  Ibid,  22,  p.  1)  which  has  been  the  method  usu- 
ally employed  heretofore.  (See  Rigg's  work  J.  of  American 
Chem.  Soc.  1910)  XXXII,  p.  692;  Ibid,  1909  XXXI,  p.  710). 

'The  iodine  content  of  some  mixed  sheep  thyroids  was  also  determined. 


10  Original  Communications :  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  glands  received  came  from  the  Chicago  stock  yards,  were 
placed  in  Mason  jars  as  soon  as  removed  from  the  animals,  sub- 
sequently placed  in  cold  storage  and  shipped  packed  in  ice. 
They  were  all  received  in  the  best  possible  condition.  Six  lots 
were  obtained  as  follows: 

(1)  Mixed  sheep  thyroids  (Lots  A  and  B). 

(2)  Small,  medium  and  large  sheep  thyroids  (Lot  C). 

(3)  "  "  "         "        "  "        (LotD). 

(4)  "  "  "        "     beef         "        (Lot  E). 

(5)  "  "  "        "    hog         "        (LotF). 
In  lots  A,  B  and  C  the  glands  were  not  counted. 

After  freeing  from  superfluous  tissue  and  weighing,  the  glands 
were  ground  very  fine,  defatted  and  desiccated  in  the  usual  man- 
ner and  eventually  reduced  to  a  very  fine  powder  by  passing 
through  a  60  mesh  sieve. 

The  following  information  obtained  by  one*  of  our  staff  from 
a  packer,  relative  to  thyroids,  may  be  of  interest  at  this  point. 

(1)  Sheep  thyroids  are  subject  to  great  variation  in  size.  The 
sex  factor  is  not  the  determining  factor  for  the  size  of  the  gland, 
nor  has  the  condition  of  nutrition  of  the  sheep  any  decisive  bear- 
ing on  the  size  of  the  gland.  They  run  from  the  size  of  an  almond 
to  the  size  of  a  lemon. 

(2)  Steers'  thyroids  are  larger  than  cows',  this  variation  in 
size  being  a  constant  factor;  size  of  gland  varies  again  with  the 
condition  of  the  animal.  Well-nourished  cattle  have  larger  thy-' 
roids  than  poorly  fed  ones. 

(3)  In  hogs  the  thyroids  vary  little  in  size  and  present  only 
slight  variation  in  general  appearance. 

The  thyroids  of  cattle  are  removed  after  head  has  been  sev- 
ered; same  is  true  of  hogs.  Cattle  thyroids  are  often  cut,  those  of 
hogs  not. 

The  following  method  of  assaying  the  iodine,  somewhat 
abbreviated  was  employed.  (For  details  see  Hunter,  The 
Journal  of  Biological  Chemistry  1909-1910,  VII,  p.  321). 

Exactly  one  gram  of  the  body  was  taken,  placed  in  a  nickel 
crucible  (125  c.c),  14  grm.  of  the  following  oxidation  mixture 
added  (106  parts  Sodium  carbonate,  75  parts  Potassium  Nitrate, 


XDc]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  11 

and  138  parts  Potassium  carbonate)  and  the  two  intimately  mixed 
by  means  of  a  nickel  spatula.  Over  this  was  dusted  4  gm.  of  the 
oxidation  mixture.  The  nickel  crucible  was  then  heated  over  a 
flame  until  contents  of  the  same  was  perfectly  white.  This  more 
or  less  fused  mixture  was  dissolved  in  water  and  brought  into  an 
Erlenmeyer  flask  (800  cc).  After  cooling  35  cc.  of  Sodium 
Hypochlorite  solution  was  added,  and  while  holding  the  flask 
in  a  slanting  position  in  cold  water  and  agitating  at  the  same 
time,  65  cc.  of  42|%  phosphoric  acid  was  added.  The  solution 
should,  after  the  addition  of  the  acid,  be  colored  slightly  yellow 
from  the  slight  excess  of  chlorine  liberated.  The  mixture  was 
then  boiled  briskly,  a  funnel  with  a  short  stem  being  placed  in 
neck  of  flask  to  avoid  any  loss.  When  all  the  free  chlorin  was 
expelled,  recognized  by  holding  filter  paper  moistened  with  starch 
solution  containing  Potassium  iodine  in  the  steam  (blue  color  if 
present),  the  flask  containing  now  about  70-80  cc.  was  allowed 
to  cool  and  brought  up  to  about  200  cc.  by  the  addition  of  water. 
To  this  cold  solution  10  cc.  of  a  1%  Potassium  Iodide  solution 
was  added,  which  causes  the  liberation  of  6  times  the  amount  of 
iodine  originally  in  the  product  to  be  assayed,  according  to  the 
following  equation: 

KIO,  ■   HIOs  +  10  KI  +  11  HCl  =  11  KCI  +  6  H,0  +  12  I 

This  liberated  Iodine  is  immediately  titrated  with  a  standard 
solution  of  Sodium  thio  sulphate  solution  approximately  N/200, 
a  few  drops  of  starch  solution  being  added  toward  the  end  of  the 
reaction. 

The  number  of  Cc.  of  Sodium  thio  sulphate  used  multiplied 
by  the  iodine  factor  then  divided  by  6  gives  the  amount  of  iodine 
in  the  original  sample. 

A  blank  test  using  casein,  or  some  other  body  free  from  iodine 
was  made  to  insure  the  absence  of  iodine  in  the  reagents,  and  the 
usual  precautions  employed  in  analytical  methods  observed. 

The  following  table  gives  the  number  (except  in  the  lots  A, 
B  and  C),  total  weight  of  glands,  average  weight  of  glands  and 
iodine  content  in  each  lot  with  average  iodine  content  and  per- 
centage in  each  gland,  where  the  number  of  glands  is  known. 


12  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Sheep  Thtkoids  (Lots  A  and  B) 


Av.  iodine  in 

each  moist 

gland 

mg.        % 


No.  of 
Glands 


Total  Wt.  of 
glands 

gms. 


Av. 
Wt.  of 
glands 

gms. 


Iodine  % 

(moist  gland 

tissue) 


(A) 
(B) 


2925  (MX)i 
5120     " 


.032 
.022 


.025 


Sheep  Ththoids  (Lot  C) 


(1) 
(2) 
(3) 


6000  (S) 
5200  (M) 
5805  (L) 


.027 
.018 
.01    J 


.019 


Sheep  Thyboids  (Lot  D) 


(1) 

397  (S) 

540 

1.36 

.044  1 

.6 

.04 

(2) 

192  (M) 

650 

3.38 

.028  [-0.028 

.9 

.027 

(3) 

48  (L) 

675 

14.00 

.015  J 

2.1 

.015 

Beef  Thyboids  (Lot  E) 


(1) 

98  (S) 

620 

6.32 

.039] 

2.47 

.04 

(2) 

53  (M) 

405 

7.64 

.030  1^0.036 

2.40 

.031 

(3) 

34  (L) 

425 

12.20 

.038  J 

4.70 

.038 

Hog  Thyroids  (L 

3T  F) 

(1) 
(2) 
(3) 

108  (S) 
70  (M) 
40  (L) 

725 
765 
735 

6.7 
10.9 
18.37 

.054] 

.048  [0.047 

.041  j 

3.6 
5.2 
7.5 

.05 

.047 

.04 

'The  letters  (S)  (M)  (L)  and  (MX)  stand  for  small,  medium,  large  and  mixed 
glands. 


xDc]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  13 

The  average  iodine  content  of  the  mixed  sheep  thyroid  glands, 
Lots  (A),  (B),  (C),  and  (D)  where  over  50  lbs.  were  employed, 
is  about  .  025%  while  in  some  cases  with  selected  glands  0.044% 
has  been  obtained  and  .027  where  relatively  large  amounts 
(6000  gms.)  were  used. 

The  beef  thyroids  (Lot  E)  gave  an  average  of  .036%  iodine, 
and  in  selected  cases  nearly  .04%.  The  hog  .047%  average,  in 
selected  glands  over  .05%  iodine. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  greatest  variation  in  iodine  content 
in  the  different  sized  glands  of  the  same  animals,  is  in  that  of  the 
sheep  where  it  varies  from  .01%-.027%  in  Lot  C  and  from  .015- 
.044  in  Lot  D.  This  variation  being  no  doubt  due  to  the  greater 
prevalence  of  goiter  in  sheep. 

Next  to  sheep  the  iodine  content  of  the  hogs'  thyroids  vary 
the  most  .041-.054%  while  in  the  beef  we  have  the  least  varia- 
tion .030-.39%. 

The  hogs'  thyroids^  contain  the  highest  percentage  of  iodine, 
with  the  small  sheep  glands  in  one  case  higher,  in  the  other  lower 
than  the  mixed  beef  glands.  Assuming  the  iodine  content  to  be 
a  measure  of  the  therapeutic  activity,  the  mixed  thyroids  of  the 
hog  are  superior  to  the  beef  and  the  latter  superior  to  sheep 
thyroids,  small  sheep  thyroids  being  about  equal  to  mixed  beef 
thyroids. 

Weight  for  weight  the  small  glands  of  all  the  animals  studied, 
nearly  without  exception  contain  the  most  iodine  (excepting 
beef  where  the  large  and  the  small  have  nearly  the  same  .038%). 

In  general  the  larger  glands  contain  the  most  iodine  and  the 
ratio  of  the  iodine  content  of  the  small,  medium  and  large  glands 
is  approximately  as  follows: 
In  the  sheep  2:3:  7 
"    "    beef    1:  1:2 
"    "    hog     3:4:6 

The  mixed  glands  arranged  according  to  their  iodine  content 
stand  about  in  the  following  ratio : 

'It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Baumann  found  very  Utile  iodine  in  pigs'  and 
hogs'  thyroid  glands;  very  much  less  than  in  beef  and  sheep. 


14  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [tol. 

Sheep  Beef  Hogs 

5  7  9 

From  whatever  standpoint  we  take  we  must  conclude  from 
the  above  that  the  employment  of  either  hogs  or  beef  thyroids 
for  therapeutic  purposes  would  be  more  rational  than  the  em- 
ployment of  sheep  glands,  even  if  small  selected  sheep  glands 
are  employed,  thus  eliminating  the  goiterous  glands. 

*It  is  a  pleasure  to  thank  Dr.  Baeslack,  of  our  staff,  for  looking  after  the 
oollection  of  the  glands  and  also  for  the  information  relative  to  the  san>e. 


BIOCHEMICAL   AND    TOXICOLOGICAL   STUDIES    ON 
PENICILLIUM  STOLONIFERUM  —  THOM 

By  C.  L.  Alsbebg  and  0.  F.  Black 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Whether  molds  or  the  products  of  their  growth  have  an  inju- 
rious effect  on  animals  is  a  question  which  has  not  yet  been 
conclusively  settled.  The  literature  contains  many  records  of 
alleged  intoxications  due  to  these  fungi.  Certain  diseases  of  men 
and  domesticated  animals  have  been  attributed  to  this  cause. 
Though,  obviously,  the  solution  of  this  problem  is  urgent,  few 
serious  attempts  have  been  made  to  identify  chemically  the 
alleged  toxic  substances.  Chemical  studies  of  this  kind  have 
been  undertaken  in  the  Poisonous  Plant  Laboratory  of  the  Office 
of  Drug  Plant,  Poisonous  Plant,  Physiological  and  Fermentation 
Investigations,  of  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture.  The  present  paper  is  the  second  of  this 
series  of  studies. 

The  genus  Penicilium  was  chosen  for  study  because,  owing  to 
the  mvestigations  of  Thom*  it  is  now  well  systematized.  The 
necessity  of  using  pure  cultures  of  identified  molds  in  an  investi- 
gation of  this  kind  is  obvious.  Nevertheless,  in  most  previous 
investigations  these  factors  have  been  neglected.  Many  of  the 
studies  on  molds  deal  with  the  action  of  unidentified  mixtures 
of  molds  on  complex  Substrata  like  maize  or  wheat.  In  many 
instances  in  which  pure  cultures  growing  upon  simple  media  were 
studied,  the  identity  of  the  species  of  mold  employed  can  no 
longer  be  established.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  these  investi- 
gations were,  ordinarily,  not  conducted  with  the  help  of  a  trained 
mycologist.  Such  help  is  absolutely  essential,  for  the  diffictilties 
of  distinguishing  between  species  are  ordinarily  underestimated 

'Thom,  C.  H.,  "  Cultural  Studies  of  the  Species  of  PeniciUiuin,"  Bulletin 
118,  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

IS 


16  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

by  the  clinical  bacteriologist.  In  the  present  series  of  investiga- 
tions the  molds  were  isolated  by  Dr.  Erwin  F.  Smith  and  iden- 
tified by  Dr.  Chas.  Thom.  Without  such  aid  these  studies  could 
not  have  been  undertaken. 

In  the  first  study  of  this  series  it  was  found  that  Penicillium 
puberulum  Bainier,  produces  a  phenolic  acid  of  the  empirical 
formula  CsHio04,  for  which  the  name  penicillic  acid  was  sug- 
gested.^ This  acid  gives  a  brownish  red  color  with  ferric  chloride, 
reduces  Fehling's  solution  and  yields  a  deep  red  dye  when  acted 
upon  by  ammonium  hydroxid.  It  is  also  somewhat  toxic  and 
antiseptic.  The  lethal  subcutaneous  dose  is  from  .2  to  .3  grams 
per  kilo  of  body  weight.  It  was  not  possible  to  identify  peniciUic 
acid  with  any  known  compound.  In  its  general  properties  it 
resembles  very  greatly  certain  of  the  lichen  acids  found  in  lichens. 

In  the  present  paper  a  similar  study  upon  a  closely  related 
organism,  Penicillium  stoloniferum,  Thom,  is  reported.  This 
organism  was  isolated  from  a  specimen  of  spoiled  Italian  maize 
which  was  very  kindly  secured  by  Dr.  C.  H.  Lavinder,  of  the 
Hygienic  Laboratory  of  the  Public  Health  and  Marine  Hospital 
Service  while  studying  pellagra  in  Italy. 

The  examination  of  the  specimen  of  Italian  spoiled  maize  was 
undertaken  because  as  stated  in  a  former  publication^  it  seems 
to  differ  from  American  spoiled  maize  in  its  behavior  toward  the 
ferric  chloride  reaction  of  Gosio.  In  Italy  this  reaction  for  pheriohc 
substances  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  reliable  tests  for  the  deter- 
mination of  deterioration  of  maize.  According  to  Schindler  it 
is  not  highly  esteemed  in  the  Tyrol. '  American  spoiled  maize 
when  tested  by  the  method  recommended  by  Gosio*  only  occa- 
sionally gives  the  reaction.    The  color  obtained  in  the  few  posi- 


'Alsberg,  C.  L.,  and  Black,  O.  F.,  "  Biological  and  Toxicological  Studies 
upon  Penicillium  puberulum,  Bainier.  Proceedings  of  the  Society  for  Experi- 
mental Biology  and  Medicine,  IX,  p.  6,  (1911)." 

^Alsberg,  C.  L.  and  Black,  O.  F.,  "The  Determination  of  the  Deterioration 
of  Maize  with  Incidental  Reference  to  Pellagra.  Bulletin  199,  Bureau  of 
Plant  Industry,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agricvdture,  Washington,  D.  C,  1910." 

'Alsberg,  C.  L.  and  Black,  O.  F.  op.  cit.  page  27. 

'Gosio,  B.:  Alterazioni  Del  Grantureo  E  Loro  Profilassi.  Page  35.  Rome 
1909.    Tipografia  Nazionale  Di  G.  Bertero  E  C. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  17 

tive  cases  has  always  been  red  or  brownish  red,  never  violet  or 
green  as  described  by  Italian  investigators.  Recently  the  test 
has  been  improved  in  this  laboratory  so  as  to  render  it  more 
delicate.  The  essential  improvement  in  the  procedure  as  now 
conducted  consists  in  extracting  directly  with  chloroform.  Fifty 
grams  of  ground  corn  or  meal  are  placed  in  a  stoppered  flask  and 
covered  with  chloroform.  After  two  hours  the  chloroform  is 
filtered  off  and  concentrated  to  a  bulk  of  10-15  cubic  centi- 
meters. This  is  transferred  to  a  small  separatory  funnel  or  test 
tube  and  covered  with  about  5  cubic  centimeters  of  water  con- 
taining a  trace  of  ferric  chloride.  If  substances  like  penicillic 
acid  are  present  the  characteristic  color  develops  in  the  aqueous 
layer.  Conducting  the  tests  in  this  way  a  greater  number  of 
samples  of  obviously  deteriorated  maize  show  the  reaction  than 
was  the  case  with  the  old  test.  Nevertheless  a  positive  result 
seems  to  be  less  frequent  in  American  maize  than  in  Italian  maize. 

The  Italian  spoiled  maize  mentioned  above  gave  an  intense 
ferric  chloride  reaction  of  a  violet  color.  Moreover,  when  grown 
on  Raulin's  medium  it  gave  the  same  characteristic  reaction.  It 
is  certainly  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  first  sample  of  spoiled 
Italian  corn  examined  gave  the  violet  color  described  by  Italian 
authors,  whereas  no  American  sample  has  been  found  giving  a 
similar  tint. 

It  was,  therefore,  decided  to  isolate,  if  possible,  the  substance 
responsible  for  the  ferric  chloride  reaction.  For  this  purpose  the 
organism  from  Italian  spoiled  corn  was  grown  on  Czapek's 
medium  and  on  Raulin's  medium.  It  was  found  that  the  organ- 
ism grew  more  rapidly  upon  the  latter.  Therefore,  for  the  prepa- 
ration of  material  Raulin's  medium  only  was  used. 

The  substance  responsible  for  the  ferric  chloride  reaction  was 
isolated  by  the  following  procedure.  The  culture  fluid  and  the 
mycelium  were  transferred  to  an  evaporating  dish  and  rendered 
weakly  alkaline  with  sodium  carbonate.  The  contents  of  the 
dish  were  then  heated  to  boiling  and  filtered  hot.  The  mycelium 
remaining  on  the  filter  was  thoroughly  expressed.  It  was  then 
again  extracted  with  water,  rendered  weakly  alkaline  with  sodium 
carbonate.  The  combined  extracts  were  evaporated  to  a  small 
bulk  over  a  free  flame  and  filtered  hot.  To  the  clear  filtrate  a 
2 


18  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

slight  excess  of  hydrochloric  acid  was  added.  An  abundant  pre- 
cipitate was  produced  which  consisted  of  a  mixture  of  needle 
clusters  and  amorphous  material.  The  precipitate  was  separated 
by  filtration  and  washed  with  cold  water.  After  drying  spon- 
taneously it  was  extracted  with  hot  toluene  and  the  hot  extract 
filtered.  Only  the  crystalline  portion  of  the  precipitate  dissolved. 
The  amorphous  dark  brown  material  which  remained  on  the 
filter  was  discarded,  for  it  did  not  give  a  color  reaction  with 
ferric  chloride.  The  toluene  extract,  on  cooling  and  spontaneous 
evaporation,  precipitated  in  the  form  of  needles,  the  material 
giving  the  ferric  chloride  reaction.  These  were  still  sHghtly  col- 
ored but  were  finally  obtained  white,  either  by  decolorizing  with 
boneblack  in  hot  toluene  solution  or  by  dissolving  in  alcohol  and 
adding  alcoholic  potassium  hydroxide  to  form  the  potassium  salt 
which  is  insoluble  in  alcohol.  This  salt  was  then  washed  free  from 
color  with  alcohol.  From  the  potassium  salt  the  free  acid  was 
recovered  in  the  form  of  white  needles  by  dissolving  the  salt  in 
water  and  precipitating  with  hydrochloric  acid. 

The  substance  thus  obtained  consists  of  white  needles  with  a 
melting  point  of  140°,  uncorrected.  The  name  mycophenolic 
acid  is  provisionally  suggested  for  it.  It  is  almost  insoluble  in 
water  but  freely  soluble  in  alcohol,  in  ether  or  in  chloroform.  It 
is  somewhat  less  soluble  in  benzene  and  only  moderately  soluble 
in  cold,  though  very  soluble  in  hot  toluene.  With  ferric  chloride 
it  gives  a  violet  color  in  aqueous  solution,  though  its  solubility 
in  water  is  not  sufficient  to  render  the  color  intense.  In  alcoholic 
solution  it  gives  a  bright  green  color  with  ferric  chloride.  It  does 
not  react  with  Millon's  reagent.  It  does  not  give  Lieberman's 
reaction  and  could  not  be  diazotized.  It  does  not  reduce  Fehl- 
ing's  solution  nor  ammoniacal  silver  nitrate.  It  is  fairly  resistant 
to  sodium,  ammonium  and  potassium  hydroxide  and  hydro- 
chloric, sulphuric  and  acetic  acid,  not  being  affected  by  boiling 
in  10  per  cent,  solutions  of  any  of  these  reagents.  It  does  not 
contain  water  of  crystallization.  Its  salts  of  potassium  and 
sodium  are  very  soluble  in  water.  The  former  is  soluble  in  dilute, 
but  insoluble  in  absolute  alcohol.  The  latter  is  soluble  in  abso- 
lute alcohol  but  may  be  precipitated  in  crystalline  form  by  adding 
ether.    The  salt  of  barium  is  only  very  slightly  soluble  in  water 


XIX 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


19 


and  forms  clusters  of  minute  needles.  The  copper,  lead  and  silver 
salts  are  amorphous  and  insoluble  in  water.  In  characterization 
of  the  substance  the  facts  collected  in  Table  I  were  ascertained  by 
analysis  of  the  free  acid,  by  titritation  of  the  alcoholic  solution  of 
the  free  acid  with  N/10  sodium  hydroxide,  using  phenolphthalein 
as  indicator,  and  by  the  determination  of  the  barium  content  of 
the  salt  on  ignition  in  platinum  with  sulphuric  acid. 


Table  I.      Analyses  of  Mycophenolic  Acid 

Weight  of 

Substances 

Grams 

CO2 
Grams 

HO2 
Grams 

C 
Percent 

H 
Percent 

BaSOi 
Grams 

Ba 
Percent 

N/lONaOH 

Cubic 
Centimeters 

0.2316 
0.2044 
0.2494 
0.1990 

0.5419 
0.4770 

0.1315 
0.1161 

63.81 
63.64 

6.30 
6.31 

0.1256 

29.65 

11.53 

Average 

63.725 

6.305 

Calculated  for  CnHaoOe  Carbon  63.74  Hydrogen  6.25  % 

Found  Carbon  63.72  Hydrogen  6.30  % 

Calculated  for  Ba  (CjHigOs)  Barium  29.15  % 

Found  Barium  30.09  % 

A  molecular  weight  determination  by  the  elevation  of  the  boil- 
ing point  in  chloroform  solution  gave  the  results  in  Table  II. 

Table  II.    Ebulioscopic  Determination  of  the  Molecular  Weight 
of  Mycophenolic  Acid 


Weight  of 
substance 


Weight  of 

Rise  of 

solvent 

boiling 

point 

Grams 

30.32 

0.065° 

30.32 

0.060° 

Molecular 
weight 


Grams 

0.1641  30.32  0.065°  308 

0.1578  30.32  0.060°  321 

Average  314.5 

Molecular  Weight  calculated  for  CivjHaoOj  320 

Molecular  weight  found  from  titration  345.4 

Molecular  weight  found  from  barium  content  of  salt  328 
Molecular  weight  found  from  boiling  point  elevation  314.5 


20  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  formula  CnHzoOe  may  therefore  be  assigned  to  myco- 
phenolic  acid.  It  does  not  readily  decompose  carbonates  at 
ordinary  temperatures.  It  is  apparently  a  dibasic  acid,  or  at  any 
rate,  combines  with  two  atoms  of  a  monovalent  base.  Whether 
the  base  combines  entirely  with  carboxyl  groups  or  with  phenol 
groups  has  not  been  determined.  The  acid  seems  to  form  two 
series  of  salts.  Presimiptive  evidence  on  this  point  was  obtained 
by  the  following  experiments. 

0.2  grams  of  free  acid  were  suspended  in  water  and  one  equiva- 
lent of  potassium  hydroxid  added.  Unfortunately,  this  was  not 
suflBcient  to  put  the  substances  completely  in  solution,  so  that  a 
slightly  greater  quantity  of  the  alkali  had  to  be  iised.  This 
solution  was  then  treated  with  one  equivalent  of  barium  chloride. 
On  standing  in  the  dessicator  a  crystalline  barium  salt  formed. 
This  salt  was  evidently  different  from  the  normal  barium  salt 
which  is  so  insoluble  that  it  precipitates  at  once.  It  was  also  of 
different  appearance  under  the  microscope,  consisting  of  a  few 
small  needles  in  clusters,  which  apparently  were  the  normal  salt 
and  more  abundant  larger  single  needles,  apparently  the  acid 
salt.  The  presence  of  the  normal  salt  in  small  quantities  under 
the  conditions  of  the  experiment  was  probably  due  to  the  fact 
that  an  excess  of  alkali  had  to  be  used  in  dissolving  the  sub- 
stances. The  barium  content  of  this  preparation  was  deter- 
mined, 0.207  grams  yielding  0.0692  grams  of  BaSOi,  equivalent 
to  a  barium  content  of  20.2%. 

Calculated  for  BaCCnHisOe      28.1  per  cent. 

Calculated  for  BaCCnHigOs)!   17.7  per  cent. 

Found  20.2  per  cent. 

Apparently,  as  shown  by  the  microscope,  the  preparation 
consisted  of  a  mixture  of  two  salts 

It  has  not  been  found  possible  to  identify  the  substances  with 
any  known  compound.  In  very  many  respects  it  resembles  the 
class  of  substances  found  in  lichens  and  classed  vaguely  as  lichen 
acids.  To  find  a  substance  of  this  class  in  molds  is  not  surprising 
since  lichens  are  symbiotic  forms  composed  of  fungi  and  algae. 
Mycophenolic  acid  also  resembles  very  greatly  a  substance  iso- 
lated by  Gosio  from  a  species  of  Penicillium.     The  formula 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  21 

CjHioOj  calculated  for  the  latter  by  Gosio  is  based  on  a  single 
combustion.  As  far  as  may  be  judged  from  Gosio's  records,  it 
is  probably  not  identical  with  mycophenolic  acid,  though  resem- 
bling it  greatly.  However,  Gosio's  characterization  of  the  sub- 
stance was  based  on  a  very  small  quantity  of  material,  so  that  it 
cannot  be  regarded  as  final.  The  chief  points  of  difference  be- 
tween the  substance  described  by  Gosio  and  mycophenolic  acid 
are  the  percentage  composition  and  the  bahavior  with  ferric 
chloride.  Gosio's  substance  gives  an  intense  blue  color  with 
ferric  chloride  in  alcoholic  solution.  Mycophenolic  acid  gives  a 
violet  color  in  aqueous  solution,  while  in  alcoholic  solution  with  a 
trace  of  ferric  chloride  it  gives  a  violet  color  which  becomes 
bright  green  on  addition  of  an  excess  of  the  reagent. 

In  one  particular  mycophenolic  acid  resembles  Gosio's  sub- 
stance but  differs  from  penicillic  acid.  It  is  not  toxic.  Ten 
milligrams  were  dissolved  in  water,  with  the  aid  of  a  little  sodium 
carbonate  and  injected  subcutaneously  into  a  mouse.  No  un- 
toward effects  whatever  were  noted.  From  penicillic  acid, 
furthermore,  it  differs  in  being  present  chiefly  in  the  mycelium 
in  the  early  stages  of  growth.  In  old  cultures  it  is  found  both 
in  the  culture  fluid  and  in  the  mycelium,  perhaps  because  with 
the  gradual  production  of  basic  substances  it  is  dissolved.  The 
question  whether  toxic  phenolic  substances  are  found  in  the  cul- 
ture fluid  or  only  in  the  mycelium  is  one  that  has  been  much 
discussed  by  students  of  pellagra.  When  the  substances  are 
insoluble  acids  with  soluble  salts  like  mucophenolic  acid,  their 
distribution  is  probably  only  a  question  of  the  reaction  of  the 
medium.  When  the  reaction  is  acid  they  will  be  found  in  the 
mycelium  as  lichen  acids  incrust  the  lichen  thallus.  When  the 
medium  contains  available  bases  they  will  become  more  or  less 
dissolved  in  the  medium. 

With  the  advancing  age  of  the  culture  mycophenolic  acid 
gradually  increases  in  quantity  until  under  the  conditions  em- 
ployed in  these  experiments  the  maximum  yield  is  obtained  in 
about  two  weeks.  After  that  time  the  quantity  present  is 
apparently  constant.  When  grown  in  rectangular  quart  bottles 
known  in  the  trade  as  "long  Blakes  "  turned  on  their  sides  in 
order  to  have  a  large  surface  and  charged  with  about  250  cubic 


22  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

centimeters  of  culture  fluid  the  yield  at  the  end  of  about  two 
weeks  averages  per  bottle  about  0.07  grams  of  the  crude  acid. 

Since  P.  stononiferum  is  found  so  commonly  in  the  United 
States  it  is  not  easy  to  understand  why  it  is  so  rarely,  if  ever, 
causes  spoiled  maize  in  the  United  States  to  give  the  ferric  chlo- 
ride reaction.  The  first  explanation  to  present  itself  was  that 
the  American  organism  might  be  a  different  strain  or  perhaps  a 
"  physiological  variety." 

To  solve  this  question  Dr.  Thom  very  kindly  furnished  a 
specimen  of  his  type  culture.  This  was  grown  side  by  side  with 
the  Italian  organism.  It  grew  rather  more  slowly  than  the  latter 
and  there  were  slight  differences  in  appearance.  The  cultures 
gave  a  good  ferric  chloride  reaction  very  similar  in  shade  to  that 
given  by  the  Itahan  organism.  When,  however,  the  attempt 
was  made  to  separate  mycophenolic  acid  from  the  cultures  of  the 
American  organism  none  could  be  found.  In  its  place  was  found 
a  quite  different  substance  or  mixture  of  substances.  As  this 
material  has  not  yet  been  obtained  in  satisfactory  crystalUne 
form  not  much  can  at  present  be  said  of  its  properties. 

The  different  biochemical  behavior  of  the  two  strains  from  the 
two  continents  is  certainly  suggestive.  Whether  these  two  strains 
are  really  physiologically  difJerent  can  not  as  yet  be  decided. 
The  American  organism  used  is  an  old  one,  having  been  propa- 
gated by  Dr.  Thom  in  the  laboratory  for  a  number  of  years. 
Possibly  this  long  artificial  propagation  has  altered  its  behavior. 
It  is  proposed  to  continue  the  investigation  of  this  problem  by 
comparing  the  two  cultures  on  hand  with  a  number  of  new  re- 
cently isolated  strains. 

No  extended  physiological  studies  were  undertaken  on  P. 
stononiferum.  A  few  observations  were  made  incidentally.  The 
organism  always  produced  alcohol  as  shown  by  applying  the 
iodoform  test  to  the  distillate.  No  quantitative  determinations 
were  made  but  the  amount  of  alcohol  formed  as  judged  by  the 
iodoform  test  seemed  to  be  decidedly  less  than  that  produced  by 
P.  puberulum.  P.  stoloniferum  produces  a  small  amount  of  oxalic 
acid.  To  detect  it  the  medium  was  concentrated  to  a  syrup  and 
mixed  with  clean  sand  and  plaster  of  paris.  The  hardened  mass 
was  pulverized  and  extracted  with  ether  in  a  Soxhlet  apparatus. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  23 

The  oxalic  acid,  identified  by  the  melting  point  and  insolubility 
of  the  calcium  salt,  crystallized  in  the  extract.  Oxalic  acid  seems 
to  be  present  in  somewhat  larger  amounts  and  at  an  earlier  stage 
of  growth  than  in  cultures  of  P  pvherulum.  Finally  the  myce- 
lium of  P.  atoloniferum  seems  to  be  very  rich  in  mannitol. 

Summary 

From  cultures  of  Penidllium  stoloniferum  Thom  obtained  from 
a  sample  of  spoiled  maize  from  Italy  a  new  phenolic  acid  of  the 
formula  C17H20O6  was  isolated  in  crystalline  form.  It  resem- 
bles the  lichen  acids,  is  not  toxic  and  is  one  of  the  substances 
causing  the  ferric  chloride  reaction  of  Gosio  in  deteriorated  maize. 


THE  EFFECT  OF  SODIUM  CHLORID  AND  COLD  STOR- 
AGE UPON  THE  ACTIVITIES  OF  PROTEO- 
LYTIC ENZYMES 

Bt  William  N.  Berg 

Frmn  the  Dairy  Division  Research  Laboratories,  Bureau  of  Animal 
Industry,  Washington,  D.  C. 

At  low  temperatures  and  in  the  presence  of  sodium  chlorid 
the  activity  of  a  proteolytic  enzyme  may  be  inhibited,  if  the 
amount  of  enzyme  is  small.  If  the  amount  of  enzyme  is  large, 
proteolysis  takes  place  rapidly  and  apparently  is  not  interfered 
with  by  the  low  temperatures  and  sodium  chlorid.  These  obser- 
vations were  made  during  the  course  of  some  investigations 
on  the  chemical  changes  taking  place  in  cold  storage  butter.  A 
detailed  account  of  these  and  related  investigations  is  soon  to 
be  published  by  the  Dairy  Division,  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry. 

The   Inhibiting   Effect    of    Cold    Storage    and     Sodium 

Chlorid  on   the   Activity  of   Galactase 

in   Buttermilk 

Buttermilk  obtained  from  a  churning  pasteurized  or  of  unpas- 
teurized ci'eam  may  contain  galactase,  a  proteolytic  enzyme 
very  similar  in  its  general  characters  to  trypsin.  When  butter- 
milk is  preserved  with  chloroform  and  kept  at  room  temperature, 
the  galactase  will  slowly  digest  the  proteins  present.  Some 
quantitative  data  are  given  in  a  previous  publication  from  this 
laboratory.! 

In  buttermilk  containing  18%  of  sodium  chlorid  placed  in 
cold  storage,  (at  0  F  or  minus  18  C.)  for  as  long  as  nine  months, 
no  proteolytic  action  was  detected. 

For  the  detection  of  proteolytic  action,  water  soluble  nitro- 
gen was  determined  in  the  buttermilk  before  and  after  storage, 
as  follows: 

'Rogers,  L.  A.,  Berg,  W.  N.,  and  Davis,  B.  J.,  Circular  189,  Bureau  of 
Animal  Industry,  1912,  p.  315. 

25 


26  Original  Communications :  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Transfer  200  cc  of  the  sample  to  a  500  ce  volumetric  flask. 
Dilute  with  water  to  about  450  cc.  Add  20  cc  10%  acetic  acid. 
This  will  flocculate  the  casein.  A  cc  more  or  less  of  the  acid 
will  make  no  difference  when  sodium  chloride  is  present.  Make 
up  to  the  mark,  filter  on  a  32  cm  folded  filter  (S  &  S  No.  595  or 
588)  and  determine  total  water  soluble  nitrogen  in  two  200  cc 
portions  of  the  clear  filtrate. 

By  this  method,  the  results  for  water  soluble  nitrogen  in 
buttermilk  containing  18%  of  sodium  chloride  and  placed  in 
cold  storage  for  9  months,  were  the  same,  practically,  before  and 
after  storage.  This  indicates  that  the  action  of  the  enzyme 
was  inhibited  under  those  conditions. 

The  Effect  of  Cold  Storage  and  Sodium   Chlobid  on  the 

Activities  of  Pboteolytic  Enzymes  in  Sterilized 

Skimmilk 

Digestive  mixtures  were  prepared  as  follows:  Skimmilk  was 
sterilized  by  heating  for  two  hours  at  94,  99  C.  in  a  steam  steri- 
lizer. The  skimmilk  was  quickly  cooled  to  35  C.  and  to  three 
3  liter  portions  in  separate  containers,  540  grams  of  sodium 
chlorid  was  added,  making  the  salt  concentration  approximately 
18%.  To  one  of  these  mixtures  there  was  added  3  grams  of  pan- 
cretin,  dry,  U.  S.  P.,  to  the  second,  3  grams  of  pepsin,  dry,  U.S.  P. 
and  to  the  third  15  grams  of  a  dry  proteolytic  enzyme  prepara- 
tion obtained  from  cultures  of  lactic  acid  bacteria  which  also 
digested  protein.  The  enzyme  was  precipitated  from  the 
cultures  (by  L.  A.  Rogers)  with  alcohol  in  the  manner  usually 
used  for  such  preparations.  The  enzyme  preparation  was 
tested  before  hand  and  found  to  liquefy  gelatine. 

Controls  were  likewise  prepared,  which  differed  from  the 
before  described  mixtures  only  in  the  fact  that  the  enzyme 
preparations  were  added  to  them  while  the  shimmilk  was  near 
the  boiling  point. 

The  mixtures  were  kept  in  sealed  cans  having  a  capacity  of 
1  liter.  Each  can  contained  600  cc  of  the  sample,  and  was  kept 
in  cold  storage  for  9  months  at  20  F  (minus  7  C).  Water  soluble 
nitrogen  was  determined  in  these  mixtures  before  and  after 
storage  by  the  method  used  for  galactase. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  27 

It  was  found  that  under  these  conditions,  the  pancreat  in 
(trypsin)  was  very  active,  pepsin  acted  a  little  more  slowly  while 
the  bacterial  enzyme  preparation  showed  very  little,  if  any 
activity.  The  controls  showed  no  change.  In  the  trypsin 
mixture  2-3  of  the  total  nitrogen  present  was  rendered  water 
soluble.  In  the  pepsin  mixture  1-3  of  the  total  nitrogen  was 
rendered  water  soluble.  When  these  mixtures  were  allowed  to 
stand  at  room  temperature,  further  digestion  took  place.  In 
the  trypsin  mixture  practically  all  the  protein  became  water 
soluble. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  that  both  pepsin  and  trypsin  acted  vigorously 
in  different  portions  of  the  same  substrate. 

However,  the  claim  is  not  made  that  sodium  chlorid  does  not 
exert  an  inhibiting  influence.  Under  certain  conditions  it  does. 
Experiments  were  made  in  this  laboratory  in  the  spring  of  1909, 
in  which  the  speed  of  digestion  of  casein  in  several  pepsin-acid 
solutions  was  compared  with  that  in  the  same  solutions  to  which 
20  grams  of  sodium  chlorid  had  been  added  to  100  cc  of  acid  solu- 
tion. The  presence  of  the  salt  almost  completely  inhibited  the 
action  of  the  pepsin-acid  during  the  experiment — 40  minutes' 
digestion.  It  is  of  course  probable  that  digestion  would  have 
taken  place  had  the  digestion  period  been  several  months. 
The  method  of  comparing  speeds  of  digestion  was  that  de- 
scribed by  Gies.' 

The  results  show  that  whether  sodium  chlorid  does  or  does 
not  inhibit  proteolysis  depends  upon  the  amount  of  enzyme, 
to  a  very  large  extent. 

'Berg,  W.  N.,  and  Gies,  William  J.,  Journal  of  Biological  Chem.  Vol.  2, 
pp.  489-546,  1907. 


FATTY  ACID  ESTERS  OF  GLUCOSE 

By  W.  R.  Bloor 

{From  the  Laboratories  of  Biological  Chemistry  of  Washington 
University,  St.  Louis,  Mo.) 

This  paper  is  a  preliminary  report  on  the  preparation  and 
properties  of  a  new  class  of  compounds — the  fatty  acid  esters 
of  glucose.  The  interest  of  compounds  of  this  type  is  threefold : 
(1)  the  relationship  which  has  been  shown  to  exist  between  car- 
bohydrates and  fats  in  metabolism;  (2)  the  possibility  of  the 
natural  occurrence  of  these  and  similar  compounds;  (3)  the  pos- 
sible usefulness  of  such  compounds  in  the  study  of  fat  metabol- 
ism. A  relationship  between  fat  and  carbohydrates  in  metabol- 
ism has  been  repeatedly  noted.  In  the  absence  of  a  sufficient 
supply  of  available  carbohydrate,  as  in  starvation  or  severe  dia- 
betes, the  fats  are  incompletely  burned  and  the  unbumed  resi- 
dues are  excreted  as  B-oxybutyric  acid  and  its  derivatives,  dia- 
cetic  acid  and  acetone.  The  fact  has  been  crystallized  in  the 
statement  attributed  to  various  investigators  that  "  fats  can  burn 
only  in  the  fire  of  the  carbohydrates."  The  acidosis  may  be 
decreased  or  made  to  disappear  if  carbohydrates  can  be  fed  and 
utilized. 

That  the  condition  may  be  reciprocal,  i.e.,  that  the  fats,  under 
certain  conditions  may  help  in  the  metabolism  of  the  carbo- 
hydrates has,  so  far  as  I  know,  never  been  suggested  but  it  seems 
something  more  than  a  coincidence  that  the  carbohydrate  of 
oats— the  grain  which  has  the  highest  per  cent,  of  fat  of  all  ordi- 
nary grains — should  be  the  best  utilized  by  diabetics. 

The  nature  of  the  relation  of  carbohydrates  to  the  combustion 
of  fats  has  been  the  subject  of  many  theories,  the  most  reasonable 
of  which  is  that  the  glucose  acts  as  a  catalyser,  either  by  furnish- 
ing readily  available  oxygen,  or  by  the  formation  of  a  compoimd 
with  the  fatty  acid  which  is  more  readily  burned  than  the  fatty 
acid  alone. 


30  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [yol. 

Glucose  esters  of  the  fatty  acids  have  so  far  not  been  found  in 
nature.  As  may  be  seen  from  a  study  of  the  properties  of  the 
compounds  already  prepared  they  are  so  much  like  the  fats  and 
lipoids  in  their  solubilities,  etc.,  that  they  may  well  have  escaped 
detection.  Compounds  of  galactose  with  fatty  acids  and  other 
substances  are  well  known  to  occur  in  the  brain  substances 
(cerebrosides). 

Compoimds  of  this  sort  are  of  interest  also  because  they  may 
be  useful  in  solving  the  problem  of  the  absorption  and  transpor- 
tation of  fats.  If  absorbed  vmchanged  they  could  be  readily 
recognized  in  the  chyle  and  if  injected  into  the  blood  stream  could 
be  readily  traced.  Some  work  along  this  line  has  already  been 
done  using  analogous  compounds— the  mannite  esters  of  the 
fatty  acids." 

Glucose  esters  of  butyric  acid  (di-butyrate)  and  stearic  acid 
(di-stearate)  have  been  prepared  by  Berthelot^  by  direct  com- 
bination at  high  temperatures.  The  jdeld  was  slight  and  his 
description  of  the  compounds  is  limited  to  their  physical  appear- 
ance and  two  or  three  solubilities.  Because  of  the  small  yield 
and  the  instability  of  glucose  at  high  temperatures  this  method 
does  not  lend  itself  to  the  preparation  of  the  compounds  in  large 
quantity. 

The  synthesis,  adopted  depends  on  the  action  of  the  chlorides 
of  the  fatty  acids  on  glucose  in  solution  in  pyridin,  the  pyridin 
acting  both  as  solvent  and  catalyser  somewhat  as  follows': 


CeHsN 


c 

Cli 

^ 

/ 

RC  —  CI       = 

CsHsN     (intermediate  addition 

\             product) 

C.R 

0 


'Bloor,  Journal  of  Biological  Chemistry,  XI,  p.  429. 
^Berthelot  Annals  de  Chemie  et  de  Physique,  (3)  60.  96.  (quoted  from 
Beilstein  Kandbuch  der  organischen  Chemie,  3rd  ed.  vol.  1,  p.  1049). 
'Einhorn  and  Hollandt-Liebig's  Annalen,  301.  95  (1898). 


xixl  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  31 

CI  H 

/  / 

C.H.N       -f-       C.H„0«       =       RCo.  OCHiiOs   -^  GH.N 

\  \ 

C.R  CI 

II 
0 

Process. 

25  grm.  of  dry  glucose  is  dissolved  with  the  aid  of  heat  in  five 
to  ten  times  its  weight  of  dry  pyridin,  the  solution  cooled,  and  an 
equimolecular  amount  of  the  chloride  of  the  fatty  acid  added  in 
small  portions  with  cooling.  The  mixture  is  allowed  to  stand  over 
night,  then  poured  into  iced  dilute  sulphuric  acid.  The  esters 
separate  and  float  on  top,  and  are  freed  from  the  liquid  (in  the 
case  of  the  higher  fatty  acids)  by  filtering  on  a  suction  fuimel. 
The  mass  is  then  boiled  out  several  times  with  water,  until  it  is 
free  enough  from  electrolytes  to  form  a  colloidal  solution.  It  is 
caused  to  separate  from  the  colloidal  condition  by  the  addition 
of  sodium  sulphate,  let  cool  and  the  solid  cake  removed  and  dried. 
The  mixture  is  first  fractioned  with  ether  to  separate  the  higher 
esters  and  then  with  alcohol. 

The  following  is  a  brief  description  of  the  compounds  which 
have  been  separated.  Because  of  the  great  difficulty  in  making 
the  separations  the  data  given  are  regarded  as  only  approxi- 
mately correct. 

General  properties  of  the  esters. 

The  compounds  all  reduce  Fehling's  solution  and  are  optically 
active,  the  optical  activity  being  less  than  that  of  glucose.  They 
form  colloidal  solutions  with  water  (best  made  by  pouring  the 
hot  alcoholic  solutions  into  water).  They  are  readily  saponified 
by  acids  or  by  alkalies  (watery  or  alcoholic).  They  do  not  fer- 
ment with  yeast.  The  presence  of  glucose  was  shown  by  sapon- 
ification with  alcoholic  hydrochloric  acid  and  preparation  and 
identification  of  the  osazone.  Some  of  the  compounds  possess 
the  property,  in  common  with  glucose,  of  forming  sodium  com- 
pounds when  treated  in  alcoholic  solution  with  sodium  ethylate.' 
The  compounds  precipitate  out  as  a  gummy  mass. 

'Honig,  Rosenfeld:  Berichte  der  Deutsch.  Chem.  Gesellsch.  10.  1871. 


32  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Stearic  add  esters. 

Yield  from  20  gm.  glucose  and  30  gm.  stearyl  chloride  —  35 
gm.  of  crude  esters. 
Monostearate  m.p.  110°.     Specific  rotation  -5-  36.25°. 

Slightly  soluble  in  cold  ether  and  alcohol;  readily  soluble  in 
hot  alcohol  and  ether;  separates  slowly  from  cold  alcohol. 
The  separation  is  hastened  by  the  addition  of  ether. 
Distearate  m.p.  90-95°.    Dextro  rotatory 

Slightly  soluble  in  cold  ether  and  alcohol;  readily  soluble  in 
them  hot;  separates  quickly  from  alcohol  on  coohng. 
Tristearate  m.p.  60°.     Specific  rotation  -f-  12.00°. 

Soluble  in  cold  ether;  soluble  in  hot  alcohol  from  which  it  sepa- 
rates on  coohng. 

Lauric^addifisters. 

Yield  from  25  gm.  glucose  and  26  gm.  lauryl  chloride  =  38  gm. 
crude  esters. 

Monolaurate — well  crystallized  in  shining  rhombic  plates,    m.p. 
110°.    Specific  rotation  -^  30°. 
Slightly  soluble  in  cold  alcohol  and  ether;  readily  soluble  in 
them  hot.    The  separation  from  alcohol  in  the  cold  is  aided 
by  the  addition  of  ether. 
Dilaurate  oc  m.p.  55°.    Specific  rotation  -H  21.8°. 

Somewhat  soluble  in  cold  ether.    Soluble  in  hot  alcohol  from 
which  it  separates  on  cooling. 
Dilaurate  ^  m.p.  33°.    Specific  rotation  -^  30°. 

Readily  soluble  in  cold  ether.     Soluble  in  hot  alcohol  from 
which  it  separates  on  cooling. 
Butyric  acid  esters. 

Yield  from  25  gm.  glucose  and  12  gm.  normal  butyryl  chloride 
-H  3  gm.  of  mixed  esters. 

This  synthesis  is  evidently  not  adapted  to  the  preparation^ of 
the  butyric  esters.  The  ester  mixture  agrees  with  Berthelot's' 
description  of  the  dibutyrate.  "  Very  bitter  liquid,  somewhat 
soluble  in  water,  very  easily  in  alcohol  and  ether."  Strongly 
dextro  rotatory^  (h-  31°). 

'Berthelot:  loc.  cit. 


xix] Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  33 

Animal  experiments. 

The  material  for  the  animaJ  experiments  was  prepared  from 
the  fatty  acids  of  cocoa-nut  oil  after  separation  of  oleic,  palmitic 
and  stearic  acids.  ^  The  fatty  acid  mixture  used  had  a  mean  molec- 
ular weight  of  from  200-210  and  a  melting  point  of  30°-36°  C. 
depending  on  the  sample.  Acid  chlorides  were  prepared  from 
this  product  by  the  method  of  Krafft  and  Burger."  The  glucose 
esters  were  prepared  from  the  acid  chlorides  in  the  way  described 
above.  The  ester  mixture  so  prepared  and  which  was  used  for 
the  animal  experiments  had  a  m.p.  of  41°  but  remained  soft  and 
sticky  at  30°.  It  was  readily  and  completely  soluble  in  cold 
ether. 

Specific  rotation  -7-  21°. 

Feeding  experiments. 

The  animal  used  for  the  feeding  experiments  was  a  cat,  weight 
2  k. 

5  gm.  of  the  ester  mixture  together  with  25-30  gm.  of  lean  meat, 
5  gm.  cotton  seed  oil  and  2-3  gm.  bone  ash  was  fed  every  third 
day.  In  the  intermediate  days  and  on  the  first  two  days  of  the 
experiment  the  animal  received  the  diet  without  the  ester  and 
containing  1-2  gm.  of  wood  charcoal  in  place  of  the  bone  ash.  It 
was  hoped  in  this  way  to  get  sharply  divided  feces  corresponding 
to  the  feeding  periods.  As  may  be  seen  from  the  results  it  was  not 
possible  in  this  experiment.  Charcoal  feces  very  often  had  a  core 
of  bone  ash  feces  and  the  two  were  otherwise  so  mingled  that  only 
an  approximate  separation  was  possible.  The  feces  from  each 
period  were  extracted  with  ether  in  a  Soxhlet  extractor  for  3-4 
hours  and  the  extract  examined  polarimetrically  for  unabsorbed 
esters. 

Preliminary  period.    Two  days. 

50  c.c.  ether  extract,  reading  in  1  dcm.  tube  =  -h  0.03°  corres- 
ponding to  a  weight  of  ester  of  0.10  gm. 

'For  a  description  of  the  method  of  separation  see  Bloor:  Jour.  Biol.  Chem, 
XI,  p.  421  (1912). 

'Krafft  and    Burger:   Berichte    der    Dutsch.  Chem.   Gesellsch.   17,   1378 

(1884). 


34  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

This  figure  was  used  as  correction  in  the  other  periods. 
First  two  ester  periods  (bone  ash)  extracted  together. 

65  c.c.  of  ether  extract 
Polariscope  reading  in  1  dcm.  tube  +  1.05° 
Corresponding  to  a  weight  of  ester  of  3.40  gm. 
Correction  for  blank  0.10  gm. 

Corrected  weight  3.30  gm. 

First  two  control  periods  (charcoal) 

28  c.c.  of  ether  extract 
Polariscope  reading  in  1  dcm.  tube  +  0.20° 
Corresponding  to  a  weight  of  ester  of  0.28  gm. 

Correction  for  blank  (4  days)       0.20  gm. 


Corrected  weight  0.08 

Summary  of  first  two  periods  Ester  fed  10  gm. 

Ester  recovered      3 .  40  gm. 
Absorbed  6.60  gm. 

Per  cent,  absorption  66%. 

Third  period  (some  diarrhoea) 

Ester  feces  98  c.c.  of  ether  extract 
Polariscope  reading  0.50° 
Corresponding  to  a  weight  of  ester  of  2.45  gm. 

Corsection  for  blank  0.10  gm. 


Corrected  weight  2.35 

Control  feces  65  c.c.  ether  extract 
Polariscope  reading  0.03° 
For  third  period  Ester  fed  5  gm. 

Ester  recovered       2.35  gm. 
Absorbed  2.65  gm. 

Per  cent,  absorption  53.0 

Fourth  period 

Ester  feces  120  c.c.  of  ether  extract 
Polariscope  reading  in  1  dcm.  tube       0.12° 
Corresponding  to  a  weight  of  ester  of  0.72  gm. 
Correction  0. 12  gm. 

Corrected  weight  0.60  gm. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  35 

Control  feces  40  c.c.  ether  extract 
Reading  in  1  dcm.  tube  0.20° 
Corresponding  to  a  weight  of  ester  of  0.40  gm. 
Correction  for  blank  0.10  gm. 


Corrected  weight 

0.30  gm. 

For  fourth  period 

Ester  fed 

5  gm. 

Ester  recovered 

0.90  gm. 

Absorbed 

4.10  gm. 

Per  cent  absorption  82% 
Summary  of  experiments : 

First  two  periods  Absorbed  66% 

Third  period  "  53%  (diarrhoea) 

Fourth  period  "  82% 

Average  absorption  67% 

Injection  experiments. 

The  material  used  for  the  injections  was  a  colloidal  solution  of 
the  esters  in  water  made  by  pouring  a  hot  alcoholic  solution  into 
water,  filtering  hot  and  boiling  until  the  alcohol  had  evaporated 
and  the  solution  had  reached  a  concentration  of  about  10%. 
The  milky  suspension  so  obtained  could  be  flocked  out  by  the 
addition  of  acids  or  of  strong  salt  solutions,  but  could  be  diluted 
with  several  volumes  of  normal  salt  solutions  without  separation 
taking  place  for  several  hours.  The  ester  mixture  used  in  pre- 
paring the  solution  was  prepared  for  use  by  washing  the  ether 
solution  with  dilute  alkali  until  free  from  fatty  acids,  then  sev- 
eral times  with  distilled  water. 
Intraperitoneal  injections. 

The  animal  used  was  a  young  rabbit  (Belgian  haire)  weighing 
1.5  K.  Two  injections  were  made  on  succeeding  days  of  (1) 
5  c.c.  of  suspension  containing  0.5  gm.  of  ester  and  (2)  10  c.c.  of 
solution  containing  0.9  gm.  of  ester.  The  animal  showed  no  bad 
offects.  Postmortem^  examination  two  weeks  later  showed  that 
part  of  one  injection  had  lodged  between  the  muscular  coat  and 
the  peritoneum.     Microscopic  examination  of  the  cheesy  mass 

'I  am  indebted  to  Doctor  W.  S.  Thomas  of  theTDepartmentTof  Pathology 
of  this  School  for  the  postmortem  examination. 


36  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

showed  it  to  consist  practically  entirely  of  leucocytes.  Extrac- 
tion of  the  substance  with  ether  showed  that  the  ester  had  dis- 
appeared. Below  the  mass,  the  peritoneum  was  united  to  the 
intestines  by  many  adhesions.  Scattered  through  the  intestines 
and  also  in  the  diaphragm  and  one  edge  of  the  liver  were  many 
encapsulated  masses  of  the  same  nature.  Except  for  the  above 
all  organs  were  normal. 

Intravenous  injections. 

Made  on  rabbits. 

Experiment  I.  Large  (3  k.)  rabbit  with  light  brown  spots. 
Tap  c.c.  of  solution  containing  1  gm.  of  ester  was  injected  into 
the  lateral  ear  vein  during  about  30  minutes.  After  the  injection 
the  animal  appeared  normal  and  was  put  back  into  the  cage.  Ten 
minutes  later  (about  40  minutes  after  beginning  injection)  it  was 
down  and  kicking  convulsively  and  one  minute  later  respiration 
had  ceased,  although  the  heart  continued  to  beat  for  a  short 
time  longer.  Autopsy  showed  a  marked  injection  of  the  vessels 
on  the  left  side  of  the  pons.    Otherwise  no  abnormality. 

Experiment  II.  Young  rabbit  weight  1.5  k.  (the  same  one  as 
was  used  for  the  intraperitoneal  injections  above).  First  injec- 
tion— 10  c.c.  of  solution  containing  0.8  gm.  of  ester  injected  into 
the  lateral  ear  vein,  the  injection  lasting  fifteen  minutes.  After 
the  injection  the  animal  behaved  normally  and  showed  no  imme- 
diate bad  effects;  nevertheless  although  fed  liberally  it  rapidly 
lost  weight  during  the  next  few  days.  Second  injection,  five  days 
later — 6  c.c.  of  solution  containing  0.9  gm.  of  ester  injected  into 
the  median  ear  vein,  the  injection  lasting  15  minutes.  After 
the  injection  the  animal  appeared  dull  and  hstless.  No  other 
signs  were  noted  for  the  next  three  hours  but  it  died  during  the 
night. 

Discussion  of  the  animal  experiments. 

The  feeding  experiments  show  that  the  glucose  esters  are 
quite  well  utilized  in  the  intestine.  The  injection  experiments, 
although  too  few  in  number  to  allow  accurate  deductions,  indi- 
cate that  the  substance  is  probably  not  well  borne  when  injected 
either  intraperitoneally  or  intravenously.  In  the  peritoneum 
it  seems  to  act  as  an  irritating  foreign  body  while  intravenously 
even  if  we  regard  the  death  of  the  first  animal  as  an  accident 
its  effects  on  the  animal  are  injurious. 


QUANTITATIVE  OXIDASE  MEASUREMENTS 

By  Heebeht  H.  Bunzel' 

U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agric,  Wash.,  D.  C. 

The  very  voluminous  literature  on  the  r61e  and  importance  of 
oxidizing  enzymes  in  many  vital  processes  of  plants  and  animals 
makes  a  thorough  study  of  their  behavior,  function,  and  distribu- 
tion necessary.  They  play  an  important  part  in  certain  patho- 
logical conditions,  and  in  numerous  industrial,  and  agricultural 
problems.  As  specific  examples  may  be  mentioned  the  work 
done  by  Woods,  in  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  on  the  mosaic 
disease  of  tobacco,  the  work  of  Palladin  and  his  school  on  the 
respiration  of  plants,  and  the  casual  relationship  between  the 
oxidases  and  color  production  as  shown  for  plants  by  Palladin, 
and  for  animals  by  Gortner.  They  also  play  an  important  part 
in  the  darkening  of  tea,  and  the  manufacture  of  Japanese  lacquer. 

Nearly  all  of  the  experiments  made  thus  far  have  not  been 
carried  on  quantitatively  because  of  the  lack  of  satisfactory 
methods. 

The  method  described  in  this  paper  is  based  on  oxygen  absorp- 
tion. For  this  reason  a  constant  temperature  is  essential.  The 
apparatus  in  which  the  oxidations  are  carried  out  is  shown  in 
the  text  figure.  Eight  cubic  centimeters  of  the  solution  of  the 
substance  to  be  oxidized  are  measured  in  the  pipette  G  and  allow- 
ed to  run  into  the  compartment  B.  The  plant  juice,  the  oxidiz- 
ing power  of  which  it  is  desired  to  study,  is  measured  in  pipette 
F  and  run  into  compartment  A.  Basket  H  holds  1  cc.  of  normal 
sodium  hydroxide  to  absorb  the  carbon  dioxide  formed  in  the 
process;  M  is  a  manometer  charged  with  mercury  to  indicate  the 
pressure  within  the  oxidase  apparatus.  The  whole  apparatus  is 
clamped  to  a  specially  constructed  shaking  machine.     In  the 

'From  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 
Office  of  Drug  Plant,  Poisonous  Plant,  Physiological  and  Fermentation  Inves- 
tigations. 

37 


38 


Original  Communications:  Eighth  InternaMonal  •!    [vol. 


Apparatus  for  Measuring  Oxidase  Action 

air-thermostat  the  temperature  is  brought  to  37°  C.  and  mam- 
tained  at  that  point  to  within  0.  1  °  throughout  the  experiment. 
Half  an  hour  after  the  temperature  of  37  °  is  reached,  all  stop- 
cocks but  one  are  closed,  and  the  shaking  machine  set  in  oper- 
ation. The  plant  juice  mixes  with  the  oxidizable  material  and 
the  reaction  begins.  From  time  to  time  the  shaking  is  inter- 
rupted and  the  manometer  is  read.  In  the  course  of  several 
hours  the  oxygen  absorption  is  completed,  as  indicated  by  no 
further  change  of  pressure  within  the  flask.  The  ultimate 
reading  expresses  the  oxidase  content  of  the  juice  or  extract  with 
respect  to  the  particular  substance  used.  As  a  unit  an  oxidase 
solution  is  chosen  of  such  a  strength  that  one  liter  of  it  will  be 
capable  of  bringing  about  the  consumption  by  pyrogallol  of  the 
equivalent  of  one  gram  of  hydrogen. 


xcc]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  39 

Hitherto  pyrogallol,  tyrosin.  hydrochinone,  guaiacol,  benzidine, 
and  alphanaphthol  have  been  investigated.  The  concentration 
of  the  material  to  be  oxidized  has  no  effect  on  the  end  result  pro- 
vided it  is  used  in  excess.  The  carbon  dioxide  produced  is 
absorbed  by  the  alkali  in  the  basket  and  may  be  determined  at 
the  end  of  the  experiment  by  means  of  a  special  apparatus 
devised  for  the  purpose.  The  result  obtained  is  directly  pro- 
portional, or  at  least  nearly  proportional,  to  the  concentration 
of  the  oxidase  present. 

An  application  of  the  method  to  potato  juice  is  given  in  Table 
1.  In  each  one  of  the  experiments  8  cc.  of  a  1%  Pyrogallol 
solution  and  2  cc.  of  potato  juice  were  used. 


Table 

I. 

Time  of  Manometric 

Reading 

Manometric  Reading 

P.  M. 

a. 

b. 

1:30 

0.00 

0.00 

1:40 

1.00 

0.90 

1:50 

1.40 

1.20 

2:00 

1.55 

1.42 

2:10 

1.62 

1.55 

2:20 

1.76 

1.70 

2:30 

1.80 

1.80 

2:40 

1.80 

1.82 

2:50 

1.82 

1.83 

3:00 

1.82 

1.85 

For  the  sake  of  studying  the  applicability  of  this  method  to 
the  determination  of  oxidases  in  juices  of  plants  other  than 
potatoes,  some  experiments  were  carried  out  on  sugar  beet 
leaves.  The  Division  of  Cotton  and  Truck  Diseases  of  the 
Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  Department  of  Agriculture,  has  for 
some  years  been  investigating  the  curly-top  disease  of  sugar 
beets.  The  writer  was  able  to  obtain  for  experimental  purposes 
fresh  samples  of  sugar-beet  leaves  affected  by  this  disease  to  a 
striking  degree,  and  also  samples  of  normal  beet  leaves.  All 
of  the  beets,  of  which  the  leaves  were  examined  were  grown  in 


40  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


a  green-house  and  therefore  were  subjected  to  practically  uni- 
form conditions.  The  juice  was  obtained  by  grinding  the  leaves 
up  in  a  meat  chopper  and  pressing  the  juice  out  of  the  pulp 
through ,  a  silk  cloth.  The  results  obtained  are  summarized 
in  Table  II. 


Table    II. 


Juice  used 


1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 


Juice  of  normal  beet  leaves 

Juice  of  normal  beet  leaves 

Juice  of  diseased  beet  leaves 

Juice  of  diseased  beet  leaves 

Juice  of  normal  beet  leaves 

Juice  of  normal  beet  leaves 

Juice  of  diseased  beet  leaves 

Juice  of  normal  beet  leaves 

Juice  of  normal  beet  leaves 

Juice  of    diseased    beet   leaves    (showing 

slight  symptoms  only) 
Mean  absorption  in  experiments  with 

juice  of  normal  plants 
Same  expressed  in  terms  of  units 
Mean  absorption  in  experiments  with 

juice  of  diseased  plants 
Same  expressed  in  terms  of  units 


Manometer 
readings  ex- 
pressed in 
centimeters 
of  mercury 

1.16 
1.07 
5.61 
4.30 
1.10 
1.17 
2.72 
1.19 
1.21 


1.51 

1.15 
1.66 

3.54 
5.09 


Experiments  given  in  Table  II  show  a  very  striking  difference 
between  the  juice  of  the  normal  and  that  of  the  diseased  beet 
leaves.  In  all  of  the  experiments  the  oxidase  content  as  indi- 
cated by  the  oxygen  absorption  of  the  pyrogallol  in  the  presence 
of  the  juice  is  markedly  greater  in  the  diseased  than  in  the 
healthy  leaves.  The  oxidase  content  of  the  normal  leaves  seems 
to  be  fairly  constant,  while  the  juice  of  the  curly-top  beet  leaves 
shows  wide  variations.  The  leaves  used  in  experiment  three 
gives  about  five  times  as  high  a  figure  as  normal  leaves,  while 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  41 

the  leaves  chosen  in  experiment  ten  show  a  variation  of  only  25 
per  cent,  from  the  normal.  It  is  very  interesting  to  note  that 
the  deviation  in  oxidase  content  of  the  pathological  leaves,  as 
measured  by  the  method  described,  runs  parallel  with  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  leaves.  The  plants  used  in  experiment  three 
showed  very  marked  signs  of  curly-top,  the  leaves  being  small 
and  shriveled,  and  the  hairy  roots  abundant,  while  the  diseased 
beet  used  in  experiment  10,  which  showed  a  relatively  low  oxidase 
content,  but  still  higher  than  normal,  had  only  a  slight  curUng 
of  the  leaves. 

Although  these  results  are  quite  conclusive  in  showing  existing 
differences  in  the  oxidase  mechanism  of  the  healthy  and  diseased 
sugar-beets  grown  in  the  green-house,  it  is  not  justifiable  without 
further  experimentation  to  apply  these  results  to  conditions  in 
the  field.  Where  sugar-beets  are  grown  on  a  commercial  scale 
an  entirely  different  and  widely  varying  environment  prevails. 
At  the  suggestions  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Orton  of  the  Division  of  Cotton 
and  Truck  Diseases  a  trip  was  undertaken  to  Ogden,  Utah, 
where  tons  of  sugar-beets  are  harvested  every  year.  The  writer 
spent  the  month  of  August,  1911,  at  the  beet-sugar  factory  of 
the  Amalgamated  Sugar  Company,  where  all  of  the  experiments 
described  in  this  paper  were  carried  out. 

The  juice  of  the  leaves  and  roots  was  obtained  by  chopping 
and  pressing  out  through  a  silk  cloth  as  before.  Table  III  gives 
a  summary  of  the  results. 

Table   III. 

Material  from  which  juice  Activity  of  juice  expressed  in 

was  obtained  terms  of  units 

1.  Healthy,  large  outer  leaves  0.191 

2.  Curly-top  diseased,  small  inner  leaves 

of  same  plants  0.381 

3.  Root  of  same  plant  0.252 

4.  Leaves  of  small  plant,  retardation  of 
growth,  unknown,  no  symptoms  of 

curly-top  0.367 

5.  Upper  half  of  root  of  same  plant  0.086 

6.  Lower  half  of  same  root  0.158 


42  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Material  from  which  juice  Activity  of  juice  expressed  in 

was  obtained  terms  of  units 

7.  Leaves  of  large  and  healthy  plant  ad- 
joining small  one  0.201 

8.  Upper  half  of  root  of  same  plant  0.172 

9.  Lower  half  of  same  root  0.288 

10.  Leaves  of  small  plants,  growth  re- 
tarded   by    drought.     No  symptoms 

of  curly-top  0.230 

11.  Uppermost  third  of  root  of  same  plant  0.130 

12.  Lowest  third  of  same  root  0.403 

13.  Leaves  of  large  and  healthy  plants, 
collected  on  the  same  field  and  the 

same  time  as  10  0.144 

14.  Uppermost  third  of  root  of  same  plant  0.173 

15.  Lowest  third  of  same  root  0.360 

16.  Leaves  of   curly-top   plants   showing 

marked  symptoms  0.288 

17.  Uppermost  thirds  of  roots  of  same 

plants  0.259 

18.  Lowest  thirds  of  same  roots  0.475 

19.  Lowest  fifth  of  roots  of  curly-top 

plants  0.504 

20.  Uppermost  fifth  of  same  roots  0.317 

21.  Leaves  of  curly-top  plants  grown  from 
beets  which  had  been  siloed  and 
showed  no  symptoms  of  the  disease 

in  the  year  previous.     "Trotze"  0.496 

22.  Roots  of  same  plant  0.216 

23.  Leaves  of  plants  similar  to  those  de- 
scribed in  21  0.446 

24.  Roots  of  same  plants  0.183 

25.  Leaves  of  curly-top  plants  with  seed 

stem,  carrying  seeds  0.403 

26.  Roots  of  same  plants  0.324 

27.  Leaves  of  "Trotze"  plants  but  appar- 
ently healthy  otherwise  0.446 

28.  Roots  of  same  plants  0.237 


xjx]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  43 

Material  from  which  juice  Activity  of  juice  expressed  in 

was  obtained  terms  of  units 

29.  Leaves  of  a  large  healthy  plant  0.256 

30.  Leaves  of  a  large  healthy  plant  0.266 

31.  Leaves  of  healthy  looking  seed-carry- 
ing plant  0.288 

32.  Uppermost  third  of  root  of  same  plant  0.331 

33.  Lowest  third  of  same  root  0.381 

34.  Leaves  of  plant  of  similar  type  as  31  0.230 

35.  Upper  half  of  root  0.144 

36.  Lower  half  of  roots  0.237 

37.  Leaves  of  healthy,  very  young  plants, 

leaves  only  3-8  cm.  long.  0.180 

Mean  oxidase  activity  of  juice  obtained 
from  leaves  of  healthy  and  developed 
plants  (1,  7,  13,  29,  30,  31,  34)  0.225 

Mean  oxidase"  activity  of  juice  obtained 
from  leaves  of  plants,  whose  growth  has 
been  retarded  (2,  4,  10,  16,  21,  23,  25,  27)  0.382 

Mean  oxidase  activity  of  juice  obtained 
from  roots  of  healthy  and  developed 
plants  (8,  9,  14,  15,  32,  33,  35,  36)  0.261 

Mean  oxidase  activity,  of  juice  obtained 
from  roots  of  plants,  whose  growth  has 
been  retarded  (3,  5,  6,  11,  12,  17,  18,19, 
20,  22,  24,  26,  28)  0.265 

The  experiments  summarized  in  Table  III  fully  corroborate 
the  results  obtained  with  curly-top  diseased  sugar-beets  grown 
in  the  green-house.  The  leaves  of  the  curly-top  plants  have  an 
oxidase  content  about  twice  as  great  as  the  healthy  and  normally 
developed  ones.  No  differences  could  be  detected  between  the 
roots  of  the  two  kinds  of  plants.  An  abnormally  high  oxidase 
content  of  the  leaves  was  also  shown  in  other  plants,  the  growth 
of  which  has  been  retarded.  Whether  the  plants  are  stunted 
by  excessive  watering,  drought,  or  for  other  unknown  reasons, 
the  oxidase  content  in  the  leaves  is  much  higher  than  in  the 
normal  and  healthy  plants.     The  increase  in  oxidase  concen- 


44  Original  Communications :  Eighth  International       [vol. 

tration  in  the  leaves  is  not  a  mere  function  of  their  size,  inasmuch 
as  very  young  normal  leaves  do  not  exhibit  this  characteristic. 
If  the  condition  of  the  plant  is  such  that  only  one  of  its  functions, 
the  development  of  seed  in  bi-ennially-grown  beets  is  inhibited, 
the  oxidase  content  is  also  high.  Such  plants  are  called  "Trotze." 
The  most  general  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  these  observations 
is  that  in  sugar-beet  plants  where  an  abnormal  retardation  of 
growth  has  occurred,  this  is  accompanied  by  an  increase  in  the 
concentration  of  oxidases  in  the  leaves  or  a  change  in  the  juice 
of  the  latter  by  which  the  pyrogallol  oxidizing  oxidase  becomes 
more  active. 

Such  an  increase  in  the  power  of  the  juice  to  bring  about  or 
hasten  oxidation  under  pathological  conditions  has  been  observed 
before.  Woods  found  it  in  connection  with  a  disease  of  tobacco, 
Sorauer  in  connection  with  the  curly-top  of  potatoes.  Future 
investigations  will  show  whether  or  not  the  oxidases  which  have 
been  studied  by  former  investigations  and  by  the  writer  are  the 
same  or  directly  related  to  those  which  Palladin  and  his  school 
find  so  important  with  respiration  in  plants.  If  they  are,  it  is 
probable  that  an  increase  in  their  concentration  leads  to  increased 
combustion  in  the  cells.  One  would  then  be  tempted  to  look 
at  such  plants  in  a  state  of  "fever." 


Bunzel,  H.  H.     The  Measurement  of  the  Oxidase  Content  of  Plant  Juices, 

Bur.  Plant  Industry  Bui.  No.  238,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agri. 
Bunzel,  H.  H.     The  Measurement  of  the  Oxidase  content  of  Plant  Juices, 

Jr.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc,  Vol.  XXXIV,  No.  3,  1912. 
Bunzel,  H.  H.     The  Measurement  of  the  Oxidase  Content  of  Plant  Juices, 

Jr.  Wash.  Acad.  Sc,  Vol.  II,  No.  8,  1912. 
Bunzel,  H.  H.     Ein  neuer  Apparat  zur  Bestimmung  von  Oxydasen  in  Gewebe- 

stafen,  Zeitschr.  f.  biol.  Technik  und  Met.  1912. 


LES  PHOSPHATES  ET  LE  SON  DE  FROMENT 
DANS  L' ALIMENTATION  ANIMALE 

Par  M.  le  Db.  P.  Carles,  Bordeaux 
DipUme  d'  Honneur  de  la  Soci&U  d' Agriculture  de  la  Gironde 

Depuis  d6ik  une  trentaine  d'ann^es,  le  public  s'est  engou6 
pour  I'acide  phosphorique  et  les  phosphates.  II  les  considSre 
dans  I'alimentation  animale  comme  des  excitants  4minents 
de  rassimilation. 

Pendant  longtemps  cependant  on  a  estim^  que  leur  r61e 
n'^tait  k  prendre  en  consideration  que  comme  appoint,  et  lors- 
qu'ils  faisaient  plus  ou  moins  d^faut  dans  I'aliment  naturel. 
Enfin,  une  6cole  a  ni6  quelque  temps  que  leur  r61e  6tait  nul 
autrement  qu'k  l'6tat  de  combinaison  organique. 

En  1904,  M.  Cozelle,  Mddecin-V6t6rinaire,  praticien  double  d'un 
vrai  savant  dont  les  travaux  les  ont  6t6  couronn^s  par  nos  deux 
grandes  academies  et  ensuite  par  la  Soci6t6  des  Agriculteurs  de 
France,  a  apport6  de  pr^cieux  arguments  pour  6clairer  le  sujet. 
Ses  experiences  bien  conduites  sur  des  veaux  et  des  vaches 
laiti^res  6tablissent  nettement  que  I'acide  phosphorique  et 
mieux  encore  les  phosphates,  h&tent  la  croissance  des  jeunes 
ruminants;  mais  que  le  rfeultat  est  encore  plus  sensible  sur  les 
sujets  en  has  Age.  Enfin,  ces  m^mes  experiences  demontrent 
que  les  phosphates  donnas  sous  la  forme  d'os  de  veaux  s^ch^s 
et  pulp^s  k  ces  jeunes  ruminants  sont  ceux  qui  ont  amen^  les 
rdsultats  les  plus  nettement  avantageux. 

Cette  superiorite  des  os  sur  leur  poids  correspondant  de  phos- 
phates mineraux  est  des  plus  rationnelles.  Avec  as  phosphates 
chimiques,  en  effet,  on  n'apporte  k  I'organisme  qu'xm  seul  et 
unique  de  ses  constituants  principaux;  tandis  qu'avec  les  os 
eux-memes,  c'est  toute  la  s^rie  de  ces  constituants  connus  et 
mconnus  aussi  nombreuse   et  vari^e   soit-elle.     On   comprend 

45 


46  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

ais^ment  qu'en  fournissant  a  la  force  vitale  et  en  proportion 
exacte,  tout  ce  qu'il  faut  pour  reconstituer  I'os,  elle  s'en 
acquitte  k  merveille. 

Cependant  I'usage  de  poudre  d'os  verts,  k  la  campagne  sur- 
tout,  nous  parait  bien  al^atoire;  vu  qu'en  se  d^ss^chant  les  os  se 
putr^fient  vite  et  toujours  peu  ou  prou  et  qu'il  n'est  pas  indif- 
f^ent  de  donner  fr^quemment  a  un  herbivore  surtout,  un  levain 
de  putridity  animals. 

Par   ailleurs,    I'auteur   apporte   des   preuves   irrefutables  de  \ 
I'action  heureuse  des  phosphates  sur  le  volume  de  lait  produit 
par  les  vaches  laitieres.     II  est  tres  sobre,  il  est  vrai,  sur  les 
modifications  qu'en  4prouve  la  qualite,  mais  on  congoit  mal 
qu'elles  ne  soient  pas  ^galement  favorables. 

A  c6t6  de  I'aliment  phosphate  eomplexe  qu'est  I'os,  on  nous 
permettra  de  placer  le  son  de  froment  et  ses  vari^tfe. 
Celui-ci  a  I'avantage  d'etre  de  preparation  facile,  de  conserva- 
tion ais6e,  d'emploi  presque  banal. 

Pour  le  vulgaire,  le  son-' est  qu'un  organe  de  protection  du 
grain,  son  enveloppe  adh&ente,  sa  peau.  Quand,  par  les  pre- 
cedes modernes,  les  meuniers  I'enl^vent  par  grandes  plaques 
pauvres  en  partie  farineuses,  c'est  le  gros  son.  Le  nom  de  petits 
sons  est  reserve  aux  parties  plus  menues,  plus  dechir^es,  moins 
bien  detaches  et  ou  adhere  un  peu  plus  des  tissues  sous  J  acents. 
Enfin,  les  repasses  sont  constitutes  par  des  cassures  du  grain 
ou  un  eclat  de  son  est  opiniatrement  reste  adherent  k  un  fragment 
superficiel  de  I'amande  farineuse.  C'est  une  sorte  de  bie  con- 
casse,  mais  sane  farine  ni  parties  tendres  centrales. 

Au  point  de  vue  de  I'alimentation  animale,  la  composition  de 
ces  issues  et  leur  r61e  phosphatog^ne  n'est  pas  sans  interet. 

En  dehors  de  elements  alibiles,  on  y  trouve  d'abord  une  quan- 
tite  notable  d'oxydase,  diatase  soluble  particuhere  qui  a  pour 
r61e  de  vehiculer  I'oxygene  de  I'air  sur  les  elements  aveclesquels 
elle  est  en  contact  immediat  par  I'intermediaire  de  I'eau.  C'est 
pourquoi  quand  on  mouille  le  son,  toutes  les  parties  humidifiees 
brunissent.  C'est  a  cause  de  sa  presence  dans  les  parties  du 
son,  m^me  les  plus  tenues,  que  les  farines  de  queues  donnent  du 
pain  bis. 

Dans  toutes  les  parties  du  grain  ou  se  trouve  cette  oxydase 
et  dans  des  proportions  absolument  parallMes  se  trouve  du 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  47 

mangan^e.  Ce  fait  est  k  noter  en  passant,  a  cause  de  la  co- 
existence annonc6e  entre  ces  deux  substances  aux  allures  origi- 
naires  communes. 

C'est  probablement  dans  cette  m^me  region  du  grain  que  Ton 
trouvera  t6t  ou  tard  ces  616ments  rares  qui  paraissent  n^cessaires 
k  revolution  normale  de  tons  les  ^tres  vivants  animaux  et  v6g6- 
taux  tela  que  I'iode,  I'arsenic,  le  bore,  le  zinc  et  autres.  Dans 
tous  les  cas,  il  est  ais6  de  constater  que  c'est  ici  que  se  concentrent 
le  fer,  la  chaux,  la  magn^sie,  la  potasse  et  par  dessus  tout  le 
fluor  et  I'acide  phosphorique,  etc. 

Mais  cet  ensemble  a  ceci  de  particulier,  c'est  que  la  majeure 
partie  de  ces  elements  min^raux  affectent  une  forme  organique; 
si  bien,  par  exemple,  que  les  soi-disant  phosphates  des  cendres 
du  son,  refusent  aux  3-4  au  moins  de  se  laisser  pr^cipiter  par  la 
magn^sie  anmomiacale,  lorsque  sans  calcination  on  les  a 
s^pards  du  son  lui-m^me  par  I'eau  chlorhydrique. 

Ces  diverses  considerations  nous  expliquent  que  physiologi- 
quement  le  son  est  la  demi^re  des  r&erves  alimentaires  dont  la 
nature  a  dote  le  grain  de  froment  pour  nourrir  I'embryon,  puis 
la  plantule,  lorsque  dans  son  evolution  cette  derniere  prend 
dej^  une  part  de  sa  nourriture  dans  I'air  et  dans  le  sol.  Et  si 
cette  m^me  nature  lui  a  donne  cette  texture  cornee  et  cette 
resistance  relative  aux  agents  de  dissolution  ordinaire,  c'est, 
d'abord,  k  cause  de  son  r61e  physique  de  prorection  du  contenu; 
c'est,  ensuite,  pour  conserver  au  jeune  vegetal  un  dernier  morceau 
de  pain  jusqu'au  jour  de  son  emancipation  matemelle. 

VoilS,  pourquoi,  lorsqu'  on  incin^re  parall&lement  les  diverses 
parties  du  grain  de  bie,  telles  que  la  meunerie  moderne  salt  si 
bien  les  separer,  on  trouve,  que  selon  le  nombre  des  passages  du 
grain  aux  cylindres  la  dose  des  cendres  forme  une  proportion 
arithtnetique  progressive  de  phosphates.  Ainsi  elle  com- 
mence k  0.  480%  pour  la  farine  de  premiere  et  elle  arrive  a  5.90% 
pour  les  gros  sons  en  passant  par  0.960  pour  la  farine  enti^re  et 
k  3.50%  pour  lesrepasses. 

Or,  dans  ces  cendres,  si  on  dose  a  I'etat  d'acide  phosphorique 
total  los  elements  phosphores  transformes,  on  trouve  qu'ils  vont  de 
0.175%  dans  la  farine  de  premiere  et  a  3.15%  dans  le  son  en 
passant  par  2.10  dans  la  repasse  et  0.23  dans  la  farine  entiere. 


48  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Ces  nombres  traduits  en  phosphate  tricaldquedesos  deviennent: 

Pour  la  farine  de  premiere  0.38% — Pour  le  son  6.87%. 

Pour  la  repasse  4.58%  et  la  farine  enti^re  0.50. 

Ces  consid&ations  et  ces  faits  traduits  par  des  nombres  nous 
disent  pourquoi,  depuis  des  si^cles  assur^ment,  les  eleveurs  font 
inconsciemment  bon  usage  des  sons  et  repasses  de  froment  pour 
completer  la  pauvret^  alimentaire  de  eertaines  pitances  v^g^tales. 
lis  nous  indiquent  comment,  parmi  les  herbivores,  les  ruminants 
en  profitent  plus  que  d'autres;  pourquoi  pour  les  porcelest  on 
se  trouve  bien  de  faire  cuire  lessons;  pourquoi  les  repasses  favori- 
sent  la  quantity  au  moins  du  lait  des  vaches;  et  pourquoi,  enfin, 
ces  m^mes  sons  ou  repasses  melang^es  aux  pat^es  des 
jeunes  granivores  acc^l^rent  la  croissance  de  leur  ige  et  diminuent 
leur  mortality  quand  ils  sont  encore  dans  le  seul  duvet. 


ENTRETIEN  DU  TISSU  DENT  AIRE  PAR  UNE  ALIMEN- 
TATION APPROPRIEE 

Par  M.  le  Dr.  P.  Carles  de  Bordeaux 

Pour  que  les  dents  se  forment  chez  rhomme  comme  chez  les 
autres  mammif^res,  k  I'^poque  de  la  premi&re  et  de  la  deuxi^me 
dentition,  il  est  indispensable  ^vldemment  que  tous  les  616ments 
min^raux  et  peut  6tre  mSme  une  part  des  organiques  dont  elles 
sont  formdes,  pr^existent  dans  les  aliments.  II  faut  en  plus 
que  ces  616ments  aient  6t6  rendus  assimilables  dans  le  tube 
digestif,  afin  que  les  humeurs  puissent  les  v6hiculer  jusqu'^  la 
matrice  de  la  dent. 

Comme  les  dents  sont  constitutes  aux  2-3  environ  par  des 
substances  min^rales,  dont  le  phosphate  de  chaux  constitue  la 
partie  pr6pond6rante,  c'est  g6n6ralement  ee  dernier  que  les  den- 
tistes  prescrivent  dans  les  d^fauts  de  nutrition  du  systSme  den- 
taire.  Nous  craignons  qu'en  le  conseillant  ils  ne  songent  pas 
assez  aux  differences  d'assimilabilit^  que  ce  phosphate  possSde 
selon  son  genre  de  preparation,  son  origine,  sa  constitution  mol^- 
culaire  organique  ou  minerale;  pas  plus  qu'aux  impuret^squi 
accompagnent  bien  sou  vent  celui  du  commerce.'  Ce  detail 
m^riterait  cependant  d'etre  pris  en  consideration,  car  il  peut 
constituer  une  cause  d'inassimilabilite  gen^rale,  ainsi  qu'on  le 
verra  plus  loin.     (Experiences  de  Raulin). 

Mais  en  admettant  que  sur  tous  ces  points  ce  phosphate  soit 
irreprochable,  il  n'en  est  pas  moins  vrai  qu'il  serait  incapable 
k  lui  seul  de  faire  des  dents,  puisqu'il  se  trouve  en  outre  et  in- 
variablement  dans  ces  organes  de  nombreuses  especes  minerales 
differentes  connues  et  m^me  probablement  inconnues. 

Dans  cet  ensemble,  le  phosphate  de  chaux  n'est  done  qu'une 
dominantc;  et,  par  cela  seul  que  ses  proportions  et  m^me  son 
assimilabilite  dans  I'alimentation  seraient  assurees,  ilne  s'ensuit 


'II  contiendrait  parfois  jusqu'^  0.66%  de  plomb,  ce  qui  rendrait  dangereuse 
radmiiiistration  prolong^e  de  ce  sel  (A.  Gubler-commentaires du  Codex  p.  685). 


49 


50  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

pas  que  le  recrutement  des  autres  elements  le  soit  assui.  Sans 
doute,  a  cause  de  leur  quantity  plus  faible  et  meme  quelquefois 
infime,  on  a  pris  I'habitude  de  considerer  ceux-ci  comme  acces- 
soires;  mais  c'est  1^  une  faute,  ainsi  que  les  points  suivants  vont 
r^tablir. 

Raulin,  de  I'Ecole  Pasteur  a  d^montr^  le  premier,,  avec  toute  la 
vigueur  scientifique  desirable,  que  dans  un  aliment  complet  les 
^l^ments  chimiques  constituants  ont  tous  une  valeur  6gale, 
ind^pendants  de  leur  proportionnalit6.  Ceci  veut  dire  que  non 
seulment  lee  espSces  chimiques  en  minorite  numerique  ont 
autant  d'influence  que  les  autres  sur  la  croissance  normale  du 
sujet,  mais  qu'elles  en  ont  meme  quelquefois  d'avantage.  Tel  est 
le  cas  du  zinc,  dant  la  presence  de  traces  dans  un  aliment  ei^men- 
taire  complet  decuple  une  rdcolte  ordinaire  d'aspergillus.  Tel 
est,  dans  le  sens  oppose,  le  role  de  la  presence  de  traces 
d'argent  bien  moindrex  encore  qui  s'opposent  absolument  k 
I'assimilabilit^    de    I'ensemble  des  autres    elements    constituants^ 

Dans  le  m^me  ordre  d'id^es,  voici  un  autre  fait  cit6  par  Pasteur 
lui-meme^. 

Qua-nd  on  veut  nourrir  de  jeuiies  levures,  le  meilleur  aliment 
mineral  h  leur  fournir  est  repr^sent^  par  les  cendres  de  levures 
vieilles;  mais  a  la  condition  absolue  que  ces  cendres,  aient  6t6 
simplement  brillees  et  non  pas  fritt^es.  Si,  en  effet,  elles  ont 
simplement  chauffees  au  rouge  jusqu'a  fusion,  elles  deviennent 
aussitot  un  mauvais  aliment.  Cette  difference  tient  uniquement  k 
ce  qu'elles  perdent  une  faible  partiedeleursalcails,  sous  I'infiuence 
de  I'intensite  du  feu,  f  aliment,  complet  avant  la  fusion,  est,  au 
contraire,  devenu  incomplet  k  la  suite. 

Cette  direction  d'id(5es  a  plus  recemment  encore  €i€  corroboree 
par  Sachs,  A.  Gautier,  Baumann,  Robin,  Bertrand.  Ces  savants 
ont  d4montr4  que  les  animaux  sup^ieurs  comme  les  inferieurs 
et  comme  aussi  les  v^getaux  ont  besoin  de  traces  de  substances 
a  actions  physiologiques  intenses — arsenic,  iode,  bore,  man- 
ganse,  aluminum — mais  mitigees  par  la  forme  organique  que 
la  nature  salt  leur  donner  et  dont  la  science  essaie  de  les  revetir 
depuis  peu. 

'Duclaux — Chimie  biologique  1883,  p.  206  ou  encore — Traits  de  micro- 
biologie  1898  T.  1  p.  181. 

^Duclaux— Chimie  Physiologique  1883  p.  327. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  51 

Bertrand  a  6crit  nagu^re':  Tous  les  616ments  constitutifs 
de  la  mati^re  vivante  sont  n^cessaires;  tous  concourent  k  la 
formation  des  liquides  et  des  tissus  dont  I'individu  se  compose. 
L'insufl5sance  d'un  seul  de  ces  ^l^ments  peut  entrainer  la  diminu- 
tion de  tous  les  autres  et  provoquer  par  suite  un  arr^t  g^n^ral 
de  la  croissance.  Le  principe  de  la  synergie  des  416ments  prend 
done,  une  grande  importance  au  point  de  vue  du  choix  de  certaines 
medications,  etc. 

Tous  ces  faits  peuvent  se  r^sumer  ainsi: 

Dans  I'alimentation,  c'est  rassimilation  des  petits  qui  entraine 
I'assimilation  correlative  des  grands  et  non  I'inverse;  ou  encore: 
En  biologie,  la  valour  d'un  corps  ne  se  mesure  pas  k  son  taux! 
(Quinton) 

Avant  qu  la  science  ait  mis  ces  id^es  en  relief,  la  pratique  les 
avait  d^j^  sanction^es  k  la  suite  de  simples  observations. 

Ainsi,  il  y  a  d^j^,  long  temps  que  les  (Sleveurs  alimentent  de 
fa^on  diff^rente  les  animaux,  suivant  qu'ils  veulent  les  mettre 
en  chair  ou  en  graisse. 

Pour  un  m^me  terrain  et  un  m6me  v6g6tal,  la  chimie  agricole 
moderne  a  d^montr^  qu'il  y  a  des  engrais  chimiques  qui  poussent 
k  la  seule  v6g6tation  et  d'autres  k  la  fructification.  Enfin,  a 
notre  instigation,  certains  bouilleurs  de  crft  ont  not6  que  si 
apr^s  avoir  enlev6  k  la  vendange  son  alcool  et  meme  son  acide 
tartarique,  on  reportait  tout  le  reste  k  la  vigne,  elle  n'aurait 
jamais  besoin  d'engrais. 

C'est  sous  I'empire  de  tout  ce  qui  pr6c6de  que  nous  avons 
projete  de  constituer  un  aliment  special  pour  le  syst^me  dentaire. 
Pour  les  raison  scientifiques  largement  d^velopp^es  ci-dessus, 
cet  aliment  doit  done  contenir  sans  aucune  exception,  tous  les 
elements  constituants  connus  et  inconnus  des  dents,  et  autant 
que  possible  dans  les  proportions  individuelles  d6termin6es  par 
la  nature  dans  I'organe  lui-m6me. 

Pour  y  arriver,  il  faudra  done  s'adresser  aux  dents  exclusive- 
ment  comme  mati^re  premiere  et  choisir  celles  de  I'animal  qui, 
au  point  de  vue  omnivore  se  rapproche  le  plus  de  I'homme. 
C'est  pourquoi  nous  avons  pris  celles  du  pore. 

'Bulletin  Sote  Chimique  20  Mai  1912  p.  497. 


52  Original  Communications :  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Quand  I'animal  est  d6p6c6,  il  est  ais6  en  faisant  bouillir  ses 
maxillaires  dans  I'eau  d'en  extraire  les  dents  et  de  les  priver 
ainsi  du  sable  et  autres  impuret^s  qu'elles  r^celent  toujours. 
L'^buUition  au  surplus  les  sterilise  une  premiere  fois. 

Pour  ne  rien  perdre  de  leurs  616ments  constituants,  il  semble 
alors  qu'  il  n'y  a  plus  qu'  k  les  d^ss^cher,  k  les  pulveriser  et 
arriver  enfin  k  une  poudre  impalpable  d'ingestion  facile  dans  de 
la  confiture. 

Mais  ces  grains  de  poudre  sont  d'une  telle  duret^  que  leurs 
asp6rit6s,  quoique  microscopiques,  irritent  fortement  la  gorge 
et  m^me  la  muqueuse  gastro-intestinale.  D'ailleurs,  leur 
texture-pseudo  corn^e  et  leur  extreme  tenacity  les  rend  r^frac- 
taires  k  Taction  des  humeurs  gastriques. 

Au  contraire,  si  en  cet  6tat  on  les  soumet  k  I'autoclave  de  fagon 
assez  prolong^e,  I'oss^ine  se  dissout  dans  I'eau  et  il  devient  alors 
possible  de  les  ^eraser  presque  avec  les  doigts.  Mais  la  division 
se  fait  mieux  alors  avec  I'intermede  du  sucre  de  telle  sorte  qu'  on 
pent  arriver  ais^ment  k  un  granule  au  dixieme  de  dents.  II  se 
conserve  ind^finiment. 

II  est  incontestable,  qu'en  dehors  du  sucre,  il  n'y  a  ainsi  dans 
le  produit  rien  d'etranger;  que  rien  de  la  dent  primitive  et  st^ri- 
lis6e  n'a  6t  perdu,  et  que  les  elements  constituants  sont  bien 
tels  qu'ils  ^talent  dans  cette  dent,  avec  leur  forme  chimique  et 
leur  invariable  proportion  naturelle. 

L'indentite  de  ce  dentog^ne  peut  etre  facilement  v^rifi^es, 
voici  comment:  Dans  un  verre  mettons  10  gr.  de  ce  saccharol^ 
et  versons  par  dessus  50  gr.  environ  d'eau  froide.  Agitons. 
Tout  le  sucre  se  dissout  et  le  liquide  se  transforme  en  bouillie 
laiteuse.  Apres  un  quart  d'heure  de  repos,  il  s'est  divis6  en  deux 
parties  distinctes;  un  liquide  limpide  un  d^pot  abondant. 

Dans  le  premier,  se  trouve  une  albuminoide  ob^isssant  aux 
reactifs  g^n^raux  de  ces  esp^ces  chimiques  (a.  picrique,  tannin, 
Canres) .  Mais  elle  se  caract&ise  surtout  comme  g^latinoide  par 
son  incoagulabilite  k  par  lachaleur,  ainsi  que  par  le  ferrocy- 
anure  ac^tique  et  par  le  nitrate  d'argent. 

Dans  le  d^pot  on  constate  la  presence  des  carbonates,  phos- 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  53 

phates  fluorures'  de  calcium,  magnesium,  fer.  Tout  se 
dissout  k  la  minute  dans  quelques  gouttes  d'acide  chlor- 
hydrique.  Avec  I'acide  ac6tique,  la  solubility  est  ralentie,  mais 
peu  i  peu  il  ne  reste  qu'un  minima  d6p6t  qui  a  bien  son  impor- 
tance. II  caract^rise,  en  effect  le  tiseu  dentaire  lui-meme  ou 
plutdt  I'enveloppe  d'^mail  fluorurde,  reconnaissable  au  microscope 
en  06  qu'elle  affete  I'aspect  de  plaques  form^es  par  des  prismes 
verticaux  accol6s  parallSlement.  Ce  dispositif  leur  donne  le 
facias  d'un  carr6  de  toiture  de  maison. 

Un  pareil  melange  naturel  nous  parait  m^riter  le  nom  de 
Dentog^ne  sdentifique.  Sa  constitution  exige  qu'il  soit  pris  au 
moment  de  la  grande  s^cr^tion  gastrique,  c'est  k  dire  au  cours 
des  repas. 

Les  combinaisons  phosphor^es  et  fluorur^es  s'y  trouvent  k  la 
fois  sous  la  forme  min^rale  et  sous  la  forme  organique. 


'L'exp6rience  nous  a  ddmontr6  que  le  fluorure  de  calcium  est  trfes  abondant 
dans  toutes  les  parties  de  I'invoire  de  I'dldphant  et  de  I'hippopotame.  Nous 
estimons  que  e'est  surtout  &.  ce  fluorure  que  ces  dents  doivent  la  finesse  ai 
remarquable  de  leur  grain,  leur  duretd,  leur  tdnacit^. 

Dans  les  dents  du  pore,  on  retrouve  une  part  de  cette  repartition  ggniSrale 
et  rdguli&'e  des  fluorures,  dans  certaines  grosses  molaires  parfois  trls  larges 
chez  les  individus  de  grande  esp^ce;  mais  on  ne  la  retrove  plus  dans  les  canines 
et  les  incisives.  Ici,  le  flourure  parait  se  concentrer  dans  les  parties  super- 
ficielles  tranchantes  et  piquantes.  On  s'en  aper^oit  vite  en  d^sdchant  ces 
dents  dana  une  etuve  fortement  chiauffde.  Comme  le  coefficient  de  dilatation 
est  diff&ent  dans  les  diveraea  couchea,  ellea  ae  apparent  spontandment  k  un 
moment  donn6.  La  partie  superficielle,  celle  qui  correspond  k  I'dmail,  es, 
beaucoup  plus  fluorde  qu  I'autre. 

Quoique  les  defenses  du  pore  soient  creuses,  elle  ofFrent  leur  maximum  de 
duret^  vers  la  pointe;  c'eat  Ik  auasi  que  s'accumule  I'dmail  tr6a  fluorurd.  Dana 
les  defenses  si  redoutables  du  sanglier,  il  doit  exister  un  dispoaitif  analogue. 

Dans  les  dents  humainea,  on  conatate  paraliyement  que  le  m^e  fluorure 
86  porte  principalement  dans  les  parties  directement  agisaantes.  Le  but  de  la 
nature  eat  ici  de  leur  donner  plua  de  puissance  et  de  duretd  au  point  de  vue  de 
la  d&ihirure  de  I'aliment,  de  sa  mastication  et  de  la  resistance  de  la  dent  k 
I'usure.  Enfin,  le  vernis  fluorurd  ou  dmail  soustrait  le  corps  de  la  dent  k  toute 
intrusion  microbienne. 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  STARCH 

By  Ernest  D.  Clabk 
Biochemical  Laboratories  of  Columbia  University,  New  York  City 

Introduction 

The  green  leaves  of  plants  possess  the  most  efficient  means  of 
transforming  the  radiant  energy  of  sun-light  into  the  potential 
energy  of  carbohydrates  like  starch,  cellulose  and  sugars.  This 
process  which  is  of  fundamental  importance  to  both  plants  and 
animals,  is  carried  on  by  the  chloroplasts  or  chlorophyll-bearing 
granules  of  the  plant  cell.  Drawing  upon  the  sun  as  their  source 
ol  energy  plants  are  the  producers  of  a  form  of  energy  stored  in 
carbohydrates  while  animals  dissipate  this  energy  in  the  functions 
of  their  bodies.  They  are  spendthrifts,  too,  and  were  it  not  for 
the  equilibrium  maintained  between  these  opposed  functions 
in  animals  and  plants  the  world  would  long  since  have  become 
bankrupt  for  the  energy  so  necessary  for  the  existence  of  living 
organisms  and  human  industries.  These  chloroplasts  of  plants 
provide  the  means  of  absorbing  and  storing  for  later  use  the  incal- 
culable amounts  of  radiant  energy  poured  down  upon  us  daily 
by  the  sun.  The  cellulose  present  to  such  a  great  extent  in  all 
living  vegetation,  and  also  in  the  carbonized  plant  remains  in 
coal,  represents  one  type  of  energy  stored  in  carbohydrates. 
In  starch  we  have  another  example  except  that  it  does  not  form 
such  a  permanent  reserve  for  it  is  consumed  relatively  soon 
either  by  the  plant  producing  it  or  by  an  animal.  It  is  this 
active  role  of  starch  in  its  biological  relations  that  makes  it  inter- 
esting. The  origin  of  starch  in  the  plant  has  offered  an  attractive 
field  of  study  that  has  been  worked  very  industriously  for  a  long 
time.  The  biological  significance  of  starch  is  something  that 
appeals  strongly  to  the  biochemist.  The  industries  in  which 
starch  figures  are  great  ones  and  worthy  of  the  closest  study  but 
in  this  place  we  are  concerned  with  starch  in  its  early  history  long 
before  it  has  entered  into  the  food  and  industries  of  the  people. 


56  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Eaely  Theories  of  Stakch  Formation 

Before  we  can  obtain  any  idea  of  the  mechanism  of  the  green 
leaf  in  its  role  of  starch  former  we  must  consider  the  point  of  view 
of  the  early  investigators.  First  of  all,  however,  it  is  desirable 
to  define  the  term  photosynthesis  which  is  used  by  many  plant 
physiologists  and  will  often  appear  in  this  paper.  By  photosyn- 
thesis we  mean  the  action  of  the  green  plant  in  using  the  radiant 
energy  from  the  sun  to  effect  the  union  of  carbon  dioxid  and  water 
thus  producing  gaseous  oxygen  and  sugars  which  subsequently 
may  appear  as  carbohydrates  or  may  be  changed  into  the  fats 
and  proteins  of  the  plant.  This  phenomenon  has  been  and  is 
still  sometimes  called  carbon  assimilation.  The  latter  term 
expresses  the  idea  correctly  but  does  not  make  enough 
differentiation  between  the  action  of  the  green  plant  which 
manufactures  its  own  carbon  compounds  and  that  of  the  lower 
plants  and  animals  which  can  only  use  such  compounds  in  assimi- 
lation after  they  have  been  elaborated  elsewhere.  Furthermore, 
the  word  photosynthesis  clearly  expresses  the  idea  that  light  is 
the  fundamental  fact  in  this  type  of  assimilation. 

Priestly,  to  whom  the  chemists  owe  so  much,  found  that 
green  plants  would  grow  in  confined  air  rendered  irrespirable 
by  the  combustion  of  a  candle  or  exhalations  of  an  animal. 
He  said: 

"Accordingly  on  the  17th  of  August,  1771,  I  put  a  sprig  of 
mint  into  a  quantity  of  air,  in  which  a  wax  candle  had  burned 
out,  and  found  that,  on  the  27th  of  the  same  month,  another 
candle  burned  perfectly  well  in  it.  This  experiment  I  repeated, 
without  the  least  variation  in  the  event,  not  less  than  eight  or 
ten  times  in  the  remainder  of  the  summer." 

Later,  in  1779,  Ingenhoues  showed  that  this  purification  of 
bad  air  by  growing  plants  could  take  place  only  in  the  light.  Next 
Senebier  proved  in  1782  that  the  carbon  dioxid  in  water,  in  the 
soil  humus,  etc.,  was  far  too  slight  in  amount  to  supply  the  needs 
of  the  plant  and  that  the  atmospheric  carbon  dioxid  was  the 
source  of  carbon  dioxid  for  the  plant.  Lavoisier  overthrew  the 
phlogiston  theory  in  which  Priestly  and  the  others  believed. 
His  methods  of  exact  quantitative  study  were  followed  by  Saus- 


Xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  57 

sure  who  announced  in  1804  that  there  were  definite  quantitative 
relations  existing  between  the  intake  of  carbon  dioxid,  output 
of  oxygen,  etc.  This  bare  outline  of  the  early  history  of  the 
study  of  photosynthesis  will  serve  as  an  introduction  to  the  later 
work  which  will  now  be  treated  under  several  heads  in  order  to 
keep  a  clear  outline  before  the  reader. 

The  Formation  of  Starch 

Decomposition  of  Carbon  Dioxid.  When  an  aquatic  plant  is 
illuminated  the  most  obvious  result  of  photosynthesis  is  the 
appearance  of  bubbles  of  gas.  Upon  chemical  examination  this 
gas  proves  to  be  nearly  pure  oxygen.  By  counting  the  number 
of  bubbles  produced  in  a  given  time  one  may  estimate  roughly 
the  rate  of  photosynthetic  action.  By  exact  measurement  in 
eudiometer  tubes  it  is  found  that  for  every  volume  of  carbon 
dioxid  absorbed  an  equal  volume  of  oxygen  is  set  free.  This  is 
an  important  observation  and  will  be  referred  to  later.  Such 
plants  when  submerged  in  dilute  solutions  of  reduced  dyes  or 
venous  blood  cause  the  color  changes  characteristic  of  oxidation. 
The  so-called  bacterium  method  of  Englemann  offers  a  most 
striking  means  of  demonstrating  the  production  of  oxygen  when 
green  plants  are  exposed  to  light.  He  used  an  air-tight  prepara- 
tion of  a  living  green  alga  surrounded  by  certain  bacteria  which 
are  strongly  attracted  by  oxygen  but  are  motionless  in  its  ab- 
sence. Now,  when  such  a  preparation  is  illuminated  these 
bacteria  immediately  become  active  and  all  move  to  the  centers 
of  oxygen  production  which  are  only  those  cells  in  the  light.  In 
the  darkness  and  in  the  presence  of  light  of  wave-lengths  too  short 
or  too  long  to  be  visible  to  us  the  amount  of  oxygen  set  free  is 
very  small  and  consequently  the  bacteria  are  motionless. 

The  power  to  decompose  carbon  dixoid  into  oxygen  and  to 
build  up  sugars  seems  to  be  localized  in  the  chloroplasts  or  green 
granules  of  the  cell.  For  photosynthesis  to  go  on  it  is  necessary 
that  we  have  the  following  intact  mechanism  in  the  leaf:  the  liv- 
ing chloroplast,  a  sufficient  supply  of  carbon  dioxid,  light  of  the 
proper  wave-length,  the  proper  temperature  and  an  adequate 
supply  of  water.  The  latter  is  usually  ample  because  the  evap- 
oration from  the  leaves  create  a  constant  transpiration  current 


58  Original  Communications :  Eighth  International       [vol. 

of  water  from  the  roots  where  it  is  absorbed  through  the  stem  to 
the  leaf.    The  supply  of  carbon  dioxid  comes  from  the  atmosphere 
where  it  is  constantly  present  to  the  extent  of  3  or  4  parts  per 
10,000.  This  seems  to  be  a  very  small  working  capital  but  when 
we  consider  the  easy  access  to  the  interior  of  the  leaf  through  the 
multitude  of  little  openings  or  stomata  one  realizes  that  while 
photosynthesis  is  taking  place  the  internal  leaf  structure  is  a 
vacuum  as  far  as  carbon  dioxid  is  concerned,  and  so  the  atmos- 
pheric store  of  this  gas  is  ample  for  the  purposes  of  the  plant. 
However,  it  should  be  stated  that  an  increase  of  carbon  dioxid  to 
ten  times  its  ordinary  amount  seems  to  be  used  by  the  green 
plant  to  good  advantage.     Millions  of  tons  of  that  gas  are  poured 
into  the  atmosphere  by  the  respiration  of  all  living  things,  the 
decomposition  of  organic  matter  by  micro-organisms,  and  the 
combustion  of  fuel  in  the  furnaces  of  industries  and  homes  yet 
the  balance  is  maintained  by  the  green  vegetation  of  the  earth 
which  decomposes   this    carbon  dioxid    to  build  up  enormous 
_  amounts  of  organic  matter,  renewing  the  air  at  the  same  time 
with  the  life-giving  oxygen.     The  water  and  air  currents  flow 
this  way  and  that,  thus  helping   in  mixing  and  transporting  the 
gases  and  keeping  conditions  uniform  for  plants  both  on  land 
and  in  the  water.     In  Carboniferous  times  green  plants  were  in 
their  glory  because  the  conditions  of  high  temperature,  high  con- 
tent of  carbon  dioxid  in  the  atmosphere  and  an  abundant  supply 
of  water  allowed  them  to  reach  an  unequalled  period  of  activity, 
the  story  of  which  can  be  read  to-day  in  the  world's  coal  mines. 
Role  of  Chlorophyll.     Besides  the  undoubtedly  esthetic  part- 
played  by  chlorophyll  in  clothing  the  earth's  vegetation  with  its 
restful  green  color  it  also  plays  a  necessary  part  as  the  active  agent 
in  photosynthesis.     In    the    chloroplasts    this    green    coloring 
matter  exists  either  in  the  form  of  a  thin  skin  over  the  proto- 
plasm or  in  granules  within  it.  The  chlorophyll  may  be  extracted 
with  alcohol  to  give  a  dark  green  solution  having  a  beautiful  red 
fluorescence  in  reflected  light.     Such  an  alcoholic  solution  when 
shaken  with  benzene  yields  a  yellow  alcoholic  layer  and  benzene 
soluble  fraction  having  a  blue  green  color.     The  yellow  substance 
is  mostly  carotene  hydrocarbon  crystalizing  in  orange  plates  and 
having  the  empirical  formula   C40,  He..      The  blue  green  frac- 


xix)  Congress   of  Applied  Chemistry  59 

tion  has  a  much  more  complex  nature  and  is  a  mixture  of  the 
so-called  "chlorophyll"  or  cyanophyll  with  other  closely  related 
substances.  The  photosynthesic  activity  is  associated  w-ith  the 
blue  green  pigment  and  consequently  much  study  has  been  given 
to  it.  It  may  be  obtained  in  a  crystalline  form  but  probably 
in  an  altered  condition.  Many  formulae  have  been  given  it; 
some  investigators  claiming  that  it  contains  nitrogen  and  phos- 
phorus (a  lecithin-like  substance),  and  others  that  it  contains  a 
high  percentage  of  magnesium. 

The  literature  of  chlorophyll  is  voluminous  and  investigators 
like  Willstaetter,  Machlewski,  Stoklasa  and  others  have  all 
carried  on  series  of  researches  upon  it.  Among  the  decomposition 
products  of  chlorophyll  there  are  found  substances  nearly 
identical  with  those  from  haemoglobin,  which  is  as  essential  for 
the  continuance  of  the  life  of  higher  animals  as  chlorophyll  is  for 
the  green  plants.  Any  detailed  discussion  of  the  chemistry  of 
chlorophyll  would  be  out  of  place  here  but  for  many  it  is  a  fasci- 
nating chapter  in  modern  organic  chemistry. 

Action  of  Sunlight.  An  alcoholic  solution  of  chlorophyll  shows  a 
striking  absorption  band  in  the  red  which  corresponds  to  wave- 
lengths of  about  640  to  670  microns.  Experiments  with  spectra 
thrown  on  living  leaves  show  that  it  is  in  just  this  region  of  the 
spectrum  that  the  greatest  formation  of  starch  takes  place. 
So,  then,  it  is  the  energy  absorbed  from  this  region  that  carries 
on  the  photosynthetic  transformations.  The  energy  thus 
absorbed  is  largely  turned  into  heat  which  always  raises  the 
temperature' of  the  leaf  and  consequently  only  a  small  fraction  of 
the  absorbed  energy  is  ever  converted  into  the  potential  energy 
of  carbohydrates  etc.  On  a  bright  summer  day  when  we  absorb 
certain  light  rays  with  our  skin  the  energy  thus  converted  soon 
causes  the  well  known  unpleasant  effects,  and  likewise  when  this 
action  takes  place  on  a  photographic  plate  the  sensitive  silver  salts 
are  altered  in  such  a  manner  that  a  permanent  record  of  any 
scene  may  be  produced  at  will.  Some  think  that  chlorophyll  acts 
as  a  sensitizer  in  photosynthesis  just  as  certain  fluorescent  sub- 
stances do  in  other  photochemical  reactions.  Others  look  upon 
the  role  of  chlorophyll  as  being  that  of  aiding  in  the  transforma- 
tion of  radiant  into  electrical  energy  which  then  splits  the  carbon 
dioxid  and  water  into  the  first  products  of  photosynthesis. 


60  Original  Communications :  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  amount  of  light  required  for  photosynthesis  is  not  great 
and  so  upon  exposure  to  weak  illumination  the  process  of  carbon 
dioxid  decomposition  begins  at  once  but  may  not  become  evident 
since  the  evolution  of  oxygen  does  not  occur  until  the  amount 
set  free  is  in  excess  of  that  required  for  the  processes  of  respiration. 
It  is  likely  that  in  most  conditions  under  which  plants  exist  the 
limiting  factor  in  photosynthesis  is  not  lack  of  light  but  absence 
of  sufficient  carbon  (Jioxid,  water  or  favorable  temperatures. 
Certain  shade-loving  plants  thrive  in  a  very  dim  illumination 
but  in  such  cases  the  cells  containing  the  chloroplasts  are  often 
arranged  like  lenses  to  focus  the  available  light  upon  the  chloro- 
plasts. In  ordinary  plants  the  cells  have  many  ingenious  ways  of 
focussing  light  upon  the  chloroplasts  and  of  securing  favorable 
alignments  by  means  of  changes  of  position  of  the  chloroplasts 
in  relation  to  the  incident  light.  On  a  larger  scale,  we  notice, 
that  each  leaf  tries  to  secure  the  most  favorable  arrangement  for 
itself,  an  arrangement  resulting  in  the  least  shading  of  the  leaf 
by  others.  This  tendency  produces  "  leaf  mosaics  "  of  great 
interest  and  beauty.  Many  plants  when  viewed  from  above 
(whence  the  most  light  comes)  present  a  nearly  unbroken 
expanse  of  green  leaves  thus  enabling  the  plant  to  make  the  most 
of  all  the  light  it  does  receive.  The  plant  even  in  strong  light  does 
not  begin  to  form  starch  at  once  when  illuminated  but  only  after 
the  lapse  of  a  certain  time  during  which,  apparently,  the  precur- 
sor of  starch  has  collected  in  sufficient  quantity  to  start  the 
mechanism  of  starch  formation.  The  increase  of  dry  weight  of  an 
illuminated  leaf  does  not  represent  the  total  amount  of  products 
formed  but  only  the  quantity  remaining  in  the  leaf,  the  rest  of 
the  material  produced  having  been  translocated  in  diffusible 
form  to  another  organ  of  the  plant  where  it  is  laid  down  in  the 
form  of  the  so-called  "  secondary  starch  "  as  in  potato  tubers. 

Nature  of  Photosynthetic  Products.  We  have  already  seen  that 
the  volume  of  carbon  dioxid  absorbed  and  oxygen  disengaged  are 
nearly  equal  and,  further,  that  the  first  distinguishable  substance 
is  starch.  Now,  starch  has  a  very  high  molecular  weight,  variously 
estimated  at  from  12,000  to  30,000,  and  it  does  not  seem  probable 
that  such  a  complicated  substance  should  be  produced  at  once 
from  water  and  carbon  dioxid.  Baeyer's  theory  that  formalde- 
hyde is  first  produced  and  that  it  soon  condenses  to  form  sugars 


iix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  61 

is  well  known  and  it  probably  expresses  correctly  the  nature  of 
photosjTithesis.  It  has  been  generally  accepted  that  glucose  is 
the  first  stable  product  from  which  starch,  sugars,  fats,  and  pro- 
teins may  be  constructed  according  to  the  needs  of  the  organism. 
In  most  plants  during  the  day  this  glucose  is  rapidly  condensed 
to  starch  which  fills  the  cells  but  as  evening  and  darkness  ap- 
proach photosynthesis  is  retarded  and  the  starch  is  converted 
back  to  glucose  and  similar  easily  diffusible  substances  which  are 
easily  translocated  to  other  parts  of  the  plant.  Assuming  that 
glucose  is  the  first  stable  product  we  may  write  the  reaction  for 
photosynthesis  as  follows: 

6  CO2  +  6  H2O  =  CeHizOe  +  6  O2. 
This  equation,  however,  does  not  represent  the  whole  truth  but 
indicates  only  the  general  trend  of  transformation,  the  important 
but  unknown  intermediate  products  as  well  as  the  energy  rela- 
tions being  ignored.  The  heat  of  combustion  of  glucose  is  about 
3.75  Calories  and  all  of  this  energy  must  have  come  from  the  sun 
in  the  beginning. 

It  is  by  no  means  true  that  all  plants  store  energy  in  the  form 
of  starch  although  many  of  them  do  so.  In  certain  groups  of 
plants  such  as  the  lily,  orchid  and  amaryllis  families  very  little  if 
any  starch  is  formed  while  in  the  legumes  and  Solanaceae  large 
quantities  are  present.  When  starch  is  not  produced  we  find 
substitutes  in  the  form  of  cane-sugar  in  several  plants,  mannite 
in  the  Oleaceae,  etc.  The  oils,  proteins,  glucosides  and  so  on  are 
probably  not  the  direct  result  of  photosynthesis  but  are  produced 
later  by  the  union  of  glucose  with  other  substances  or  by  con- 
densation with  itself  to  form  more  complex  carbohydrates.  The 
first  substances  produced  by  photosynthesis  are  extremely  active 
chemically  and  it  may  well  be  that,  at  this  stage  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  nitrates,  phosphates,  and  sulphates  the  proteins  are  con- 
structed. In  the  green  leaf  many  optically  active  substances  are 
formed,  a  type  of  synthesis  difficult  to  perform  in  the  laboratory 
without  the  intervention  of  the  experimenter  or  other  living 
organism  able  to  diffierentiate  between  the  right  and  left  handed 
modifications. 

In  darkness,  even  in  the  absence  of  chlorophyll,  the  plant  cells 
can  store  up  starch  if  fed  with  glucose,  sucrose,  glycerine  and 


62  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol.- 

many  other  similar  substances.  This  shows  that  the  photosyn- 
thetic  and  starch  forming  processes  are  distinct.  Proteins,  fats 
and  many  other  types  of  organic  materials  may  all  be  formed  in 
darkness  also.  Some  observers  have  reported  that  in  the  light 
the  chloroplasts  of  certain  algae  seem  to  show  a  shrinking  and 
change  of  their  protein  substance  into  starch.  It  may  be  that  one 
step  in  photosynthesis  is  the  disintegration  of  the  protein  of  the 
chloroplasts  to  split  off  carbohydrate  in  this  manner. 

Artificial  Photosynthesis.  The  idea  that  formaldehyde  is  an 
intermediate  product  of  photosynthetic  activity  has  led  many 
investigators  to  see  first  if  it  really  may  be  detected  in  green 
leaves  by  chemical  means  and  secondly  if  it  may  be  made  to  con- 
dense and  produce  sugars  artificially.  Several  investigators  have 
found  that  leaves  do  give  a  positive  test  for  formaldehyde  but 
whether  formaldehyde  itself  were  present  can  not  be  said.  A 
more  complex  aldehyde  has  recently  been  isolated  by  Curtius 
and  Franzen  from  certain  leaves.  It  possesses  the  six  carbon  atom 
skeleton  characteristic  of  glucose.  Attempts  to  cause  starch  for- 
mation by  feeding  formaldehyde  or  its  derivatives  to  plants  have 
been  partially  successful.  It  is  interesting  that  in  alkaline  solu- 
tions formaldehyde  condenses  with  itself  to  give  a  sugar  like 
glucose.  Under  certain  conditions  the  silent  electrical  dis- 
charge breaks  up  carbon  dioxid  into  formaldehyde  which,  in  turn, 
may  then  be  converted  into  sugars.  In  the  presence  of  alkalies 
Stoklasa  found  that  ultra-violet  light  changed  a  mixture  of  carbon 
dioxid  and  nascent  hydrogen  into  sugars.  When  formaldehyde 
and  oxalic  acid  were  sealed  in  glass  tubes  and  exposed  to  sun- 
light, those  tubes  only  which  were  thus  exposed  were  shown  to 
contain  considerable  quantities  of  sorbose.  The  action  of  light 
and  of  the  traces  of  alkali  in  the  glass  seemed  to  catalyze  this 
reaction.  Electricity  and  ultra-violet  light  seem  to  lower  the 
temperature  necessary  for  these  condensations  to  take  place. 
Experiments  of  a  different  type  have  been  carried  out  in  which  a 
thin  film  of  chlorophyll  was  deposited  on  water  or  gelatine  and 
then  this  artificial  leaf  was  illuminated  and  a  little  catalase  added 
to  decompose  any  hydrogen  peroxide  formed.  Under  conditions 
of  illumination  and  presence  of  carbon  dioxid  the  experimenters 
reported  the  formation  of  small   quantities  of  formaldehyde. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  63 

All  of  these  recent  investigations  show  that  the  formaldehyde 
theory  of  sugar  and  starch  formation  has  experimental  ground 
for  its  existence  and,  at  any  rate,  it  is  helpful  in  visualizing  some 
of  the  processes  of  photosynthesis.  Such  observations  also  force 
a'*  to  consider  that,  after  all,  photosynthesis  is  not  wholly  a  vital 
process  but  that  under  the  proper  conditions  it  may  be  imitated 
in  the  laboratory  though  in  an  inefficient  manner. 

Physical  Nature  of  Starch 

Ordinarily  we  see  starch  in  the  form  of  a  white  powder  which 
pives  a  peculiar  rustling  sound  when  rubbed  between  the  fingers. 
Under  the  microscope  the  whole  appearance  changes  unci  the 
4arch  grain  now  takes  on  a  characteristic  form  depending  upon 
the  organ  and  species  of  plant  from  which  it  came.  This  form  is 
nearly  constant  for  any  given  type  of  starch.  The  size  of  the 
grains  varies  from  the  large  one  of  the  Canna  (visible  to  the  naked 
eye)  to  the  most  minute  sort.  The  form  of  the  larger  types  like 
the  starch  from  potatoes  may  best  be  described  by  likening  them 
to  oyster  shells  often  with  eccentric  striations.  In  the  case  of 
corn  and  rice  starch  we  do  not  have  a  simple  grain  but  a  compound 
structure  consisting  of  many  small  grains  having  more  or  less 
angular  faces.  In  polarized  light  the  familiar  black  cross  appears 
and  this  shows  that  the  starch  grain  has  a  definitely  organized 
structure  of  some  sort. 

The  effect  of  starch  on  polarized  light  and  its  peculiar  striated 
or  stratified  appearance  have  led  to  the  publication  of  many 
theories  to  explain  its  internal  structure.  The  layers  may 
probably  be  accounted  for  by  assuming  that  they  represent  the 
lirodiict  of  varying  periods  of  activity  on  the  part  of  the  function- 
ing chloroplasts  or  leucoplasts.  When  starch  is  formed  in  the 
green  leaf  it  is  produced  on  the  chloroplast  of  its  origin  while  in 
tubers  and  other  storage  parts  it  is  made  from  glucose  and  maltose 
by  the  activity  of  the  leucoplasts  or  colorless  granules  which  are 
seat>  of  this  storing  action.  The  layers  and  striations  of  the  grain 
are  seldom  concentric  because  the  centers  of  starch  formation  are 
u>ually  not  the  geometrical  center  of  these  protoplasmic  gran- 
ul(s.   The  latter  are  often  far  smaller  than  the  starch  grain  grow- 


64  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

ing  upon  them.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  formation  of 
starch  from  the  products  of  photosynthesis  by  either  the  chloro- 
plasts  or  leucoplasts  has  little  to  do  with  the  photosynthetic 
fuction  of  the  former  but  is  controlled  by  the  amount  of  glucose 
and  maltose  in  circulation  in  the  plant.  Some  authors  consider 
that  the  different  layers  are  caused  by  variations  in  the  water 
content  of  the  starch  deposited.  It  was  also  thought  for  a  long 
time  that  the  outer  envelope  of  the  starch  grain  was  a  cellulose 
because  of  the  well  known  insolubility  of  starch  in  cold  water  and 
the  diflBculty  in  digesting  raw  starch  by  enzyme  action.  The  true 
starch  or  amylose  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  interior  and  to  imbibe 
water  through  the  cellulose  envelope;  this  causing  a  swelling 
which  ruptured  the  envelope,  yielding  the  familiar  starch  paste. 
Arthur  Meyer  believed  starch  was  composed  of  sphaero-crystals 
consisting,  in  turn,  of  radiating  needle-like  crystals  of  two  sorts, 
one  easily  soluble  in  water  and  giving  a  blue  color  with  iodine  and 
the  other  a  substance  less  soluble  in  water  like  the  cellulose  envel- 
ope of  the  earlier  writers.  The  conception  of  the  starch  grain  as 
a  sphaero-crystal  is  interesting  and  there  is  some  experimental 
evidence  for  it.  At  present  it  is  impossible  to  state  with  cer- 
tainty that  starch  has  one  type  of  structure  or  the  other. 

The  Chemical  Nature  of  Stakch 

We  have  just  seen  that  starch  is  apparently  composed  of  two 
substances,  one  of  which  is  water  soluble  and  possesses  all  the 
properties  commonly  associated  with  starch  while  the  other  is 
more  insoluble  and  more  like  cellulose  in  its  behavior.  Treat- 
ment with  boiling  water,  acids,  alkalies  and  digestive  ferments 
gives  first  a  thick  colloidal  solution  having  well  marked  starch 
reactions  which  decrease  in  intensity  and  finally  give  place  to 
simple  solutions  and  more  active  chemical  properties  as  hydroly- 
sis into  dextrins  and  sugars  progresses.  Soluble  starch  is  the  first 
hydrolytic  product  but  it  is  soon  changed  into  the  dextrine. 
The  chief  characteristic  of  soluble  starch  is  that  it  dissolves  in 
warm  water  to  give  a  clear  solution  having  the  usual  starch  prop- 
erties unchanged.  This  form  of  starch  may  be  made  by  treat- 
ment with  very  dilute  acids,  alkalies,  or  by  enzyme  actidn,  pro- 


xrx]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  65 

vided,  of  course,  the  reaction  is  arrested  at  the  proper  point. 
A  great  many  interesting  and  industrially  important  starch 
derivatives  are  manufactured  but  they  are  too  numerous  to  mem- 
tion  here. 

The  blue  coloration  with  iodine  is  the  commonest  means  of 
detecting  starch  and  it  is  a  striking  and  valuable  test.  Much 
study  has  been  given  it  but  we  still  lack  accurate  information 
about  it.  Some  consider  starch  iodid  a  chemical  compound, 
others  an  absorption  phenomenon  and  still  others  think  of  it  as  a 
solid  solution  of  iodin  in  the  colloidal  contents  of  the  starch  grain. 
The  blue  color  is  easily  destroyed  by  heat  but  reappears  on  cool- 
ing and,  furthermore,  it  is  very  easily  changed  by  numerous  chem- 
icals. Not  all  starches  stain  a  pure  blue  with  iodin;  some  give 
purple  and  some  even  give  red  colors.  This  probably  indicates  a 
diiference  in  the  complexity  of  starches  from  different  sources. 
With  iodin  a  shade  of  red  or  brown  indicates  a  departure  from 
natural  starch  and  an  approach  to  the  simpler  dextrins  and, 
finally,  to  the  simplest  and  well  known  sugars.  During  digestion 
by  diastase  the  starch  grain  is  corroded  and  attacked  more  in 
certain  portions  than  in  others.  This  fact  may  indicate  a  differ- 
ence in  chemical  nature  between  the  different  layers  of  the 
grain  as  already  suggested. 

In  the  classification  of  the  carbohydrates  starch  is  listed  as 
a  polysaocharid  and  it  is  from  this  word  poly  that  we  get  the  key 
to  the  whole  matter.  We  ought  to  consider  starch  as  being  built 
of  many  glucose  and  maltose  units  connected  in  such  a  way  that 
no  carbonyl  groups  are  free.  This  we  know  because,  like  sacchar- 
ose, starch  shows  none  of  the  reactions  characteristic  of  such*a 
group.  The  usual  formula  for  starch  is  (CeHioOj)?!  in  which 
n  may  be  any  number  from  20  to  200.  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
obtain  accurate  data  on  the  molecular  weight  of  starch  but  from 
physico-chemical  studies,  chemical  derivatives  and  ultrarmicro- 
Bcopic  observations  it  seems  likely  that  its  molecular  weight  may 
be  from  10,000  to  30,000,  figures  probably  not  often  equalled 
even  by  the  complex  proteins.  In  the  plant  the  processes  of  build- 
ing up  this  complicated  molecule  and  of  breaking  it  down  seem 
to  be  reversible  and  are  probably  under  the  control  of  enzymes. 
Apparently  the  active  mass  of  the  glucose  and  maltose  in  the  food- 
6 


66  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

conducting  system  of  the  plant  determines  the  course  of  this 
reversible  reaction  and  determines  whether  its  direction  shall  be 
towards  the  storing  of  starch  or  towards  its  hydrolysis  into  the 
more  diffusible  and  immediately  available  sugars.  The  com- 
plexity of  starches  from  different  sources  is  a  variable  factor  and 
so  by  starch  we  can  only  mean  a  general  term  including  those 
substances  having  most  of  the  reactions  and  properties  com- 
monly associated  with  the  well  known  starches  of  commerce. 
More  exact  studies  upon  the  chemistry  of  starch  with  the 
improved  methods  of  the  recent  advances  in  chemistry  ought  to 
yield  the  most  interesting  and  valuable  results. 

Significance  op  Starch  in  the  Plant 

In  the  earlier  chapters  it  has  already  become  evident  that 
starch  acts  primarily  as  an  indiffusible  but  easily  convertible  form 
of  stored  energy.  The  heat  of  combustion  of  starch  (4.1  Gal.) 
is  slightly  higher  than  that  of  glucose  but  as  a  form  of  potential 
energy  it  cannot  compare  with  the  fats  and  oils  which  have  an 
energy  value  of  about  9  Cal.  However,  in  many  plants  starch  is 
the  most  abundant  form  of  stored  food  and  is,  possibly,  more 
easily  converted  into  its  constituents  for  purposes  of  transloca- 
tion than  are  the  fats.  The  proteins  are  more  likely  to  appear  as 
integral  parts  of  the  living  protoplasm  than  to  act  as  stores.  Most 
of  the  starches  with  which  we  are  familiar  are  nearly  always  pre- 
pared from  some  storage  organ  of  the  plant  and  have  larger  and 
better  characterized  grains  than  the  primary  starches  in  the  leaf. 
The  leucoplasts  of  the  fruit  pulp,  tubers,  etc.,  of  the  plant  are 
the  active  agents  in  reforming  starch  from  the  translocation 
stream  of  sugars.  There  is  a  form  of  starch  storage  in  which  the 
leucoplasts  do  not  seem  to  play  any  part.  The  type  is  represented 
by  the  somewhat  temporary  starch  reservoirs  found  in  pollen 
grains,  the  sheath  of  growing  tissue,  and  so  on.  Under  such  con- 
ditions the  starch  exists  in  a  very  finely  divided  state  and  appears 
to  be  a  store  of  a  transient  nature.  In  either  form  of  storage  the 
enzyme  diastase  seems  to  cause  the  transformation  of  starch  into 
its  sugar  constituents  and  also  the  reverse  change  when  circum- 
stances demand  it.    The  so-called  translocation  diastase  of  the 


xixl  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  67 

green  leaf  causes  the  change  there  while  the  secretion  diastase  of 
germinating  seeds  and  tubers  carries  on  a  similar  action  in  those 
places.  The  two  sorts  of  diastase  do  not  corrode  the  starch  grains 
in  the  same  manner  nor  are  their  other  properties  exactly  the  same. 
Although  starch  is  laid  up  in  enormous  quantities  in  the  tubers, 
seeds,  stems  and  pulp  of  fruits,  it  is  far  from  being  the  only 
polysaccharid  thus  stored.  Glycogen  has  the  same  function  in  the 
fungi  and  so  has  inulin  among  plants  of  the  Compositaceae  and 
Liliaceae;  sucrose  acts  likewise  in  sugar-cane  and  beets,  while 
glucose  is  found  in  the  leaves  and  bulb  of  the  onion.  However, 
starch  and  cellulose  are  the  two  great  stores  of  energy  in  the  form 
of  carbon  compounds  that  are  produced  so  abundantly  by  nature 
each  season. 

Significance  of  Starch  to  Man  and  Animal 

In  the  early  history  of  the  race  our  ancestors  probably  noticed 
that  certain  animals  and  birds  sought  much  of  their  food  in  the 
seeds  of  grasses  while  at  the  same  time  the  smaller  animals  dug 
into  the  earth  for  roots  and  tubers.  Thus  man  early  learned  to 
make  the  starchy  foods  one  of  the  main  articles  of  his  daily  fare 
and  it  is  true  to-day  that  among  all  peoples  in  all  climates  bread 
from  cereals  or  some  starchy  substitute  is  the  "staff  of  life." 
Among  many  animals  the  foods  of  this  type  are  the  staple  ration 
and  it  is  only  the  carnivora  that  scorn  such  a  diet.  Upon  digestion 
the  starches  are  split  into  the  sugars  which  are  then  burned  in 
the  organism  to  yield  their  energy  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
physical  activities  and  physiological  functions  of  the  animals. 
Unlike  the  proteins,  the  carbohydrates  and  fats  are  used  by 
animals  to  produce  heat  and  energy  and  not  so  much  to  become 
living  protoplasm  as  is  the  case  with  nucleo-proteins  and  albumins 
for  example.  Since  but  little  new  protein  is  needed  for  the 
upkeep  and  growth  of  the  mature  plant  or  animal  we  see  that  the 
constant  demands  for  energy  supplies  must  be  met  by  the  sugars 
and  fats  consumed.  The  abundance  of  starchy  foods  eaten  by 
men  and  animals  is  adapted  to  meet  this  necessity  of  energy 
producing  material  in  large  quantities. 

The  greatest  source  of  starchy  food  is,  of  course,  the  seeds  of  the 
various  cereals  which  we  group  together  as  grain.    The  amount  of 


68  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

such  material  produced  from  the  soil  in  a  year  is  almost  beyond 
calculation.  The  production  of  this  golden  flood  of  grain  is  the 
earth's  oldest  and  greatest  industry.  Besides  the  starch  given 
us  in  the  cereals  we  must  not  forget  the  potato  which  is  another 
staple  article  of  diet  in  the  whole  civilized  world.  In  different 
countries  various  starchy  foods  are  popular  such  as  sweet  pota- 
toes, arrow-root  preparations,  tapioca,  sago,  chestnuts,  bananas, 
etc.  From  the  time  that  man  first  noticed  that  grains  were  good 
to  eat  he  has  taken  plants  of  this  type  under  his  special  protec- 
tion and  given  them  careful  cultivation.  The  result  has  been 
an  improvement  in  the  races  of  grains  as  judged  by  their  yield 
and  adaptability  to  varying  conditions  of  climate.  To  produce 
these  harvests  the  soil  supplies  the  water  and  mineral  nutriments 
while  the  carbon  dioxid  and  sun-light  lend  their  aid  through  no 
effort  of  man.  His  duty,  then,  is  to  see  that  the  soil  is  kept  in  its 
most  productive  condition  and  by  so  doing  he  will  have  an  ample 
supply  of  grain  for  the  needs  of  the  future. 

The  Industrial  Importance  of  Starch 

The  observation  of  primitive  man  that  the  seeds  of  certain 
plants  made  an  acceptable  food  was  the  beginning  of  agriculture. 
Another  observation  made  sometime  later  was  that  when  starchy 
materials  were  allowed  to  stand  they  underwent  a  peculiar  trans- 
formation. The  result  of  this  change  was  a  so-called  "  spirit " 
which  was  soon  found  to  possess  magic  properties  in  making 
"  glad  the  heart  of  man."  This,  then,  was  the  origin  of  another 
vast  industry  whose  object  is  the  production  of  alcoholic 
materials  through  the  fermentation  of  grains  by  enzymes  and 
micro-organisms.  Alcoholic  beverages  of  one  sort  or  another  are 
known  everywhere  and  their  production  goes  hand  in  hand  with 
the  practice  of  agriculture.  The  amount  of  grain  used  by  the 
brewing  and  liquor  distilling  industries  comes  to  an  enormous 
figure  and  is  second  only  to  that  consumed  as  bread  and  various 
bakery  products.  The  flour  milling  industries  prepare  starchy 
food  for  the  millions,  the  example  of  the  former  in  centraUzation 
is  being  followed  more  and  more  by  the  bakeries,  especially  in  the 
larger  cities.    The  preparation  of  bread  in  the  home  is  becoming 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  69 

less  common  every  year  and  most  of  this  work  is  done  in  large 
bakeries  where  more  or  less  scientific  methods  are  beginning  to 
prevail.  Various  forms  of  natural  and  prepared  starch  are  em- 
ployed in  large  quantities  in  the  form  of  specially  treated  foods, 
laundry  starch,  sizings,  adhesive  pastes  and  so  on  in  great  variety. 
Very  valuable  products  are  manufactured  by  heating  or  treating 
raw  starch  in  such  a  way  that  dextrins  and  gums  are  formed. 
These  are  used  as  adhesives  and  for  other  purposes.  The  action 
of  dilute  acid  upon  starch  yields  glucose  and  it  is  upon  this 
reaction  that  another  great  industry  has  been  foimded.  Glucose 
has  a  multitude  of  industrial  applications  and  it  also  figures  in 
our  food,  sometimes  under  another  name  but  tasting  just  as  sweet. 
Starch  and  its  products  are  valuable  in  many  other  ways  than 
merely  those  already  mentioned  but  it  would  be  presumptuous 
to  point  them  out  to  this  Section  of  our  Congress. 

In  this  paper  the  writer  has  not  striven  to  give  detailed  dis- 
cussions of  any  sort  for  these  may  be  found  in  books  on  plant  and 
animal  physiology  but  has  endeavored  to  present  many  old  and 
a  few  new  ideas  in  the  way  that  they  appear  to  one  interested  in 
the  biochemical  problems  of  plants  and  animals.  For  those 
desiring  a  closer  insight  into  the  phenomena  of  starch  formation 
a  short  bibliography  is  appended.  In  these  works  full  references 
to  the  original  papers  in  this  field  may  be  obtained. 

Pfeffer  (translated  by  Ew.art),  Physiology  of  Plants,  Vol.  I,  1900. 
Czapek,  Biochemie  der  Pflanzen,  Vol.  I,  1905. 
Palladin,  Pflanzenphysiologie,  1911. 
Euler,  Pflanzenchemie,  1908. 
Chodat,  Principes  de  Botanique,  2d.  ed.,  1911. 
Andrt,  Chimie  V^g^tale,  1909. 

Abderhalden  (translated  by  Hall  and  Defren),  Text-book  of  Physiological 
Chemistry,  1908. 


INFLUENCE   DES   IMPURETES   GAZEUSES   DE   L'AIR 
SUE  LA  VITALITE  DES  MICROBES 

Par  M.  a.  Crillat 
Paris,  France 

L'air  que  nous  respirons  contient  des  impuret^s  gazeuses 
varices.  Jusqu'ici,  on  n'avait  pas  song6  k  4tudier  leur  influence 
sur  la  vitality  des  microbes  en  suspension  dans  Tatmosphfire. 
Au  point  de  vue  6pid6miologique,  cette  6tude,  qui  peut  servir  k 
expliquer  le  mdcanisme  encore  si  obscur  de  la  contagion  par  les 
germes  de  l'air,  pr6sente  un  grand  int^rSt. 

Les  experiences  ont  tout  d'abord  d6montr6  que  les  microbes, 
dans  I'^tat  special  oil  ils  se  trouvent  dans  l'air,  sont  extraordi- 
nairement  sensibles  aux  moindres  variations  de  la  composition 
chimique  de  I'atmosph^re.  Les  influences  sont  tantot  anti- 
septiques,  tant6t  activantes  ou  conservatrices,  et  j'ai  d6sign6 
sous  le  nom  d'ambiances  favorables  l'air  contenant  des  gaz  sus- 
ceptibles  de  prolonger  I'existence  des  microbes  ou  de  faciliter  leur 
reproduction.  L'analyse  de  ces  gaz  a  d€']k  d6montr6  qu'ils  ren- 
fermaient  des  substances  alcalines  gazeuses,  parmi  lesquelles 
on  a  distingu6  k  c6t6  de  I'ammoniaque  des  amines  et  peut-^tre 
des  alcaloides  gazeux.  Les  ambiances  favorisantes  se  produisent 
dans  une  foule  de  cas:  dans  la  decomposition  putride  des  sub- 
stances animales  ou  v^getales,  dans  le  voisinage  des  mati^res 
f^cales,  dans  les  Emanations  du  sol,  dans  l'air  souillE  par  la  respi- 
ration humaine,  etc.  Toutefois,  la  presence  de  ces  gaz  dans 
I'atmosph^re  ne  suffit  pas  pour  constituer  une  ambiance  favor- 
able; il  faut  le  concours  d'autres  circonstances  que  j'ai  etudi^es. 

D'aprSs  mes  travaux,  les  alterations  subites  des  matieres 
alimentaires  sont  intimement  li6es  k  la  formation  des  ambiances 
favorables,  et  j'ai  verifie  cette  hypothese  par  une  etude  des 
causes  de  I'alteration  du  lait  pendant  les  temps  d'orages. 

La  presence  de  ces  gaz  k  I'etat  de  dissolution  dans  I'eau  lui 
communique  la  propriete  d'etre  tr^s  favorable  au  developpement 

71 


72  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

du  bacille  typhique.    Enfin,  leur  introduction  dans  I'organisme 
des  animanx  exalte  la  receptivity  vis-^vis  les  germes  pathogfines. 
L'ensemble  de  ces  r^sultats  obtenus  montre  done  I'importance 
de  cette  6tude  k  plusieurs  points  de  vue. 


EXPERIENCES  WITH  DUODENAL  AND  STOOL  FER- 
MENTS IN  HEALTH  AND  DISEASE 

By  Bttheill  B.  Crohn,  M.  D. 

VolurUeer  Assistant,  Pathological  Laboratory,  Mount  Sinai  Hos- 
pital, New  York  City 

Interest  of  recent  years  has  centered  on  the  attempt  to  diagnose 
abnormal  conditions  of  the  pancreatic  gland  and  its  secretion  by 
testing  the  contents  of  the  gastro-intestinal  canal  or  the  urine  for 
panc/eatic  ferments.  The  stool  and  urine  have  been  mainly 
utilized;  of  late  years  also  the  stomach  contents  after  an  olive- 
oil  test  meal. 

It  is  apparent  that  these  methods  are  indirect  ones,  involving 
irregular  dilution  of  the  elaborated  enzymes  with  other  body 
fluids. 

The  suggestion  of  both  Einhom  and  Hemmeter  to  use  a  tube 
which  shall  enter  the  duodenum  offers  a  direct  method  for  ob- 
taining the  external  secretion  of  the  pancreas  as  elaborated. 
Duodenal  contents  so  collected  were  examined  and  a  comparison 
made  with  the  ferment  analyses  of  the  stool  in  the  same  cases. 

Method.  The  Einhom  Duodenal  Pump  was  utilized.  It  con- 
sists of  a  long  thin  rubber  tubing  and  an  attached  perforated 
metallic  capsule.  The  patient  swallows  the  capsule  and  attached 
catheter  to  a  point  on  the  catheter  marked  80  centimeters.  This 
was  done  at  night;  in  the  morning  two  and  one  half  hours  after 
the  patient  had  drunk  eight  ounces  of  milk,  the  duodenal  con- 
tent was  aspirated  for  five  minutes. 

The  material  obtained  was  judged  to  be  duodenal  contents 
when  either  a  radiograph  showed  the  metallic  capsule  in  situ  or  a 
distinct "  retraction  test  "  was  noted.  When  the  capsule  occupies 
the  duodenum  the  material  enters  the  aspirator  slowly;  a  resis- 
tance (the  walls  of  the  intestine)  is  felt.  When  the  capsule,  on 
withdrawing,  enters  the  stomach  there  is  a  rapid  gush  of  material, 
usually  of  an  entirely  different  nature.  This  is  the  "  retraction 
test." 

73 


74  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  duodenal  juice  is  usually  golden  yellow,  viscid,  slightly 
acid  (due  to  gastric  contents)  or  neutral ;  in  amount  ten  to  forty 
cubic  centimeters.  The  stomach  content  is  milky  white  and 
strongly  acid. 

The  contents  of  the  duodenum  as  obtained  were  diluted  with 
twice  as  much  distilled  water;  a  part  was  immediately  made 
slightly  alkaline  with  sodium  hydrate  solution,  this  serving  for 
alkaline  protease  test;  the  remainder  was  used  for  testing 
amylase  and  lipase. 

The  chemical  methods  for  analzying  the  duodenal  ferments 
were  as  follows: 

For  Amylase:  One  cubic  centimeter  of  the  duodenal  juice  was 
tested  against  increasing  amounts,  (%  to  6  cubic  centimeters)  of 
1%  soluble  starch  solution,  the  volume  in  each  test  tube  being 
made  up  to  10  cubic  centimeters  with  water.  The  incubation 
time  was  one  hour  and  the  persistence  of  starch  tested  for  by 
adding  a  small  excess  of  Lugol's  solution.  The  last  tube  to  show 
disappearance  of  starch  was  read  and  the  number  of  cubic  centi- 
meters of  starch  solution  used,  multiplied  by  the  dilution,  was 
accepted  as  the  factor. 

In  the  earlier  tests  the  Wohlgemuth  method  was  employed. 
The  method  was  discarded  because  of  the  inconstant  results 
obtained  by  testing  with  only  one  to  two  drops  of  iodine  solution. 

For  Lipase:  To  ten  cubic  centimeters  of  distilled  water  were 
added  one  cubic  centimeter  of  the  material  to  be  tested,  one  cubic 
centimeter  of  ethyl  butyrate,  one  cubic  centimeter  of  toluol  and  a 
drop  of  phenolphthalein  solution;  the  whole  made  up  to  25  cubic 
centimeters  and  neutralized.  After  shaking  forcefully  for  fifteen 
seconds,  it  was  again  brought  to  the  neutral  point.  A  control 
test  was  always  prepared  with  boiled  duodenal  contents.  After 
incubation  for  24  hours,  both  flasks  were  titrated  and  the 
amount  of  acid  in  the  control  subtracted  from  that  in  the  test 
flask,  and  the  result  multiplied  by  the  dilution. 

For  Protease  (alkali):  Mett  tubes,  cubes  of  coagulated  egg 
albumin,  Fermi  gelatin  tubes  and  the  Gross-Fuld  casein  method 
were  utilized. 

In  the  stool,  amylase  was  estimated  by  the  Wohlgemuth-Hawk 
method  in  a  slightly  different  form.  Here  again  iodine  was  added 
in  excess  to  test  for  the  persistence  of  starch. 


XDcl  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  75 

Lipase  and  protease  tests  were  the  same  as  in  the  duodenal 
tests.  For  all  the  stool  analyses,  a  dilution  of  four  parts  of  stool 
to  fifty  parts  of  slightly  alkaline  water  was  used.  Usually  no 
catharsis  was  used  in  obtaining  the  stool. 

Technical  Discussion  of  the  Tests:  In  all  the  instances,  the 
fluid  was  removed  in  the  morning  and  immediately  iced  until 
examined  in  the  afternoon.  The  acid  reaction  was  preferable  for 
preserving  the  fluid  for  both  amylase  and  lipase  tests;  in  acid 
reaction  these  ferments  could  be  preserved  for  24  -  48  hours  in 
undiminished  strength.  In  alkaline  reaction  an  apparent  anto- 
digestion  took  place  very  rapidly,  probably  due  to  the  presence  of 
trypsin. 

The  point  was  frequently  raised  as  to  whether  the  amylase 
test  obtained  was  due  to  the  salivary  or  due  to  pancreatic  enzyme. 
Numerous  tests  of  the  stomach  contents  in  these  same  cases 
showed  the  absence  of  a  ferment  capable,  after  five  hours'  main- 
tenance in  an  acid  reaction,  of  digesting  starch.  The  duodenal 
contents,  though  always  containing  some  of  the  same  acid  gastric 
material,  rarely  failed  to  show  an  active  amylase;  it  is  probable 
therefore  that  pancreatic  amylase  is  unaffected  by  pepsin;  sali- 
vary amylase  destroyed  by  it. 

Lipase  was  similarly  best  maintained  in  faintly  acid  medium; 
it  was  destroyed  in  part  or  totally  in  an  alkaline  medium  con- 
taining other  active  pancreatic  ferments. 

Trypsin  was  always  found  in  its  activated  state.  This  enzyme 
was  best  maintained  in  an  alkaline  medium. 

The  duodenum  normally  contains  at  least  two  proteases, 
trypsin  and  erepsin,  the  latter  secreted  by  the  duodenal  mucosa 
as  well  as  by  the  pancreas.  Of  the  tests  utilized  for  demonstrating 
the  proteases,  neither  the  Mett  tubes,  coagulated  egg  albumin 
cubes  nor  the  Fermi  gelatin  tubes  are  attacked  by  erepsin. 
Casein  is  digested  by  erepsin,  but  in  a  series  of  experiments  con- 
centrated extracts  of  the  duodenal  and  intestinal  mucosa  of  the 
dog,  cat,  and  of  man  digested  casein  in  dilutions  of  only  1  :  10 
to  1  :  140  while  the  active  pancreatic  secretion  digests  the 
same  amount  of  casein  in  dilutions  up  to  1  :  200,000.  We  may 
conclude  that  though  the  erepsin  is  present,  its  faint  proteolytic 
action  on  casein  does  not  really  affect  the  value  of  the  figures 


76  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

obtained,  we  are  safe  in  interpreting  the  result  as  truly  tryptic 
activity. 

A  similar  interpretation  may  be  held  for  the  results  of  stool 
analyses.  Where  slight  digestion  took  place  in  strong  dilutions, 
the  result  may  have  been  due  to  erepsin;  where  the  proteolysis 
is  complete  in  the  much  higher  dilutions,,  the  result  may  be  in- 
terpreted as  due  to  trypsin.  Fraud  and  Schittenhelm  assert,  on 
the  basis  of  differential  polypeptic-splitting  tests,  that  the  prote- 
ase of  the  stool  is  usually  erepsin  and  not  trypsin.  It  is  difficult 
to  harmonize  the  above  facts  with  this  assertion.  Further,  stools 
which  actively  proteolyzed  casein  frequently  also  liquified  gela- 
tin; this  could  be  due  to  trypsin  only. 

Results  of  Tests  of  the  Duodenal  Contents  of  a  Normal  Person 

A  male  adult  furnished  repeated  specimens. 
See  Table  I 

From  a  study  of  this  table,  it  will  readily  be  seen  that  quanti- 
tative estimates  of  the  strength  of  pancreatic  ferments  obtained 
from  the  duodenum  of  a  normal  man  vary  within  wide  limits. 
In  practically  every  instance,  the  three  ferments  tested  for  are 
found  in  an  active  state.     Lipase  was  absent  on  one  occasion. 

Results  of  Tests  in  Cases  of  Interest  Because  of  Pathological  Corir 

ditions  : 

See  Table  II 

The  cases  observed  are  discussed  in  groups. 

Group  A.  This  comprises  one  case  of  acute  pancreatitis  with  a 
diffuse  abscess  involving  the  head  and  tail  of  the  organ.  In  the 
duodenal  contents  the  ferments  are  absent  except  for  lipase,which 
is  feebly  present.  Examination  of  the  stool  demonstrated  the 
same  conditions  as  in  the  duodenum. 

Group  B.  Cases  of  Cholelithiasis  (Gall-stone  Disease):  The 
ferments  are  here  found  in  an  active  state  in  the  duodenum. 
A  wide  range  of  variation  is  observed,  yet  in  general  the  ferments 
are  either  normal  or  hypernormal  in  their  activity.  In  case  6  the 
absence  of  amylase  and  lipase  suggested  a  diseased  pancreas.  At 
operation  the  head  of  this  organ  was  found  swollen  and  edematous 
to  a  marked  degree. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  77 

Group  C.  Cases  of  Obstructive  Jaundice :  The  point  of  interest 
was,  Is  the  pancreatic  duct  open  and  the  pancreas  secreting  ? 
In  the  first  two  instances  (cases  7  and  8)  this  duct  was  evidently- 
open  and  active  pancreatic  ferments  entering  the  intestine. 

In  cafie  9,  on  first  examination,  the  absence  of  all  the  ferments 
from  the  duodenum  except  a  weak  lipolytic  ferment,  and  the 
absence  of  all  the  ferments  from  the  stool  led  to  the  diagnosis  of 
complete  pancreatic  obstruction  involving  all  the  ducts  possibly 
emanating  from  this  gland.  On  a  second  examination,  several 
weeks  later,  the  results  of  both  duodenal  and  stool  analyses  indi- 
cated some  return  of  pancreatic  ferments  in  the  intestine.  At 
autopsy  the  head  of  the  pancreas  and  the  duodenum  were 
found  involved  in  a  massive  sarcomatous  tumor;  the  ducts  back 
of  the  new  growth  were  greatly  dilated  and  distended  with  fluid. 
It  seems  probable  that  from  time  to  time  the  pressure  in  the  ducts 
was  sufficiently  great  to  force  pancreatic  secretion  through  the 
new  growth  and  into  the  intestine. 

Group  D  represents  the  findings  in  two  cases  of  hypertrophic 
cirrhosis  of  the  liver.  From  the  ferment  analyses,  the  pancreas 
would  seem  to  be  secreting  fluid  of  high  potentiality.  The  ex- 
amination of  the  stool  in  the  one  case  agrees  with  the  findings 
in  the  duodenal  material. 

Groups  E  and  F.  The  ferments  are  present  and  active  except 
for  amylase,  which  is  absent  in  two  instances.  The  failure  to 
demonstrate  this  ferment  was  probably  due  to  faulty  technic  in 
the  early  tests. 

Group  G.  In  this  group  is  collected  the  data  for  various  gastric 
diseases.  As  far  as  one  can  judge,  there  is  no  evidence  of  disturb- 
ance of  pancreatic  secretion.  It  is  of  interest  to  note  the  absence 
of  trypsin  in  the  case  of  carcinoma  of  the  stomach. 

Case  21,  one  of  achylia  gastrica,  requires  a  note.  Repeated 
analyses  of  gastric  contents  showed  the  absence  of  both  pepsin 
and  rennin  as  well  as  all  trace  of  acid.  The  pancreatic  secretion 
is,  however,  active,  all  the  ferments  being  present.  Ehrman  and 
Lederer,  emplojdng  the  Volhard  test  meal,  found  active  pan- 
creatic ferments  in  these  cases.  In  the  duodenal  contents,  how- 
ever, obtained  by  me  in  this  case,  no  rennin  was  demonstrable. 
It  is  still  a  question  whether  the  human  pancreatic  gland  secretes 
a  ferment  capable  of  coagulating  milk. 


78  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Group  H.  Cases  of  Diabetes  Mellitus:  In  general  it  may  be 
said  that  these  cases  do  not  show  any  variation  from  normal 
figures,  all  the  three  ferments  tested  for  being  found  present  and 
active.  In  only  one  instance  was  the  reaction  for  amylase  weak 
(case  25).  In  the  instance  of  case  26,  on  a  strictly  limited  milk 
diet,  the  ferments  were  all  only  feebly  present.  A  later  examinar 
tion,  on  a  more  full  diet  (oatmeal  and  milk)  gave  ferments  of 
greater  strength. 

Case  27  was  of  interest,  being  a  case  of  diabetes  mellitus  in  a 
female  adult  with  a  distinct  history  of  cholelithiasis  and  abdomi- 
nal attacks  indicating  pancreatitis.  The  stools  in  this  case  were 
bulky  and  grayish-white  and  frequent.  Metabolism  studies 
indicated  even  on  a  restricted  diet  a  loss  in  the  stools  of  54%  of 
the  fat,  and  29.4%  of  the  nitrogen  intake,  corroborating,  so  far 
as  our  studies  of  metabolism  would  indicate,  pancreatic  insuffi- 
ciency. The  duodenal  findings  in  this  case  demonstrated  a  very 
scant  secretion  into  the  intestine,  though  a  secretion  of  high 
potentiality.  The  stool  in  the  same  case  showed  active  ferments 
though  only  weak  protease. 

Remabks.  The  original  intention  of  this  study  was  to  deter- 
mine: 1,  the  limits  of  ferment  activity  in  the  normal  duodenum; 
2,  possible  variations  from  these  normal  limits  in  pathological 
cases;  3,  to  determine  in  how  far  the  analysis  of  the  ferments  of 
the  stool  gave  an  indication  of  pancreatic  activity. 

In  regard  to  establishing  the  strength  of  the  ferments  as  nor- 
mally secreted.  Table  I  represents  the  limits  of  variations.  It 
would  seem  that  the  pancreatic  ferments  show  fluctuations  of 
strength  from  day  to  day  even  under  identical  conditions,  but 
that  such  fluctuations  may  be  said  to  be  within  limits.  However, 
the  occasional  failure  to  detect  amylase  or  lipase  in  seemingly 
normal  secretions  must  be  noted.  These  ferments  show  the  great- 
est variability  in  strength,  and  may  apparently  be  occasionally 
absent.  The  protease  is  the  most  constant  and  is  always  present. 
In  spite  of  the  arguments  against  casein  as  a  test  of  trypsin  alone, 
I  would  hold  that  erepsin  though  present,  is  never  sufficiently 
strong  to  interfere  with  the  test  as  an  index  of  pancreatic  trypsin. 

2.  Of  the  pathological  cases  examined,  the  case  of  acute  pan- 
creatitis shows  decided  diminution  in  the  activity  of  the  pan- 


XDc]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  79 

crcatic  ferments.  The  pancreatic  gland  was  found  decidedly 
diseased  at  autopsy.  In  case  9  the  ferments  were  absent  from  the 
duodenum  on  one  occasion;  also  absent  from  the  stool.  The 
diagnosis  of  complete  blocking  of  the  ducts  was  confirmed  at 
autopsy.  In  case  6  on  account  of  the  absence  of  two  of  the  fer- 
ments from  the  duodenum,  a  deficient  secretion  of  the  pancreas 
was  expected,  though  the  duct  was  apparently  open.  At  opera- 
tion a  patent  duct,  but  a  large  swollen  inflamed  pancreas  was 
palpated. 

In  case  27  the  metabolism  studies  indicated  pancreatic  disease. 
The  ferments  were  found  strongly  present;  the  amount  of  secre- 
tion into  the  duodenum  was,  however,  very  scant. 

3.  The  variability  of  the  same  strength  of  the  same  ferments 
in  the  stool  is  far  greater  than  in  the  duodenum.  The  occasional 
absence  of  ferment  is  a  more  frequent  occurrence.  In  general, 
where  these  enzymes  are  strongly  present  in  the  duodenum,  they 
are  also  demonstrable  in  the  stool.  The  protease  is  here  no 
longer  reliable  as  an  index  of  pancreatic  trypsin.  For  in  cases  7 
and  8  and  25,  though  a  strong  reaction  for  trypsin  was  obtained 
in  the  duodenal  contents,  this  enzyme  was  not  demonstrable  in 
the  stool  (casein  and  gelatin  tests).  However,  in  case  9  when  the 
protease  was  absent  from  the  duodenum  it  was  also  absent  from 
the  stool;  and  when  it  reappeared  in  the  former,  it  also  reap- 
peared, though  weakly,  in  the  latter.  We  may  conclude  that  a 
positive  test  for  trypsin  in  the  stool  signifies  an  open  pancreatic 
duct,  a  negative  test  does  not  necessarily  imply  that  active  trypsin 
is  no  longer  being  secreted  into  the  duodenum. 

The  question  is:  Can  this  method  of  estimating  the  enzyme 
strength  of  duodenal  contents  be  utilized  for  the  diagnosis  of 
pancreatic  functional  activity  ?  It  is  certain  that  it  is  reliable  for 
ascertaining  the  patency  or  non-patency  of  the  pancreatic  ducts. 
More  experience  with  cases  of  disease  in  the  pancreatic  gland  is 
necessary  before  it  will  be  definitely  known  whether  the  method 
is  applicable  to  the  diagnosis  of  functional  activity  of  this  organ. 
From  the  few  cases  in  the  series  offered,  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  this  will  be  accomplished. 

The  results  on  the  different  days  are  tabulated  as  follows : 


80  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Table  I 
Amylase 

3/21 1  c.c.  duodenal  juice  hydrolyzes  6  0.0,  of  1  %  starch  solution  in  1  hr. 

3/28  1  c.c.  duodenal  juice  hydrolyzes  6  oc. 

5/13  1  c.c.  duodenal  jxiice  hydrolyzes  10  c.c. 

5/14  1  c.c.  duodenal  juice  hydrolyzes  9  c.c. 

5/18  1  c.c.  duodenal  juice  hydrolyzes  24  cc. 

5/20  1  c.c.  duodenal  juice  hydrolyzes  30  c.c. 

Normal  Average  =  14.1  c.c. 

Normal  Limits  =  6-30  c.c. 

Lipase 

3/21  1  c.c.  duodenal  contents  require  3.9  c.c.  N/lO  NaOH  after  24  his. 

3/28  1  c.c.  duodenal  contents  require  3.6 

5/13  1  c.c.  duodenal  contents  require  0.6* 

5/15  1  c.c  duodenal  contents  require  0.9 

6/I8  1  c.c.  duodenal  contents  require  1.9 

5/26  1  c.c.  duodenal  contents  require  0.9 

Normal  average  =  1.96  c.c. 

Normal  limits  =  0.6  to  3.9  c.c. 

*0n  one  occasion  no  hpase  was  demonstrable. 

Alkali-Pkotease 
Casein  Test 

3/21  Duodenal  contents  in  dilution  of  1:4000  digests  10  c.c.  0.1%  casein  sol. 

3/28  Duodenal  contents  in  dilution  of  1:36,000 

5/15  Duodenal  contents  in  dilution  of  1:120,000 

5/I8  Duodenal  contents  in  dilution  of  1:5,000 

5/20  Duodenal  contents  in  dilution  of  1 :36,000 

5/21  Duodenal  contents  in  dilution  of  1:12,000 

5/29  Duodenal  contents  in  dilution  of  1:12,000 
Normal  average  =  1 :32,000 

Normal  limits  =  1:4000  to  1:120,000. 

Other  Tests 
Gelatin  Tubes       Mett  Tubes  Albumin  Cubes 


3/21 
3/28 
5/I8 
5/20 
6/26 
5/29 


Fermi 
24hrs. 

3.5  mm. 

8  mm. 

5  mm. 

8  mm. 

10  mm. 


48hrs. 
6  mm. 
11  mm. 

10  mm. 

14  mm. 

15  mm. 


2  mm. 
1  mm. 

1  mm. 


Slight  rounding 

Much  digested 
All  digested 


Normal  Average  7  mm.  11.2  mm. 
Normal  Limits  3.5-10  mm.  6-15  mm. 


znl 


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6  6  6 

La  biophotogin&ae  Hduite  d  une  action  zymasique 

MECANISME   INTIME   DE   LA   PRODUCTION   DE   LA 

LUMIERE  PHYSIOLOGIQUE:  LUCIFERASE,  LUCIF- 

ERINE,  LUCIFERESCEINE 

Pak  M.  Raphael  Dubois 

Professeur  d  la  Faculty  des  Sciences  de  V  UniversiU  de  Lyon,  Mar- 
seille, France 

Un  nombre  considerable  d'hypothfees  a  6t6  6mis  k  propos  du 
secret  de  la  merveilleuse  production  de  la  lumi^re  par  les  v^g^taux 
et  les  animaux. 

Les  disaccords  entre  les  exp6rimentateurs  sont  venus  souvent, 
presque  toujours  m^me,  de  ce  qu'ils  n'ont  envisage  que  des  cas 
particuliers.  C'est  ainsi  que  les  anatomistes  surtout  ont  fait 
jouer  chez  les  insectes,  un  r61e  capital  aux  trach6es  que  quelques- 
uns  allaient  jusqu'll  comparer  k  des  tuyaux  de  forge  embrasant 
le  protoplasme! 

lis  ne  songaient  pas,  sans  doute,  que  I'immense  majority  des 
fitres  lumineux  n'ont  pas  de  trach^es  et  que  I'oeuf  de  I'insecte 
photogSne  lui-m^me  brille  avant  mSme  d'avoir  6t6  f6cond4,  d'une 
luminosity  qui  lui  est  propre,  comme  je  I'ai  jadis  d^montr^.' 

C'est  pour  rem6dier  aux  graves  inconv^nients  des  6tudes 
partielles  qn'k;  la  suite  de  mon  ouvrage  sur  les  Elaterides 
Lumineux^  j'ai  entrepris  une  6tude  g^n^rale  de  la  question 
de  la  BioPHOTOGENESE  ou  production  de  la  lumiere  par  les 
v6g6taux  et  les  animaux,  j'ai  consults  k  peu  prds  tous  les  docu- 
ments connus  et  j'ai  pu  combler  exp^rimentalement  ou  par 
I'observation  personnelle  un  grand  nombre  de  lacimes  existant 
dans  ce  beau  chapitre  de  la  physiologie  g6n6rale. 

'De  la  fonction  photog^nique  chez  les  oeufs  du  Lampyre  (Bull.  Soc.  Zool. 
de  Prance  T.  XII  1887). 

Theses  de  la  Faculty  des  Sciences  de  Paris  et  Bull,  de  la  Soc.  Zool  .de  France, 
1886  (ouvrage  couronn6  par  I'lnstitut  de  France,  grand  Prix  des  Sciences 
Physiques). 

83 


84  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Cette  6tude  d'ensemble  a  pi'feent^  pour  moi  deux  grands 
avantages: 

1°. — J'ai  pu  montrer  que  le  m^camsme  intime  de  la  Bio- 
photog^n^se  est  le  m^me  partout,  chez  les  animaux  et  chez  les 
v6g6taux.i 

2°. — J'ai,  en  outre,  pu  choisir  dans  toute  la  sine  des  Stres 
vivants  ceux  qui  pr^sentent  le  plus  d'avantages  au  point  de  vue 
de  rexp^rimentation:  c'est  un  moUusque  lamellibranche,  la 
Pholade  Dacttle  qui  nous  a  foumi  les  ^l^ments  de  re- 
cherche les  plus  importants. 

La  plus  grande  difficult^  pour  les  recherches  d'ordre  Chimique 
ayant  trait  £l  la  biophotog^nSse  est  I'infime  quantity  de  substances 
photog^nes  contenue  dans  Tanimal  ou  le  v6g6tal  lumineux,  qui, 
bien  souvent,  la  consomme  au  fur  et  k  mesure  de  sa  production, 
comme  c'est  le  cas  des  ^tres  oil  la  lumi^re  est  continue  (Champig- 
nons sup^rieurs  photobact6riac6es). 

Dks  1885,  j 'avals  ^tabli  que  chez  les  insectes,  la  production  de 
la  lumi^re  se  poursuit  pendant  un  certain  temps  aprSs  que  Ton  a 
fait  disparaitre  toute  trace  d'organisation  cellulaire,^  en  outre 
j'avais  s6par6  deux  substances  qui  ne  brillaient  ni  I'une  de  ni 
I'autre  au  contact  de  I'air,  quand  elles  6taient  s6par4es,  mais  qui 
^mettaient  de  la  lumi^re  quand  on  les  m^langeait.'  II  n'y  avait 
pas  d'oxydation  directe,  bien  que  la  presence  de  I'oxyg^ne  fut 
n^cessaire  k  I'exercice  de  la  fonction  photogtoe. 

Chez  I'animal  entier  (Pyrophorus  Noctilucus)  ou  dans  I'organ- 
isme  lumineux  consid6r6  isol6ment,  je  reconnus  de  plus,  en  1886, 
que  I'une  des  deux  substances  photog^nes  se  comporte  comme 
wne  Zymase*  et  que,  dans  son  essence  m^me  le  ph^nom^ne  ultime, 
fondamental  de  toute  lumiere  physiologique  est,  en  demise 
analyse,  r^ductible  k  un  processus  zymasique. 

'Legons  de  physiologie  gfo&ale  et  compar^e,  Paris  1898,  et  traits  de  phy- 
sique biologique  T.  II  Paris,  Masson  1903.  Diotionnaire  de  physiologie  de 
Richet  art.  production^de  LA  LUMIEIIE  PAR  LES  ETRES  VIVANTS, 
Alcan  1912. 

^V.  Elat&ides  lumineux. 
'Loc.  eit. 
*Loc.  cit. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  85 

Plus  tard,  j'ai  pu  6tablir  que  la  Zymase  photogSne  k  laquelle 
ja'i  donn6  le  nom  de  Lucifbrase,  est  une  p6roxydase  et 
qu'elle  peut,  dans  la  reaction  photogtee  Stre  remplac^e  par  iin 
peu  d'eau  oxyg^n^e  ou  de  permanganate  de  potasse. 

La  determination  de  la  nature  du  second  principe  photogdne, 
auquel,  j'ai  donn6  le  nom  de  Luciferine  6tait  particuliSre- 
ment  difficile  k  6tablir  au  moyen  des  insectes  dent  les  organes 
lumineux  sent  de  petites  glandes  k  S6cr6tion  interne  (R.  Duboix). 

II  n'en  est  plus  de  m6me  avec  la  Pholade  dactyle  qui  secrete 
ext^rieurement  \m  abondant  mucus  lumineux  et  dent  le  siphon 
renferme,  en  outre,  en  reserve  une  forte  portion  de  substances 
photog^nes. 

On  peut  r&umer  de  la  fagon  suivante  les  experiences  que  j'ai 
faites  autrefois  et  que  j'ai  rep6t6es  en  les  compietant  et  en  rac- 
tifiant  certains  points  dans  ces  temps  demiers.^ 

(a)  Le  siphon  de  la  Pholade  dactyle  avec  ses  glandes  lumi- 
neuses  est  fendu  et  s6ch6  au  soleil.  Longtemps  apr^s  cette  opera- 
tion (plusieurs  semaines)  on  peut  rallumer  la  lumi^e  eteinte  dans 
les  glandes  en  humectant  d'eau  le  siphon  dessSche; 

(b)  Au  lieu  de  d^ssfecher  k  I'air  libre  les  siphons,  on  les  fend 
et  on  les  enrobe,  encore  frais,  dans  du  sucre  en  poudre  fine:  ils 
cessent  de  briller; 

(c)  Les  siphons  confits  ainsi  conservent  pendant  plusieurs 
mois  le  pouvoir  de  fournir  un  liquide  tr6s  lumineux  quand  on  les 
fait  macerer  dans  I'eau  pendant  quelques  instants; 

(d)  le  sirop  qui  resulte  de  la  fonte  d'lme  partie  du  sucre  dans 
le  liquide  rejete  par  les  siphons  frais  conserves  k  I'abri  de  la  lumi- 
4re  a  donne  encore  au  bout  de  huit  mois  im  liquide  lumineux  par 
son  melange  avec  trois  ou  quatre  parties  d'eau  ordinaire; 

(e)  si  I'on  introduit  dans  ime  thei^re  en  grfes  des  fragments 
de  siphons  frais  ou  conserves  dans  le  sucre  et  que  Ton  verse  des- 
8US  de  I'eau  bouillante,  qui  par  son  contact  avec  le  vase  et  les 
fragments  de  siphons,  tombe  repidement  k  70°  environ,  on  obtient 
un  infusum  non  lumineux; 

'Nouvelles  recherches  sur  la  lumi^e  physiologique  C  R.  Ac.  des  Sc.  1. 153  p. 
690,  Paris  1911. 


86  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

(f)  ce  liquide  ne  brille  pas  par  agitations  en  presence  de  I'air: 
C'est  le  liquide  A; 

(g)  si,  d'autre  part,  on  fait  mac6rer  dans  de  I'eau  sal^e  tiMe, 
en  agitant  de  temps  en  temps  des  fragments  de  siphons  confits, 
on  obtient  un  liquide  lumineux  qui  finit  par  s'^teindre  et  ne  plus 
briller  au  contact  de  I'air  par  agitation,  c'est  le  liquide  B ; 

(h)  si  I'on  melange  les  deux  liquides  A  et  B  la  lumidre  appa- 
rait; 

(i)  L'action  photogene  du  liquide  B  peut  ^tre  remplac^e  par 
une  parcelle  de  permanganate  de  potasse  ou  par  un  peu  d'eau 
oxyg^n^e  neutre; 

(j)  Si  Ton  chauffe  k  100°,  et  m^me  k  une  temperature  peu 
sup6rieure  k  70°  le  liquide  A,  ne  donne  plus  aucune  lumiere  avec 
le  liquide  B,  ni  par  le  permanganate  de  potasse  ou  par  I'eau 
oxyg6n6e:  il  s'est  form6  par  la  chaleur  dans  liquide  A  un  pr^ 
cipit^  floconneux; 

(k)  II  se  produit  aussi  des  flocons  de  coagulation  quand  on 
chauffe  le  liquide  B,  mais  on  constate  en  outre  que  vers  60°, 
il  perd  d^finitivement  tout  pouvoir  photogene; 

(1)  La  reaction  photogene  s'opere  done  entre  deux  substances 
coagulables  par  la  chaleur  dont  I'une  est  d^truite  k  70°  et  1' autre 
vers  60°.  Si  Ton  porte  k  I'^buUition  le  liquide  ou  la  r6action 
lumineuse  a  commence  k  se  produire  et  oil  elle  se  eontinuerait 
k  froid  pendant  longtemps,  elle  est  aussit6t  supprim^e; 

(m)  les  deux  substances  photogSnes  des  liquides-  A  et  B 
pr^sentent  tous  les  caracteres  chimiques  et  physiques  des  sub- 
stances prot^iques; 

(n)  la  substance  active  de  A  renferme  du  phosphore  et  pr^- 
sente  les  caracteres  des  nucl^oprot^ines,  je  lui  ai  donn6  le  nom  de 
Lucifeeike; 

(o)  I'ammoniaque  liquide  active  fortement  la  reaction  pho- 
togene. Dans  le  liquide  oti  s'est  op6r6  la  reaction  se  d^posent  des 
cristaux  de  phosphates.  Si  k  I'ammoniaque  on  ajoute  du  sulfate 
de  magn^sie,  on  constate  pendant  la  reaction  I'apparition  de 
cristaux  de  phosphate  ammoniaco-magn^sien; 

(p)  Les  Siphons  frais,  sech^s  ou  confits  ne  renferment  aucune 
substance  Lopoide  photogfene. 


XDC]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  87 

(q)  La  substance  active  A  peut  ^tre  isol^e  sans  perdre  son 
pouvoir  photog^ne  par  precipitation  k  I'aide  d'une  solution  faible 
d'acide  picrique,  dont  elle  doit  6tre  s6par6e  imm^diatement  par 
filtration.  Le  pr6cipit6  recueilli  sur  le  filtre  et  repris  par  I'eau 
brille  avec  le  permanganate  de  potasse; 

(r)  toutes  les  causes  physiques  ou  chimiques  qui  favorisent, 
retardent,  entravent  ou  suppriment  les  reactions  zymasiques 
agissent  de  m6me  sur  le  melange  de  A  et  B 

(s)  Le  principe  actif  de  B  jouit  des  propri^t^s  g6n6rales  des 
Zymases;  il  pr^sente  en  outre  les  caractSres  d'une  p^roxydase,  je 
lui  ai  donn6  le  nom  de  Lucifehase. 

Cette  p^roxydase  n'est  pas  sp^ciale  aux  organismes  photo- 
gfenes,  car  on  peut  provoquer  la  lumi^re  dans  le  liquide  A  renfer- 
mant  la  lucif^rine  au  moyen  du  sang  de  divers  animaux  k  sang 
froid  (Mollusques,  Crustac6s  marins). 

(t)  Je  n'ai  pas,  au  contraire,  rencontr^  de  lucif^rine  malgr6 
de  nombreuses  recherches,  en  dehors  des  animaux  photog^nes. 

(u)  Le  sirop  photogSne  resultant  du  contact  du  siphon  avec 
le  Sucre  en  poudre  est  louche;  au  bout  de  plusieurs  mois  de  repos 
dans  I'obscurite,  on  voit  monter  k  sa  surface  une  couche  cr^meuse 
brun  jaAnatre.  On  y  trouve  en  abondance  des  granulations 
semblables  k  celles  que  I'on  rencontre  partout  dans  les  organes 
photogfenes;  par  leur  contact  avec  I'eau,  ces  granulations  pren- 
nent  la  forme  de  Vacuolides  d^couvertes  par  moi  en  1886.  Ces 
^l^ments  actifs  ultimes  de  la  mati^re  vivante  ou  bioprot^on  ne 
sent  autre  chose  que  ce  que  I'on  a  nomm^  depuis  "  mitochon- 
dries; "  le  nom  de  vacuolide  que  je  leur  ai  donn6  il  y  a  un  quart 
de  sitele  est  pr6f6rable  k  celui  de  mitochondrie,  en  ce  sens  qu'il 
indique  nettement  la  nature  morphologique  de  ces  bioultimates 
d'une  part  et  leur  mode  de  fonctioimement  d'autre  part.  lis 
sent  analogues  pour  toutes  les  macrozymases  dont  la  purpurase 
est  le  type.' 

En  r&um^:  le  phinomene  fondamental  auquel  peut  Ure  reduit, 
en  demihre  analyse  toute  riaction  photogene  chez  organismes 
vivants  r6sulte  du  conflit  d'une  per  oxydase,  la  "  Lucifer  ase  "  avec 

'V.  Le8  vacuolides  de  la  purpurase  et  la  th^orie  vacuolidaire.  C.  R.  ac.  des 
Sc.  T.  CLIII  p.  1507,  1912. 


88  Original  CommunicaMons:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

une  matihe  protiique  phosphoric  la  "  Luciferine."    II  s'agit  done 
d'une  reaction  Zymasique  produisant  une  Oxydation  indirectb. 

A  c6t6  de  ces  substances,  j'en  ai  rencontr6  dans  les  organes 
photog^nes  du  Pyrophore  une  autre  qui  joue  aussi  un  r61e  dans  le 
fonctionnement  photog^nique,  mais  seulement  un  r61e  de  per- 
fectionnement.  C'est  une  substance  fluorescente  k  laquelle  est 
dt  I'^clat  si  particulier  de  la  lumiSre  de  ces  beaux  insectes  des 
Antilles.  Elle  transforme  des  radiations  obscures  en  radiations 
6clairantes,  ce  qui  offre  plusieiu-s  avantages:  1°. — de  diminuer 
r^nergie  perdue  en  radiations  non  6clairantes;  2°. — d'4viter 
Paction  nuisible  d'une  partie  des  rayons  ultra-violets;  3°. — d'ac- 
croitre  le  pouvoir  6clairant  en  lui  donnant  des  qualit^s  sp^ciales. 
Je  lui  ai  donn6  le  nom  de  Pyrophokinb.  Je  n'ai  pu  determiner 
exactement  sa  nature  et  sa  composition  en  raison  de  la  tr^  petite 
quantity  que  Ton  en  trouve  dans  les  Pyrophores,  mais  il  est  prob- 
able qu'il  s'agit  d'une  glucoside  ou  peut-Stre  d'un  alcaloide. 
L'acide  ac^tique  lui  fait  perdre  sa  fluorescence,  mais  I'ammoni- 
aqu6  la  lui  restitue.  On  peut  recommencer  plusieurs  fois  de  suite, 
comme  si  la  pyrophorine  formait  avec  l'acide  ac6tique  un  sel  non 
fluorescent.  J'ai  rencontr^  aussi,  plus  tard,  xxae  substance 
fluorescente  donnant  dans  I'ultra-violet  une  belle  fluorescence 
bleue  chez  un  lampyride  LucioiiA  Italica.^ 

Demi^rement  M.  M.  Ives  et  W.  Coblentz,^  qui  vraisemblable- 
ment  ignoraient  mes  travaux  ont  trouv6  6galement  une  substance 
pr^sentant  une  belle  fluorescence  bleue.  Chez  un  lampyride 
am^ricain  (Photinus  pyralis)  et  ont  pens6  k  tort  que  la  priority 
de  la  d^couverte  d'un  principe  fluorescent  chez  les  insectes  lumi- 
neux  leur  appartenant.' 

M.  McDermott  a  signal^  aussi  la  pr6sence  d'une  matiSre 
fluorescente  chez  divers  autres  lampyrides  am^ricains.' 

Ce  dernier  s'inspirant  des  termes  de  LuciKfiKASB  et  de  Luci- 
i^KiNE  dont  je  me  suis  servi  a  propose  pour  d&igner  le  principe 

iRech.  BUT  la  Pourpre  et  s  quelques  pigments  animaux.  Arch.  Zool.  g^n. 
exp.  56me  Sine  II,  1909. 

^Luminous  efficiency  of  the  Firefly  Bui.  Bureau  of  Standards,  t.VI  n°  3  1910. 

'De  la  fluorescence  chez  les  insectes  Imnineux  C  R.  Ac.  des  Sc.  et  Sur 
I'Existence  et  le  r61e  de  la  fluorescence  chez  les  insectes  lumineux  C.R.  de 
l'A.P.A.S.  Dijon  1911. 


nx]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  89 

fluorescent  des  lampyrides  am^ricams  la  denomination  de 
LuciF^RESCEiNB  dont  la  terminaison  rappelle  celle  de  la  Fluor- 
fecEiNE.  Cette  appellation  me  parait  trka  acceptable  et  peut 
4tre  6tendue  k  touses  les  substances  fluorescentes  qui  peuvent  se 
rencontrer  chez  les  animaux  photogfenes.  On  dira:  les  Lucif^b- 
B8CEINB8,  et  si  I'on  voulait  designer  particulidrement  celle  du 
Pyrophore  noctiluque,  on  pourrait  dire  la  Pyrolucifiresceine,  la 
Photinokunfiresceine,  etc. 

De  ces  diverses  conditions  nait  une  lumifere  sp6ciale  dont  les 
propridt^s  physiques  ont  6t6  fix^es  exactement  par  moi  en  1886, 
et  les  belles  recherches  de  Very  et  Langley  en  Am6rique,  n'ont 
fait  que  confirmer  I'exactitude  des  recherches  que  j'ai  publi^es 
en  1886  sur  la  IvuniSre  des  Pyhophokes  des  Antilles.  Cette 
admirable  Lumiebe  Fboide,  realise  sur  toutes  les  autres  sources, 
un  6norme  avantage  puisque  son  rendement  est  presque  de  100 
pour  100  alors  que  pour  nos  meilleurs  foyers,  il  n'est  guSre  que 
de  4  i  5  pour  cent.;  d'ailleurs;  d'lme  manifere  g^n^rale,  I'^conomie 
des  machines  vivantes  est  bien  supdrieure  k  celle  des  autres. 

La  Lumiebe  Fboide  est  la  lumi^e  de  I'avenir.  Celle  que  produis- 
ent  les  Hres  vivants  et  supirieure  d  toutes  les  autres  actv^Uement 
wHies  et  son  micanisme  chimique  intime  est  aujourd'hui  connu. 


{Recherches  sur  les  Zymases) 

LES  VACUOLIDES  DE  LA  PURPURASE  ET  LA  THEORIE 
VACUOLIDAIRE 

Par  M.  Raphael  Dubois 
Universiti  deLyon,  Marseille,  France 

Dans  un  recent  et  tr^s  remarquable  travail'  M.  Le  professeur 
Grynfeltt  a  donn6  une  excellente  description  de  la  glande  k 
pourpre  dans  laquelle  on  pent  lire:  "  Les  spherules  616mentaires 
et  les  boules  granuleuses  ont  6t6  surtout  bien  vues  par  Raphael 
Dubois  et  r^pondent  sans  aucun  doute  k  ce  qu'il  appelle  les 
vacuolides."  Mais  le  savant  anatomiste  de  Montpellier  n'a 
pas  cru  devoir  conserver  ce  terme  que  j'avais  employ^*  pour 
designer  les  spherules  616mentaires  parce  que,  dit-il,  "  dans  I'esprit 
de  M,  R.  Dubois  les  vacuolides  sont  les  parties  616mentaires  du 
bioprot6on,"  tandis  que  pour  M.  Grynfeltt  "ces  spherules  repr6- 
senteraient  non  le  bioprot^on  lui-m6me,  mais  des  produits  de  son 
activity."' 

II  m'a  sembl6  que  cette  divergence  de  vues  appelait  une  explica- 
tion de  ma  part. 

J'ai  toujours,  en  effet,  soutenu  que  mes  vacuolides  ^taient  les 
parties  616mentaires  du  bioprot^on,  c'est-^dire  les  unites  mor- 
phologiques  et  physiologiques  les  plus  petites  qui  soient  connues. 
Mes  observations  m'ayant  conduit  depuis  longtemps^  k  admettre 

■Sur  la  glande  hypobranchiale  du  Murex  trunculus  (Bibliographie  anato- 
mique,  t.  XXI.'faso.  4,  Berger-Levrault  et  C°,  i§dit  Paris). 

"Recherches  sur  la  pourpre  et  sur  quelques  autres  pigments  animaux  (Arch, 
de Zool.  exp.  et  gto.  56  sfirie,  T.  II,  n°  7  1909.  p.  503  et  Fig.  I). 

'"  J'ai  donn6  le  nom  de  bioprot^on  k  ce  qu'on  appeUe  commun^ment  matifire 
vivante  et  qui  n'est  pour  moi  qu'un  6tat  particulier,  transitoire,  de  ce  principe 
unique,  essentiellement  prot^ique,  h  la  fois  force  et  matidre,  toergie  et  sub- 
stance, qui,  par  sea  innombrables  et  incessantes  metamorphoses,  donne  k  la 
nature  son  infinie  vari6t6  et  que  j'ai  pour  cette  raison  appel6  jadis  prot^on." 
{Lemons  de  physiologie  gdndrale  et  compar^e,  1898  p.  7). 

'Lemons  de  Physiologie  gto&ale  et  compar6e,  1898,  p.  74-75,  Paris. 

91 


92  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

que  les  leucites  d^rivent  des  vacuolidesV  et,  d'autre  part  MM. 
Faur^-Fremiet  et  Guilliermont  admettant  qu'ils  viennent  des 
mitochondries,  il  est  superflu  de  se  demander  si  les  mitochon- 
dries  r^centes  et  les  vacuolides  anciennes  ne  sont  pas  une  seule  et 
mSme  chose  ou,  plut6t,  deux  formes  diff^rentes  d'un  meme 
616meiit  primordial,  la  granulation  collgidale  bioprot6onique,  dont 
j'ai  d^crit  et  mdme  figur6  la  structure  et  le  fonctionnement  phy- 
siologique  dans  de  nombreuses  publications  depuis  1887^  car  deux 
quantitfe  6gales  k  une  troisi^me  sont  6gales  entre  elles. 

La  plupart  on  trait  k  la  lucif^rase,  mais  la  purpurase  se  com- 
porte  de  m^me.  Cette  derni^re,  pr6par6e  par  le  proc6d4  qui 
m'a  permis  de  la  d^couvrir  et  de  I'^tudier,  contient  en  abondance 
les  spherules  616mentaires  de  M.  Grynfeltt,  c'est-^dire  les 
vacuolides  zymasiques  de  M.  R.  Dubois.  Ces  derni^res  ne  sont 
pas  des  produits  de  fabrication  de  la  cellule,  mais  bien  au  con- 
traire,  la  partie  active,  agissante  du  bioprot^on  des  cellules 
purpuripares.  On  voit  nettement  au  microscope  que  ces  vacuo- 
lides absorbent  les  prochromog^nes  que  j'ai  appel^s  purpurines 
et  qu'elles  les  transforment  en  chromogSnes.  Le  passage  du 
chromog^ne  k  I'etat  de  pigment  peut  se  faire  dans  la  vacuolide 
ou  bien  en  dehors  d'elle,  par  une  simple  action  chimique  provo- 
qu6e  par  la  lumiSre  (Murex  brandaris)  ou  par  la  chaleur  (Murex 
Trunculus).  C'est  le  mode  de  fonctionnement  des  leucites  qui 
est  reproduit  ici  en  plus  petit. 

Les  vacuolides  de  la  purpurase,  comme  toutes  les  autres  nais- 
sent,  ^voluent  et  se  multiplient  de  la  mSme  mani^re. 

Le  bioprot^on,  ou  mati^re  vivante,  est  du  prot6on  k  l'6tat 
colloidal,  c'est-Srdire  compost  de  particules  en  suspension.  Dans 
un  microbe,  il  y  en  a  d'innombrables  quantitfe,  suffisantes  pour 
expliquer  que  ces  particules  ancestrales  suflfirtont    k  assurer  le 


'Les  vacuolides  (C.  R.  de  la  Soc.  de  Biol.  T.  LX,  p.  526)  et  remarque  etc. 
(Ibid.  1906,  p.  628.) 

^Les  vacuolides  (C.  R.  de  la  Soc.  de  Biol.  8e  sdrie,  t.  IV  1887)  Les  flat&ides 
lumineux  (Bull,  de  la  soc.  Zool.  de  France,  Fig.  7  et  8,  pi.  IX)  anat.  &  phys.  de 
la  Pholade  dactyle  (Ann.  de  I'U.  de  Lyon,  2h  Fasc,  t.  II,  PI.  XV,  1892);  la 
lumifere  physiologique  (Revue  gen.  des  Sc.  p.  et  App.  1894,  P.  532);  recherches 
sur  la  pourpre  et  autres  pigments  animaux  (Arch.  Zool.  exp.  et  gen.  66  sine, 
t.II,  n°7  1909,  p.  603,  fig.  I). 


jox]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  93 

fonctiormement  de  toute  la  lign^e.  Ces  particules  ne  sont  pas 
toujours  visibles  k  I'ultramicroscope;  on  les  voit  apparaltre  IJl  oil 
il  n'y  avait  rien  I'instant  avant.  Ce  sont  lea  particules  invisibles 
qui,  en  se  d6veloppant  et  en  se  multipliant  par  divisions,  four- 
nissent  les  granulations  visibles,  mais  dont  on  ne  peut  encore 
distinguer  la  structure;  k  leur  tour,  ces  demifires  deviennent  les 
vacuolides,  dont  I'une  des  espfeces  les  plus  grosses  est  celle  de  la 
purpurase;  k  un  degr6  d6veloppement  de  plus  6lev€,  viennent  les 
leucites.  C'est  pour  ce  dernier  motif,  que,  dans  la  Note  de 
r Academic  dans  laquelle  j'annongais  la  d^couverte  de  la  purpur- 
ase' j'ai  dit  que  cette  derniSre  6tait  une  macrozymase.  Cette 
d^couverte  d'une  macrozymase,  qui  montre  nettement  que  les 
zymases  dont  des  ferments  figures  k  une  grande  importance  d'- 
abord  au  point  de  vue  de  la  mferphologie;  mais  ensuite  et  sur  tout 
parce  que  la  macrozymase  de  la  pourpre  nous  a  permis  de  foumir 
la  premiire  explication  du  mode  d' action  des  zymases  pour  laquelle, 
au  lieu  derails  d' observation,  k  la  portie  de  tout  le  monde,  on  n' avait, 
jusqu'  d  nous,  apporti  que  des  hypotheses  plus  ou  moins  ingSnieuses 
mais  sans  fondement  contrdlable. 

J'ajouterai  que  la  purpurase,  suivant  des  influences  diverses, 
fixation,  dessiccation,  coagulation,  hydratation,  coloration,  peut 
prendre  de  multiples  apparences  d^crites  par  les  auteurs  comme 
appartement  au  cytoplasme  lui-m6me. 

Conclusions. — Les  spherules  4Umentaires  dicrites  par  M. 
Grynfeltt  dans  les  cellules  purpuripares  sont  identigues  aux  vacuo- 
lides de  la  purpurase  de  R.  Dubois. 

La  purpurase  n'est  pas  un  produit  de  l'activit6  cellulaire,  elle 
risuUe  du  divehppement  de  granulations  bioprotionigues  actives 
par  accorissement  et  multiplication.  Elle  a  toutes  les  propriitis 
des  zymases  et  posidi  la  structure  vacuolidaire.  Au  point  de  vue 
norphohgigue  et  physiologigue  ces  vacuolides  se  comportent  comme 
des  leucites,  lesguels  ne  sont  gue  des  vacuolides  amplifiies. 

La  purpurase  prisenle,  sov^  certaines  influences,  beaucoup 
d'apparences  diverses  attributes  au  cytoplasme  lui-m^me. 

"Sur  le  m^aniame  de  la  formation  de  la  poiupre  (Comptes  rendus,  t.l34, 
1902,  p.  246-247). 


CU 


PHARMACOLOGIE  ET  CHIMIE  BIOLOGIQUE 
ATMOLYSE  ET  ATMOLYSEUR 

Pak  M.  Raphael  Dubois 

Professeur  d  la  FaculU  des  Sciences  de  I'  University  de  Lyon, 

Marseille,  France 

En  raison  de  I'importance  croissante  prise  en  pharmacologie, 
par  les  "  intrait  "  je  crois  devoir  presenter  la  note  suivante. 

J'ai  donnd  le  nom  d'Atmolyse  (atmos.  vapeur)  h,  Taction 
qu'exercent  sur  la  substance  organis6e  les  vapeurs  des  liquides 
organiques  neutres  volatils,  tels  que  chloroforme,  benzine,  others, 
alcools,  etc.,  dont  I'inhalation  est  susceptible  de  produire 
I'anestMsie  g^n^rale.* 

Les  recherches  exp^rimentales,  dont  j'ai  public  les  r^sultats, 
principalement  en  1883  et  1884  dans  les  Comptes  rendus  de  la 
Soci6t(5  de  Biologie,  m'ont  conduit  non  seulement  k  donner  une 
explication  rationnelle  exp6rimentale  et  tr^s  g^n^ralement  adoptee 
aujourd'hui  du  m6canisme  intime  d'action  des  anesth^siques 
g^n^raux;  mais  encore  k  montrer  les  relations  ^troites,  existant 
entre  Taction  du  froid  et  celle  des  anesth^siques,''  pr^parant 
ainsi,  par  surcroit,  Theureuse  application  de  T6th4rification  au 
forgage  des  plantes.' 

Des  principes  que  j'ai  d^couverts  sont  n^s  encore  d'autres 
applications  qui,  dans  ces  derni^res  ann^es,  ont  pris,  au  point 
de  vue  de  Tanalyse  immediate  des  tissus  organiques  et  de  Tex- 
traction  de  leurs  principes  actifs,  une  grande  importance  et  donn6 
lieu  k  de  nombreuses  publications  oil  Ton  pr^sente  comme  des 
nouveaut^s  ce  que  j'ai  montr^  il  y  a  un  quart  de  si^cle. 

'Voir  influence  des  vapeurs  anesth^ques  sur  les  tissus  vivants  (Comptes 
rendus  1886)  et  M^canisme  de  Taction  des  anesth^siques  (Revue  g6n.  des  Sc. 
p.  et  app.  t.  II,  1891,  p.  562-565). 

"Comptes  rendus,  26  mai  1912. 

'Clomptes  rendus  du  Congrfes  de  TA.F.A.S.Lyons  1906. 

9S 


96  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

En  outre,  on  a  confondu  k  tort  sous  les  noms  d'^th^rolyse,  de 
plasmolyse,  d'autolyse,  etc.,  deux  proc6d6s  absolument  distincts, 
donnant  des  rdsultats  trfes  diff^rents.  L'^th^rolyse  est 
le  proc6d6  d'extraction  des  sues  v6g6taux  par  immersion  dans 
rather  liquide,  imaging  par  Legrip  en  1876:  ce  n'est  pas  I'at- 
molyse  de  R.  Dubois. 

L'exp^rience  suivante  montre  bien  la  difference  existant  entre 
ces  deux  m^thodes: 

On  partage  deux  mandarines  en  deux  et  I'on  immerge  deux 
des  moiti^s  dans  un  vase  renfermant  de  I'^ther:  les  deux  autres 
moitife  sont  plac^es  dans  mon  atmolyseur. 

Ce  dernier  se  compose  d'lm  vase  de  verre  cylindrique,  h^r- 
m^tiquement  ferm6  par  un  couvercle  de  verre  muni  d'tm  bourrelet 
de  caoutchouc  et  solidement  fix6  par  des  chevalets  de  cuivre  k  vis 
au  moyen  d'un  cadre  arrondi  de  bois  dur. 

Dans  I'int^rieur  est  un  entonnoir  en  verre  trfe  6vas6,  plac6 
sur  un  flacon  destine  k  recevoir  le  liquide  atmolys^;  de  chaque 
c6t6  sont  des  recipients  destines  k  contenir  des  liquides  g^n^ra- 
teurs  de  vapeurs  atmolysantes,  simples  ou  conjugufe.  Un 
manomdtre  indique  la  tension  des  vapeurs  et  un  thermomStre, 
la  temperature.  Les  tissus  k  atmolyser  sont  suspendus  dans 
I'entonnoir,  de  fagon  k  eviter  le  tassement  et  I'obstruction  de  la 
douille. 

Dans  le  flacon  d'ether  renfermant  les  moiti^s  de  mandarine, 
il  se  forme  une  couche  inf^rieure  aqueuse,  coloree,  am^re  et 
fortement  aromatis^e  par  I'essence  des  cellules  de  I'^picarpe  dis- 
soute  par  I'ether;  c'est  le  liquide  etherolyse;  au  contraire,  le 
liquide  atmolys^  est  clair,  incolore,  sucre  et  ne  contient  pas 
d'essence,  celle-ci  n'ayant  pas  ete  chassee  des  cellules  par  les 
vapeurs  d'ether  employees  comparativement  k  I'ether  liquide. 

On  pourrait  multiplier  ces  exemples. 

Les  vapeurs  atmolysantes  chassent  des  tissus  principalement 
I'eau*  qui  entraine  avec  elle  surtout  des  cristalloides  et  parfois 
m^me  des  colloides,  par  exemple,  des  zymases  telles  que  la 
lucif erase  (Dubois),  le  ferment  hepatique  (Dastre). 


'Voir  Fonction  d'hydratation  (Dictionnaire  de  Physiologie  de  Richet); 
Paris,  Alcan,  1909. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  97 

Les  d^placements  d'eau  et  de  principes  immediate  primi- 
tivement  s6par6s  dans  la  m^me  cellule  ou  dans  des  cellules  diff^r- 
entes  peuvent  donner  naissance  k  des  produits  qui  ne  pr^existaient 
pas  a  r^tat  normal  et  peuvent  exercer  une  action  toxique.  C'est 
ce  que  j'ai  montr6  en  1883  (loc.  cit.)  pour  les  graines  de  moutarde 
et  les  feuilles  de  lauriercerise  atmolys^es.  Les  experiences  de 
Guignard'  de  Mirande,^  d'Heckel  (de  Marseille),' les  observations 
de  Demaussy,  de  Pougnet,  de  Molisch,  cit6s  par  Gu^rin''  ne  sont 
que  la  confirmation  de  mes  experiences  anciennes  et  aussi  de 
I'identite  de  Taction  du  gel  et  de  celle  des  anesth^siques  g^n^raux 
que  j'ai,  le  premier,  fait  connaitre.  J'ai  montr^,  en  outre,  que 
les  vapeurs  atmolysantes  des  anesth^siques  g^n^raux  se  fixent 
de  preference,  et  s'accumulent  par  election  dans  les  parties  riches 
en  lipoides  (jaune  de  I'oeuf),  ;  emences  vegetales.^  Cette  import- 
ante  remarque  est,    en  general,  k  tort,  attribue  k  M.  Ovehton. 

L'atmolyse  est  un  phenom^ne  osmotique  se  produisant  par 
des  echanges  entre  des  liquides  aqueux  et  des  vapeurs  au  travers 
d'un  septum  plus  ou  moins  dense.  Les  vapeurs  sont  d'autant 
plus  atmolysantes  pour  I'eau  que  la  chaleur  spedfique  des 
liquides  qui  les  fournissent  est  moins  eievee,  que  leur  poids 
atomique  est  plus  considerable  et  que  toutes  les  proprietes 
physiques  qui  varient  dans  le  mSme  sens  sont  plus  accentuees. 

Conclusions — L'atmolyse  que  j'ai  dicouverte,  est  le  resultat  de 
r action  osmotique  exercie  sur  la  substance  organisee  des  tissus  par 
les  vapeurs  de  liquides  anesthisiques.  Elle  ne  doit  pas  itre  confondue 
avec  I'MMrolyse,  la  plasmolyse,  I'autolyse,  etc.  Elle  constitue 
un  procMi  prideux  d'analyse  physiologique,  physicochimique 
et  aussi  d'extraction  de  principes  immMiats  utilisables  en  thira- 
peutique  tels  que  les  intraits,  etc. 


■Comptes  rendus,  12  Juillet  1909. 

HDomptes  rendus,  12  Juillet  1909. 

•Comptes  Novembre  1909  et  Juillet  1910. 

•Rev.  Sc.  du  24  D^c.  1910. 

•Comptes  rend,  de  la  See.  de  Biol.  19  Mai  1883  p.  376. 


UEBER     EINIGE     CHEMISCHE     REAKTIONEN     DER 
MIKROORGANISMEN   UND   IHRE  BEDEUTUNG 
■TtJR  CHEMISCHE  UND  BIOLOGISCHE 
PROBLEME 

VOHTRAG  VON  PROFESSOR  Dr.  FeLIX  EhRLICH 

Breslau,  Germany 

Dass  MikroorgtoismeD  wie  Hef  en,  Schimmelpilze  und  Bakterien 
auf  einer  grosscn  Anzahl  anorganischer  und  organisher  Stick- 
stoffverbindungen  bei  Gegenwart  der  sonst  nech  erforderlichen 
Nahrsalze  normal  wacbsen  und  mehr  oder  minder  gut  gedeihen 
konnen,  war  den  Pflanzenphysiologen  und  Ganmgschemikern  seit 
langer  Zeit  bekannt.  Weniger  beachtet  wurden  aber  noch  vor 
kurzem  die  fiir  den  Lebensprozess  so  wichtigen  chemischen 
Vorgange  bei  der  Stickstofif assimilation  deiser  kleinen  Lebewesen, 
vor  allem  die  weitgehenden  Veranderungen,  die  wahrend  des 
Wachstums  das  NShrsubstrat  selbst  und  die  darin  ursprlinlich 
enthaltenen  Stickstoffsubstanzen  erleiden. 

In  Jahre  1905  habe  ich  zuerst  bei  Gelegenheit  der  Aufkla- 
rung  der  Fuselolbildung^  auf  die  eigentiimlichen  tiefgreifenden 
chemischen  Umwandlungen  von  Aminosauren  durch  garen4e  und 
assimilierende  Hefe  nachdrucklich  hingewiesen.  Aus  meinen 
Untersuchungen  ging  zunachst  hervor,  dass  die  Aminosauren, 
die  entweder  direkt  in  der  Losung  vorhanden  sind  oder  sich  durch 
enzymatische  Prozesse  aus  dem  Eiweiss  des  Nahrmediums  oder 
der  Hefe  selbst  abgespalten  haben,  unter  natiirlichen  Bedin- 
gungen  und  auch  unter  den  Bedingungen  der  technischen  Garung 
die  eigentlichen  wichtigsten  Stickstoffnahrstoffe  der  hefe  dar- 
stellen,  was  bis  dahin  keineswegs  mit  hinreichender  Genauigkeit 
klargestellt  war.  Der  exakte  Beweis,  dass  die  naturUch  vor- 
kommenden  Aminosauren  wirklich  von  garender  Hefe  aus  der 
Losung  aufgenommen  und  auf  Eiweiss  verarbeitet  werden,  gelang 

'F.  Ehrlich,  Zeitschrift  des  Vereins  der  Deutschen  Zuckerindustrie  55,  539- 
567  (1905). 

99 


100         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

mit  Hilfe  der  von  mir  ausgearbeiteten  Garmethode  z.ur  asymetri- 
schen  Spaltung  der  Racemverbindung  der  betreffenden  Amino - 
sauren  durch  Hefe,i  bei  deren  Anwendung  in  fast  alien  Fallen 
eine  Aktivierung  der  vorgelegten  Stickstoffsubstanz  die  tatsach- 
lich  erfolgte  Assimilation  der  optisch  aktiven  in  der  Natur 
auftretenden  Kompon'ente  durch  den  Hefepilz  mit  Sicherheit 
anzeigte. 

Von  besonderem  Interesse  fiir  die  Kenntnis  Physiologie  der 
Mikroorganismen  war  nun  das  durch  die  weiteren  Untersuch- 
imgen  gezeitigte  Resultat,  dass  Hefe  bei  der  Eiweissbildung  die 
Aminosauren  des  Nahrsubstrates,  auf  dem  sie  wachst,  ihrem 
Korperprotein  nicht  direkt  durch  Kondensation  etwa  nach  Art 
der  Polypeptidsynthesen  Emil  Fischers  einverleibt,  wie  man  bis 
dahin  anzunehmen  geneigt  war.  Vielmehr  liess  sich  regelmassig 
beobachten,  dass  die  garende  Hefe  das  Molekiil  der  Aminosauren 
bei  der  Assimilation  spaltet,  den  dabei  freiwerdenden  Stickstoff 
in  Form  von  Ammoniak  fiir  ihren  Eiweissaufbau  verwertet,  den 
grossten  Teil  des  stickstoffreien  Molekiils  aber  in  Form  von 
Alkoholen  unverwertet  in  der  vergorenen  Losung  zuriicklasst. 
Es  entsteht  auf  diese  Weise,  wie  sich  zeigte^,  aus  Leucin  inaktiver 
Iso-Amylakohol,  aus  Isoleucin  optisch  aktiver  d-Amylalkohol, 
aus  Valin  Isobutylalkohol  d.h.  die  Hauptbestandteile  der  Fusel- 
ole  der  Hefegarung  bilden  sich  aus  den  in  grosser  Menge  in  jedem 
Eiweiss  vorkommenden  Aminosauren.  Auf  Grund  dieser  Befunde 
liess  sich  dann  direkt  eine  Garungsgleichung  fiir  die  Fuselol- 
bildung  entwickeln,  die  folgendem  Schema  entspricht: 

R.CHNH2CO2H  +  H2O  =  R.  CH2OH  +  CO2  +  NH3 

Auf  ahnliche  Weise  war  auch  die  Entstehung  der  Bernstein- 
saure  bei  der  alkoholishcen  Garung  herzuleiten  nur  mit  dem 
Unterscheide,  dass  hier  der  intermediar  aus  der  Glutaminsaure 
als  Muttersubstanz  hervorgegangene  Alkahol  eine  weitergehende 
Oxydation  zur  entsprechenden  Dikarbonsaure  erfahrt.^ 

Die  fiir  die  Fuselolbildung  aufgestellte  Gleichung  wurde  nun 
direkt  der  Pfadfinder  fiir  die  Entdeckung  einer  ganzen  Anzahl 

'P.  Ehrlieh,  Biochemische  Zeitschr.  1,  8-31  (1906);  8,  438-466  (1908). 
^F.  Ehrlieh,  Beriohte  der  Deutschen  Chemischen  Gesellschaft  40,   1027- 
1047;  40,  2538-2562  (1907). 
T.  Ehrlieh,  Bioehemisehe  Zeitsehr.  18,  391-423  (1909). 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  101 

von  Garungsalkoholen  denn  alle  oc-Aminosaurenunterliegeneinem 
analogen  Abbau  durch  garende  Hefe  genau  wie  die  Ursubstan- 
zen  des  Fuselols.  Man  kann  also  direkt  von  einer  "  alkohol- 
isehen  Garung  der  Aminosauren  "  sprechen,  die  normaler  Weise 
stets  parallel  neben  der  alkoholischen  Garung  des  Zuckers  ver- 
lauft  in  dem  Masse,  wie  die  wachsende  und  garende  Hefe  den 
Aminosauren  des  Nahrmediums  den  Stickstoff  zum  Aufbau  ihres 
Korpereiweisses  entzieht.  Unter  den  neu  aufgefundenen  Alko- 
holen,  die  man  durch  Hefegarung  sehr  leicht  und  bequem  pra- 
parativ  darstellen  kann  und  die  je  nach  Herkunft  mit  dem 
Stammwort  der  betreffenden  Aminosaure  benannt  wurden,  sind 
mehrere  von  besonderem  Interesse.  Wie  das  Tyrosol  (p-Oxy- 
phenylaethylalkohol)/  das  Tryptophol  (  -Indolylaethylalko- 
hol)",  das  Histidol  und  andere,  deren  Untersuchung  noch  nicht 
abgeschlossen  ist.  Offenbar  haben  viele  von  diesen  Alkoholen 
als  solche  oder  in  Form  bestimmter  Ester  einen  hervorragenden 
Anteil  an  dem  Zustandekommen  des  Geschmacks  und  Aromas 
der  gegorenen  Getranke,  besonders  des  Bieres  und  Weines. 

Dass  die  alkoholische  Garung  der  Aminosauren  auf  enzma- 
tische  Prozesse  ahnlich  wie  die  Zuckergarung  zuruckfiihren  ist, 
lasst  sich  mit  grosser  Wahrscheinlichkeit  annehmen.  Die 
Gesamtreaktion  setzt  sich  scheinbar  aus  einer  Summe  von  ein- 
zelnen  Enzymwirkungen  zusammen  wie  Hydratationen,  Ammo- 
niak-und  Kohlendioxyd-Abspaltungen,  etc.,  die  jede  fiir  sich  wohl 
geiegentlich  bebbachtet,  die  aber  in  ihrer  Gesamtheit  bis  dahin 
nicht  bekannt  waren.  Der  Nachweis  derartiger  Enzyme  gelang 
allerdings  bisher  nicht.  Weder  abgetotete  Hefe  noch  Hefepressaft 
vermogen  Aminosauren  in  Alkohole  zu  verwandeln.'  Est  ist 
also  anzunehmen,  dass  es  sich  hier  um  sehr  empfindliche  im 
Stoffwechsel  der  Hefe  tatige  Enzyme  handelt,  f tir  deren  Abtren- 
ung  vom  Leben  der  Hefe  unsere  jetzige  Methodik  der  Ferment- 
forschung  noch  nicht  ausreicht.  Veilleicht  ist  die  von  C.  Neu- 
berg^  neuerdings  entdekte  Carborylase,  die  Ketosauren  wie  die 
Brenztraubensaure  in  Aldehyde  und  Kohlendioxyd  spaltet 
R.  CO.  COOH  =  CO2  +  R  .  CHO, 

'F.  Ehrlich,  Ber.  d.  Deutsch.  Chem.  Ges.  44,  139-146  (1911). 
'F.  Ehrlich,  Ber.  Deutsch.  Chem.  Ges.  45,  883-889  (1912). 
'F.  EhrUch,  Ber.  Deutsch.  Chem.  Ges.  39,  4072-75  (1906). 
'Biochem  Zeitschr.  36,  76  (1911). 


102  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

eines  der  vielen  bei  der  alkoholischen  Garung  der  Aminosauren 
wirksamen  Enzyme.  Die  Moglichkeit  eines  solchen  Reaktion- 
sverlaufes,  die  allerdings  erst  noch  genauer  zu  beweisen  ware, 
ist  nicht  unwahrscheinlich,  nachdem  0.  Neubauer  und  Fromherz^ 
die  glatte  Vergarbarkeit  von  Ketosauren  durch  lebende  Hefe  zu 
denselben  Alkoholen  wie  aus  den  entsprechenden  Aminosauren 
gezeigt  haben 

R  .  CHNa  -  CO2H  -^  R  .  COCOOH  -^  R  .  CH,OH 
und  auf  Grund  dieser  Untersuchungen  die  Ketosauren,  deren 
Isolierung  auch  in  einen  Falle  gelang,  als  Zwischenprodukte  der 
Bildung  von  Fuselol  und  andern  Alkoholen  aus  Aminosauren 
auffassen.  Die  Ueberf iihrung  von  Aldehyden  in  die  entsprechen- 
den Alkohole  erscheint  jedenfalls  als  enzymatischer  Teilvorgang 
bei  der  alkoholischen  Hefegarung  nicht  mehr  befremdlich,  nach- 
dem C.  I.  Lintner  und  v.  Liebig^  die  Hydrierung  von  Furfurol  zu 
Furfuralkohol  durch  garende  Hefe  durchfuhren  konnten. 

Als  besonders  bemerkenswert  ergab  sich  dann  noch  bei  meinen 
weiteren  Untersuchungen,  dass  der  Abbau  von  Aminosauren  zu 
Alkoholen  durch  garende  Hefe  nur  bei  Gegenwart  von  Zucker 
vor  sich  gehen  kann.  Ohne  Zucker  zu  vergaren,  ist  die  Hefe 
nicht  imstande,  Aminosauren  zu  assimilieren  oder  uberhaupt  nur 
anzugreifen,  und  es  hat  sich  bisher  fiir  Kulturhefen  keine  Sub- 
stanz  ergeben,  welche  die  garfahigen  Kohlehydrate  in  dieser 
Hinsicht  vollwertig  ersetzen  kann.  Der  Zucker  bildet  offenbar 
die  Energiequelle,  mit  deren  Hilfe  die  Hefe  den  Eiweissaufbau 
vollzeiht,  und  gleichzeitig  das  Baumaterial,  aus  dessen  Bruch- 
stiicken  zusammen  mit  dem  aus  Aminosauren  abgespaltenen 
Ammoniakmolekiil  bei  der  Garung  die  Synthese  des  Korperpro- 
teins  der  Hefe  erfolgt.  Die  alkoholische  Garung  des  Zuckers  hat 
also  scheinbar  nur  die  Bedeutung  eines  allerdings  sehr  wichtigen 
Faktors  bei  der  Plasmabildung  der  Kulturhefen,  wahrend  die 
alkoholische  Garung  der  Aminosaure  als  eine  notwendige  Folge 
dieser  Plasmabildung  anzusehen  ist,  hervorgerufen  durch  das 
Unvermogen  der  Kulturhefen,  die  nach  Abspaltung  des  Ammo- 
niaks  beim  Eiweissaufbau  des  Organismus  verbleibenden  stick- 


iZeitschr.  f.  physiol.  Chem.  70,  326  (1911). 
^Zeitselir.  f.  physiol.  Chem.  72,  449  (1911). 


xix)  Congreaa  of  Applied  Chemistry  103 

stoffreien  Reste  der  Aminosauren  weiter  fiir    den  Stoffwechsel- 
prozess  aufzunnutzen.' 

Durch  ausgedehnte  Versuche  in  grossem  Masstabe,  die  ich 
mit  K.  A.  Jacobsen  ausfiihrte,  liess  sich  dann  feststellen,'  dass 
nicht  allein  untergarige,  obergarige  und  Wein-Kulturhefen, 
sondern  auch  die  verscheidensten  wilden  Heferassen  z.B.  des 
Anomalus-,  Torula-,  Pichlia-Typhus,  Kahmhefen,  etc.,  der 
gleichen  Reaktion  der  Umwandlung  von  Aminosauren  in  Alkohole 
fahig  sind.  Wesentlich  anders  verlief  aber  die  Einwirkung  von 
Scliimmelpilzen  and  ihnen  nahesteiienden  Organismen  auf 
Aminosauren.  Hier  wurden  Gruppen  von  Mikroorganismen 
gefunden,  wie  Oidium  lactis,  Mucoraceen,  Monilia-Piize,  etc., 
welche  unter  sonst  gleichen  Bedingunegn  wie  bei  der  Hefegarung 
Aminosauren  nicht  zu  Alkoholen,  sondern  im  wesentlichen  zu 
Oxysduren  verarbeiten.  ent  sprechend  der  allgemeinen  Gleichung: 

R  .  CHNH2 .  CO2H  +  H2O  =  R  .  CHOH  .  CO2H  +  NH, 
Diese  Umwandlung  verlauft  bei  einzelnen  Schimmelouilzen  wie 
Oidium  lactis  und  fiir  einzelne  Aminosauren  mit  aromatischem 
Kern  derartig  quantitativ,  dass  sie  zur  praparativen  Darstellung 
der  betreffenden  Oxysauren,  z.B.  p-Oxyphenylmilchsaure, 
Phenylmilchsaure,  Indolmilchsaure  dienen  kann,  die  auch  bei 
Anwendung  von  racemischem  Ausgangsmaterial  stets  optisch 
aktiv  erhalten  werden.  Einzelne  Arten  wie  Monilia  Candida 
vermOgen  aus  Aminosauren  sowohl  Alkohole  wie  Oxysauren  zu 
bilden,  andere  dagegen  wie  Penicillium  glaucum,  Aspergillus 
niger  und  manche  Mucor-Rassen  bauen  die  urspriinglich  ent- 
stehenden  Oxysauren  weiter  zu  niedrigermolekularen  \'erbin- 
dungen  ab.  Von  diesem  tiefgehenden  Abbau  werden  namentlich 
die  Aminosauren  der  Fettreihe  wie  Leucin,  Glutaminsaure,  etc., 
betroffen,  wahrend  die  Aminosauren  mit  aromatischer  Gruppe 
wie  Tyrosin,  Tryptophan,  etc.,  dem  Angriff  einzelner  Schimmel- 
pilze  viel  langer  Widerstand  leisten.  Auch  hier  finden  sich  aller- 
dings  einige  Penicillium-,   Aspergillus-,   Arten  und  bestimmte 

'F.  Ehrlich,  Landw.  Jahrbucher  1909,  V,  289-327,  sowie  F.  Ehrlich,  "  Ueber 
die  Bedeutung  des  Eiweisstoffwechsels  fiir  die  Lebensvorgange  in  der  Pflan- 
zenwelt  "  in  Herz's  Sammlung  chem.  u.  chem.-techn.  ^'ortrage  Stuttgart  1911 
Bd.  XVII. 

'F.  Ehrlich-u.  K.  A.  Jacobsen,  Ber.  Deutsch.  Chem.  Ges.  44,  888-897  (1911). 


104  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Bakterien,  die  Tyrosin  bis  zum  Verschwinden  der  Millon'schen 
Reaktion  zersetzen  d.h.  also  eine  voUstandige  Aufsprengung  des 
Benzol-Ringes  herbeifiihren. 

Als  eine  gemeinsame  sehr  bemerkenswerte  Eigentiimlichkeit 
der  Schimmelpilze  sowohl  wie  der  wilden  hautbildenden  Hefen 
stellte  es  sich  nun  heraus,  dass  diese  Gruppen  von  Mikroorganis- 
men  ganz  im  Gegensatz  zu  den  Kulturhefen  Aminosauren  selbst 
dann  angreifen  und  zu  Oxysauren  und  Alkoholen  abbauen,  wenn 
andere  Substanzen  wie  Zucker  zugegen  sind.^     Ausser  Kohle- 
hydraten   konnen  namlich   die   betreffenden   Organismen   auch 
Verbindungen  wie   Glycerin,   Milchsaure,   Aethylalkohol,   aber 
auch  viele   andere  Substanzen  der   Fettreihe   als  Kohlenstoff- 
und  Energiematerial  fur  ihren  Eiweissaufbau  verwerten,  wobei 
aus  den  Aminosauren  die  gleichen  Abbauprodukte  wie  bei  Gegen- 
wart  von  Zucker  resultieren.    So  bildet  aus  Tyrosin  die  Heferasse 
Willia  anomala  Hansen  Tyrosol  und  Oidium  lactis  aus  derselben 
Aminosaure  p-Oxyphenylmilchsaure  in  fast  denselben  Mengen- 
verhaltnissen,  gleichgtiltig,  ob  neben  Tyrosin  Zucker,  Glycerin 
oder   Aethylalkohol   als  Kohlenstoffmaterial  geboten  ist.     Die 
Willia-Hefe  produziert  sogar  deutlich,  wenn  auch  in  geringen 
Quantitaten,  Tyrosol,  wenn  nur  Methylalkohol  oder  Amylalkohol 
neben  Tyrosin  in  der  Losung  vorhanden  ist.     In  alien  diesen 
Fallen  war  auch  stets  ein  deutliches  Wachstum  des  betreffenden 
Organismus   wahrnehmbar.     Diese   Merkwiirdige   Erscheinung 
erklart,  warum  bei  vielen  wilden  Heferassen  und  Schimmel- 
pilzen  unter  Umstanden  ein  tiefergehender  Abbau  der  zunachst 
aus  den  Aminosauren  gebildeten  Sauren  oder  Alkoholen  erfolgen 
kann,   da  namlich  diese  primaren  Abbauprodukte  unter  ent- 
sprechend  ungiinstigen  Bedingungen  leicht  weitere  Verwertung 
bei  der  Eiweissynthese  der  Organismen  erfahren.    Die  Beobach- 
tung,  dass  gewohnlicher  Alkohol  bei  der  Ernahrung  hautbildender 
Hefen  und  Schimmelpilze  einen  vollwertigen  Ersatz  fur  Zucker 
bilden  kann,  gibt  liberdies  eine  bequeme  Methode  an  die  Hand, 
besonders  empfindliche  oder  sehr  leicht  losliche  Stoffwechsel- 
produkte  aus  Aminosauren  besser  und  in  reinerer  Form  zu  iso- 
lieren,  da  bei  Verwendung  von  Alkohol  viele  haufig  die  Isolierung 

T.  Ehrlich,  Biochem.  Zeitschr.  36,  477-497  (1911). 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  105 

storende  Ncbenprodukte  aus  Zucker  bei  der  Aufarbeitung  der 
Nahrlosungen  wegfallen. 

Die  eigenartigen  Umwandlungen,  die  Aminosauren  durch  Hefen 
und  Schimmelpilze  erieiden,  ermutigten  nun  weiteriiin  dazu,  die 
Einwirkung  dieser  Mikroorganismen  auf  andere  Organische 
stickstofflaaltige  Substanzen  zu  studieren.  In  dieser  Hinsicht 
ersciiicnen  zunachst  die  primdren  Amine  von  Interesse,  unter 
denen  bekanntlich  einige  bei  der  Faulnis  von  Aminosauren  auf- 
treten.  Untersuchungen,  die  ich  gemeinsam  mit  P.  Pistschimuka 
in  dieser  Richtung  unternaiim^/  dass  diese  Verbindungen  von 
wilden  Hefen  und  von  vielen  Schimmelpilzen  fast  quantitativ, 
weniger  leiciit  dagegen  von  Kulturhefen  analog  den  Aminosauren 
in  Alkohole  ubergefiihrt  werden,  entsprechend  der  Gleichung: 

R  .  CHjNHa  +  H2O  =  R  .  CH2OH  +  NH3, 
wobei,  von  den  Kulturhefen  abgesehen,  statt  Zucker  ebenfalls 
Glycerin,  Aethylalkohol,  etc.,  als  Kohlenstoffnahrmaterial  dienen 
konnen.  So  wurde  Amylamin  in  Amylalkohol,  p-Oxyphenyl- 
aethylamin  in  Tyrosol  umgewandelt,  und  es  erscheint  besonders 
interessant,  dass  letzteres  Amin,  das  nach  Bargers  Untersu- 
chungen das  giftige  Prinzip  des  Mutterkorns  bildet  und  f tir  den 
menschlichen  und  tierischen  Organismus  so  gefahrliche  Eigen- 
schaften  besitzt,  von  Hefen  und  Schimmelpilzen  ohne  jede 
Schadigung  ertragen  und  sogar  fiir  den  normalen  Stoffwech- 
selprozess  ausserst  gtinstig  verwertet  wird. 

Die  leichte  Ueberfiirhbarkeit  der  Amine  in  Alkohole  durch 
viele  Heferassen  legt  den  Gedanken  nahe,  ob  nicht  etwa  auch 
die  Fuselolbildung  der  Hefe  aus  Aminosauren  einen  ahnlichen 
Reaktionsverlauf  nehmen  kann,  bei  d|em  die  Amine  die  Zwischen- 
produkte  bilden  wurden  zufolge  des  Schemas 

R  .  CHNHs .  CO2H  -^  R  .  CH2NH2  -.  R  .  CH2OH. 
Da  bei  der  Faulnis  ein  Abbau  von  Aminosauren  zu  Aminen  unter 
C02-Abspaltung  haufig  beobachtet  ist,  so  ist  die  Moglichkeit 
eines  solchen  Abbaus  auch  bei  der  alkoholischen  Garung  der 
Aminosaure  nicht  ohne  weiteres  von  der  der  Hand  zu  weisen. 
^^fiui  Kulturhefen  nur  in  geringem  Masse  befahigt  sind,  aus 

'F.  Ehrlich  u.  P.  Pistschimuka,  Ber.  Deutsch.  Chem.  Ges.  45,  1006-1012 
(1912). 


106         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Aminen  Alkohole  zu  bilden,  so  spricht  diese  Erscheinung  nicht 
unbedingt  gegen  das  oben  skizzierte  Abbauschemaj  da  es  wohl 
denkbar  erscheint,  dass  fiir  Kulturhefen  die  quantitative  Durch- 
fiihrung  der  Reaktion  bis  zum  Alkohol  wesentlich  von  der 
gleichzeitigen  C02-Abspaltung  abhangt,  der  vielleicht  bei  diesen 
Hefen  die  Rolle  einer  besonderen  Energiequelle  zukommt. 

Neuerdings  habe  ich  dann  noch  gemeinsam  mit  Herrn  Fritz 
Lange  das  Verhalten  von  Hefe  und  Schimmelpilzen  gegen  tertidre 
Amine  einer  eingehenden  Bearbeitung  unterzogen.  Es  erschien 
hier  besonders  von  Interesse,  ob  solche  Stickstoffverbindungen 
im  Stoffwechsel  von  Mikroorganismen  ausgenutzt  warden  konnen 
und  welche  Abbauprodukte  dabei  gebildet  werden.  Sehr  geeigne- 
erschienen  fur  diese  Versuche  das  Hordenin  (p-Oxyphenylaethylt 
dimethylamin)  p-OH.C6H4.CH2CH2N(CH3)2  und  das  Betain 
(Trimethylamidoessigsaure)   (CH3)3N.CH2.COO 

Das  von  L6ger  in  den  Malzkeimen  aufgefundene  Hordenin  ist 
interessant  wegen  seiner  nahen  chemischen  Beziehungen  zum 
Tyrosin,  zum  p-Oxtphenylaethylamin  und  auch  zum  Tyrosol. 
Das  Betain  bildet  ein  wichtiges  Abfallprodukt  der  Zucker- 
industrie  in  der  Melasse  und  Melasseschlempe.  Es  wird  in  den 
letzten  Jahren  daraus  in  grossen  Mengen  technisch  nach  einem 
von  mir  angegenen  Verfahren^  hergestellt  und  in  Form  seines 
Chlorids,  das  in  wassriger  Losung  stark  hydrolysiert  ist,  unter 
dem  Namen  Acidol  oder  mit  Pepsin  trocken  gemischt  als  Acidol- 
Pepsin  in  der  Pharmazie  als  Ersatz  fiir  fliissige  Salzsaure  heute 
viel  benutzt.  Das  Betain  als  solches  ist  gegen  chemische  An- 
griffe  sehr  widerstandsfahrig,  selbst  gegen  Konigs-Wasser.  Nach 
den  Untersuchungen  vieler  Physiologen  wird  es  vom  tierischen 
und  menschlichen  Organismus  so  gut  wie  garnicht  ausgenutzt, 
und  erscheint  zum  grossten  Teil  in  Ham  wieder.  Auch  iiber  die 
Verwertung  des  Betains  durch  Mikroorganismen  liegen  bisher 
nur  ganz  vereinzelte  Angaben  vor,  nach  denen  nur  sicher  gestellt 
erscheint,  dass  Brennerei-und  Brauereihefen  auf  Betain  nicht 
gedeihen  konnen.^ 

Durch  unsere  Versuche  haben  wir  nun  zunachst  ermittelt, 
dass  sowohl  Hordenin  wie  Betain  vorziigliche  Stickstoffnahrmit- 

'Deutsches  Reichspatent  No.  157173. 

^Stanek,  Zeitschr.  f.  d.  ges.  Brauwesen  36,  566  (1907). 


XIX J  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  107 

tel  fiir  eine  ganze  Reihe  von  Mikroorganismen  bilden  und  zwar 
im  wesentlichen  f tir  dieselben,  die  auch  primare  Amine  angreifen, 
wobei-,  Alkohol  ebenso  wie  Zucker  als  Kohlenstoffmaterial  dienen 
kann.  Hierunter  gehoren  vor  allem  hautbildende  und  Kahm- 
hefen,  wie  Willia  anomala,  Pichia  farinosaund  membranefaciens, 
Monilia  Candida  sowie  eine  ganze  Anzahl  von  Schimmelpilzen 
wie  Oidium  lactis  und  lupuli,  Penicillium-und  Aspergillus-Arten, 
Epicoccum  purpurascens,  Citromyces  Pfefferianus,  etc.  Naher 
verfolgt  wurde  der  Abbau,  den  die  tertiaren  Amine  durcli  das 
Wachstum  der  Heferasse  Willia  anomala  erleiden.  Hierbei 
zeigte  sich  merkwtirdiger  Weise,  dass  auch  in  diesen  Fallen  eine 
Ersetzung  der  Amingruppe  durch  die  Hydroxylgruppe  statt- 
findet,  und  dass  bei  der  Assimilation  von  Hordenin  fast  quanti- 
tativ  Tyrosol,  bei  derjenigen  von  Betain  deutlich  nachweisbar 
Glykolsdure  auftritt  zufolge  der  Gleichungen 
OH  .  C8H4.CH2CH2  (CHs)^  +  H2O  =  OH.C6H4.CH2.CH2OH  + 

NH(CH8)2  (CH8)8N.CH2COO  +  H2O  =  CH2OH.COOH  + 
N(CH3)3 

In  den  Hordenin-und  Betain-Losungen,  auf  denen  die  Hefe 
gewachsen  war,  liess  sich  nun  aber  weder  Dimethylamin,  noch 
Trimethylamin  nachweisen.  Diese  Amine  scheinen  durch 
Wasseranlagerung  einen  weiteren  Abbau  erfahren  zu  haben  unter 
Bildung  von  Ammoniak  und  Methylalkohol  etwa  im  Sinne  der 
Gleichung 

N(CH3)3  +  3H2O  =  NH3  +  3CH3OH. 
Auch  das  hierbei  entstehende  Ammoniak  war  in  den  Losungen 
nicht  auffindbar.  Ganz  analog  wie  bei  der  Assimilation  der  Ami- 
nosauren  dient  offenbar  das  intermediar  abgespaltene  Ammoniak 
fur  die  Eiweissynthese  der  Pilze,  wobei  wahrscheinlich  gleich- 
zeitig  der  nebenher  gebildete  Methylalkohol  durch  weitere 
Oxydation  ebenfalls  Verwertung  findet.  Hierfiir  liessen  sich 
triftige  Beweise  aus  dem  Verhalten  von  Willia  anomala  gegen 
Trimethylamin  und  Ammoniak  herleiten.  Diese  Heferasse 
wachst  namlich  auf  den  anorganischen  Salzen  dieser  beiden  Basen 
sehr  iippig,  wenn  ihr  gleichzeitig  Zucker  oder  Aethylalkohol 
geboten  ist,  zeigt  aber  auch  deutliche,  wenn  auch  nicht  so  starke 
Vegetation,  sobald  nur  Methylalkohol  als  einzige  C-Quelle  zuge- 
gen  ist.    Der  direkte  Nachweis  von  Ammoniak  als  Zwischen- 


108         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

produkt  des  mikro-biochemischen  Abbaus  tertiarer  Amine  gelang 
dann  noch  beim  Penicillium  glaucum,  das  schon  nach  kurzem 
Wachstum  auf  Betain  oder  Trimethylamin-Losungen  wahrnehm- 
bare  Mengen  Ammoniak  produziert. 

Bei  meinem  mit  F.  Lange  unternommenen  Versuchen  bin  ich 
dann  noch  einen  wesentlichen  Schritt  weitergegangen.  Wenn 
tertiare  und  auch  quaternare  Aminverbindungen  wie  das  Betain 
als  N-Quelle  ftir  Mikroorganismen  Bedeutung  haben,  so  war  zu 
erwarten,  dass  auch  ringformige  Stickstoffverbindungen  in  dieser 
Hinsicht  irgendwie  in  Betracht  kommen  mussten.  In  der  Tat 
zeigte  sich,  dass  Pilze  wie  Willia  anomala,  Oidium  lactis,  Pichia 
farinosa,  Penicillium  glaucum  in  mehr  oder  minder  ausgepragter 
Weise  deutliches  Wachstum  auf  Losungen  von  Pyridinphosphat, 
Piperidintartrat,  Cinchoninsaure,  etc.,  zeigen.  Besonders  iiber- 
raschend  war,  dass  dieselben  Hefen  und  Pilze  auch  teils  starker, 
tells  schwacher  normale  Zellbildung  auf  einer  ganzen  Reihe  von 
Alkaloiden  erkennen  lassen  z.B.  auf  Coniin,  Chinin,  Cocain, 
Brucin,  Nicotin.  Wenn  es  auch  hier  bisher  noch  nicht  gelang, 
bestimmte  Stoffwechselprodukte  bei  Verarbeitung  der  Alkaloide 
durch  die  Pilze  abzuscheiden,  so  steht  doch  zu  erwarten,  dass 
unter  Einhaltung  gewisser  Konzentrationen  der  Nahrlosungen 
bei  manchen  verhaltnismassig  tippig  wachsenden  Schimmelpilzen 
wie  den  Penicilliumarten  einer  solchen  Isolierung  wohl  moglich  sien 
wird.  Vielleicht  ist  hiermit  den  organischen  Chemikern  ein 
neues  Hilfsmittel  an  die  Hand  gegeben,  die  Konstitution  mancher 
chemisch  noch  unbekannter  Alkaloide  oder  ihrer  Abbauprodukte 
naher  dadurch  zu  erforschen,  dass  man  auf  den  Losungen  der 
Alkaloide  bestimmte  Mikroorganismen  zur  Vegetation  bringt 
und  aus  der  Art  des  Wachstums  und  der  danach  isolierten  Spal- 
tungsprodukte  Schlusse  auf  die  Bindungsform  des  Stickstoffs 
und  die  chemische  Struktur  des  betreffenden  Alkaloids  zieht. 
Wenigstens  haben  schon  eine  Reihe  von  Vorsersuchen  ergeben, 
dass  je  nach  den  Bindungsverhaltenissen  des  Stickstoffs  der 
Angriff  von  Alkaloiden  durch  Mikroorganismen  sehr  verscheiden 
erfolgt,  sodass  z.B.  Nicotin,  das  einen  leicht  aufspaltbaren  Pyr- 
rolidin-Ring  enthalt,  eine  wesentlich  gunstigere  Stickstoff- 
nahrung  fiir  die  Pilze  bildet  als  Alkaloide  mit  fester  gefugter 
Stickstoffgruppe  wie  Chinin,  Cocain,  etc. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  109 

Wenn  auch  zur  Aufklarung  dieser  eigenartigen  Beziehungen 
noch  sehr  eingehende  Arbeiten  erforderlich  sein  werden,  so 
ermutigen  doch  schon  die  hier  mitgeteilten  Resultate  die 
verschiedenen  chemischenen  Reaktionen,  deren  die  Mikroorgan- 
ismen  fahig  sind,  mehr  als  bisher  zur  Erforschung  organisch- 
chemischer  Probleme  heranzuziehen.  In  dieser  Hinsicht 
dtirfte  namentlich  die  Eindeutigkeit  interessant  erscheinen, 
mit  der  in  ganz  heterogen  zusammengesetzten  organisehen 
Stickstoffverbindungen  wie  primaren,  tertaren  Aminen,  Amino- 
sauren, etc.,  durch  sehr  viele  Arten  von  Mikroorganismen  regel- 
miissig  und  in  zahlreichen  Fallen  fast  quantitativ  ein  Ersatz  des 
Stickstoffs  durch  die  Hydroxylgruppe  erfolgt.  Zweifellos  werden 
sich  diese  Reaktionen  in  verschiedenster  Richtung  noch  vari- 
ieren  lassen  und  ahnlich  wie  jetzt  zur  praparativen  Darstellung 
von  manchen  sonst  schwer  zuganglichen  Alkoholen  mittels  Hefe 
und  Oxysauren  mittels  Oidium  lactis  wird  man  die  biochemische 
Wirkung  der  Mikroorganismen  noch  fur  die  Gewinnung  vieler 
anderer  organischer  Substanzen  vorteilhaft  ausnutzen  konnen. 
Das  Arbeiten  mit  Mikroorganismen  sollte  daher  mehr  als  es  bis 
jetzt  geschehen  ist,  zum  Riistzeugder  Experimentierkunst  jedes 
organisehen  Chemikers  gehoren.  Die  Einrichtungen  dafur  sind 
ja  in  jedem  chemischen  Laboratorium  vorhanden  oder  leicht  zu 
beschaffen,  die  Bereitung  der  Nahrlosungen  und  die  Reinzucht 
der  Mikroorganismen  sind  einfache  leicht  erlembare  Operationen. 
Ueber-dies  kann  man  hierbei  vorteilhaft  mit  sehr  geringen  Men- 
gen  Substanzen  experimentieren  und  die  relativ  niedrigen  Tem- 
peraturen,  bei  denen  die  eigentliche  Einwirkung  der  Mikro- 
organismen erfolgt,  verbiirgen  ausserdem  eine  moglichst  weit- 
gehende  Schonung  der  zu  verarbeitenden  Substanz  und  der 
daraus  erhaltenen  Produkte. 

Dass  die  Auffindung  von  chemischen  Reaktionen  der  Mikro- 
organismen in  der  Art  der  hier  geschilderten  f  iir  viele  biologische 
Probleme  von  Bedeutung  zu  werden  verspricht,  geht  ja  schon 
aus  den  obigen  Auseinandersetzungen  zur  Geniige  hervor  und 
bedarf  daher  nicht  einer  besonderen  Hervorhebung.  Man  wird 
jetzt  allmahlich  daran  gehen  konnen,  ftir  die  Mikroorganismen 
mehr  wie  bisher  einer  Systematik  auf  chemisch-physiologischer 
Grundlage  zu  schaffen  und  dabei  als  Ausgangspunkte  fiir  das 


110         Original  Communications :  Eighth  International       [vol. 

verschiedene  biologische  Verhalten  nicht  allein  die  Kohlehy- 
drate  nehmen,  wie  bis  jetzt  bei  den  Hefen,  sonedern  vor  allem 
die  fur  die  Plasmabildung  so  wichtigen  Eiweisstoffe,  ihre  Spalt- 
produkte,  die  Aminosauren,  und  die  daraus  entstehenden  je 
nach  der  Gattung  des  Organismes  verschieden  gebauten  Stoff- 
weehsel-Endprodukte.  Weiterhin  wird  dann  die  verschiedene 
spezifische  Einwirkung  auf  andere  chemische  Substanzen  einen 
Massstab  ftir  die  Einteilung  der  verschiedenartigen  Rassen  und 
Gruppen  von  Hefen  und  Schimmelpilzen  bilden  konnen.  In 
dieser  Hinsicht  sei  daran  erinnert,  wie  eigenartig  und  scharf  die 
Gruppe  der  Kulturhef en  sich  von  den  iibrigen  wilden  Heferassen 
dadurch  abhebt,  dass  sie  im  Gegensatz  zu  diesen  Hefen  Amine 
und  ahnlich  konstituierte  Verbindungen  sogut  wie  gamicht  fiir 
ihren  Stoffwechselprozess  ausnutzen  konnen,  sondern  nur  imstan- 
de  sind,  Kohlehydrate  als  Kohlenstoffbausteine  fiir  die  Eiweiss- 
synthese  zu  verwenden,  wahrend  Kahmhefen  alle  moglichen 
anderen  Verbindungen  zu  diesem  Zwecke  heranziehen  konnen. 

Schliesslich  wird  nicht  zu  bezweifeln  sein,  dass  das  weite- 
re  Studium  der  Einwirkung  von  Mikroorganismen  in  der  hier 
skizzierten  Richtung  von  grosser  Bedeutung  fiir  die  Aufklarung 
der  Stoffwechselprozesse  nicht  allein  in  den  niederen,  sondern 
auch  in  den  hoheren  Pflanzen  werden  kann.  Hier  sind  es  namen- 
tlich  die  Fragen  der  Entstehung  der  Riechstoffe  und  Alkaloide 
und  ihres  Schicksals  in  den  griinen  Pflanzen,  zu  deren  Klarung 
Vorarbeiten  auf  dem  Gebiete  der  Biochemie  der  Hefen  und 
Schimmelpilze  nach  dem  oben  entworfenen  Arbeitsplane  sicher 
sehr  wesentliche  Beitrage  liefern  werden. 


(Abstract) 

THE  CHEMICAL  CHANGES  TAKING  PLACE  IN  MILK 
UNDER  PATHOLOGICAL  CONDITIONS 

By  Lewis  W.  Feczer 

Department  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

In  1907  a  study  was  begun  in  the  laboratory  of  physiological 
chemistry  at  the  Maryland  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  of 
the  chemical  changes  taking  place  in  the  milk  of  animals  suffer- 
ing from  inflammations,  other  thantuberculosis,  of  the  mammary ' 
glands.  The  work  was  done  in  conjunction  with  the  veterinary 
department  and  was  completed  in  the  fall  of  1909.  Owing  to 
pressure  from  other  duties  and  employment  elsewhere  I  have  not 
been  able  to  make  a  complete  report  upon  this  topic  until  the 
present  time. 

As  we  all  know,  there  are  numerous  analyses  of  milks  of  abnor- 
mal composition  on  record,  some  of  which  are  stated  to  be  of 
pathological  origin,  and  others  which  undoubtedly  originate 
from  animals  having  a  mammary  gland  affection.  In  practically 
all  instances,  however,  the  analytical  data  which  are  presented 
are  incomplete  and  almost  always  are  confined  to  the  constituents 
which  are  reported  in  commercial  analysis,  i.e.,  fat,  total  solids, 
solids-not-fat,  and  possibly  lactose.  Another  feature  which  has 
not  been  taken  into  account  wh»n  reporting  previously  recorded 
analyses  is  the  stage  of  the  disease  at  which  the  sample  was 
obtained.  This  is  a  very  important  point  which  must  be  consid- 
ered at  all  times,  if  the  results  obtained  are  to  be  utilized. 

We  were  very  fortunate  in  locating  a  barn  which  contained  a 
herd  in  which  mastitis  existed.  The  disease  had  previously 
appeared  from  time  to  time  in  this  barn  without  leaving  aay 
apparent  severe  effects  upon  the  animals. 

The  plan  followed  in  this  work  was  the  following  one :  The  over- 
seer of  the  dairy  barn  and  his  helpers  were  instructed  by  Dr.  S.  S. 
Buckley,  the  veterinarian  of  the  Experiment  Station,  to  report 

111 


112        Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

to  him  any  abnormality  which  they  might  note  in  the  behavior 
of  the  animals,  and  furthermore,  any  appearance  of  redness, 
tenderness  and  hardness  on  and  in  the  mammary  glands.  They 
were,  in  addition,  instructed  to  report  any  change  in  the  color 
and  consistency  of  the  milk  and  the  amount  of  milk  obtained. 

Our  main  purpose  in  setting  up  a  plan  of  this  character  was  to 
enable  us  to  study  the  milk  from  these  animals  throughout  the 
cycle  of  the  disease,  i.e.,  from  its  inception  until  the  time  when 
the  mammary  gland  appeared  clinically  normal  and  the  milk 
had  assumed  its  right  appearance.  In  this  connection  I  will  say, 
however,  that  a  milk  that  had  the  appearance  of  being  normal 
and  comes  from  an  udder  which  has  apparently  healed  is  no 
guarantee  that  the  milk  is  fit  for  human  consumption. 

On  receiving  the  report  of  the  dairyman  or  milker  that  such 
and  such  a  cow  showed  some  unusual  peculiarity  in  regard  to  its 
gland  or  the  milk  therefrom,  the  milk  was  drawn  in  sterile  Erlen- 
meyer  flasks  or  sterile  quart  milk  bottles.  If  the  sample  was 
taken  early  in  the  morning  it  was  placed  in  a  refrigerator  and 
taken  in  work  on  the  same  morning  as  soon  as  the  laboratory 
opened.  If  sampled  in  the  late  afternoon  the  milks  were  placed 
in  the  refrigerator  and  kept  until  the  following  morning,  when 
the  analysis  was  begun.  Most  of  the  samples  of  milk  were 
obtained  in  the  morning.  In  no  case  was  a  milk  examined  which 
had  taken  the  form  of  a  jelly  or  contained  a  compact  jelly-Uke 
mass.  The  reason  for  this  was  that  we  wanted  to  examine  the 
milks  which  were  most  liable  to  be  passed  on  into  the  milk  supply. 
The  observations  made  were  as  follows: 

General  history  of  animals : 
Breed  of  animals. 
Age. 

Number  of  calves. 
Frequency  of  abortion. 
Kind  of  barn  kept  in  previously. 
Whether  a  good  milker  or  not. 

Clinical  history  of  animals: 

Date  of  inception  of  mastitis;  physical  condition  of  mammary 
glands  at  the  beginning  and  during  the  cycle  of  the  disease; 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  113 

whether  one  or  more  quarters  were  affected ;  the  duration  of  the 
disease ;  and  if  the  quarters  affected  were  finally  rendered  worthless 
as  far  as  milk  production  is  concerned. 

The  Milk: 

(a)  Odor;  consistency;  whether  it  contained  flakes  or  stringy 
pus  in  suspension  blood,  etc.,  or  a  sediment. 

(b)  Microscopical  examination — the  nature  of  the  sediment 
obtained  with  the  centrifuge. 

This  part  of  the  examination  was  very  limited,  as  we  had  only 
a  very  small  laboratory  force  at  our  disposal.  It  consisted  of 
obtaining  a  differential  leucocyte  count  and  observations  as  to 
the  morphological  characteristics  of  bacteria  present. 

(c)  Chemical  examination. 

In  the  chemical  work  the  observations  and  determinations 
made  were  as  follows :  Reaction,  total  solids,  total  nitrogen,  total 
protein  (nitrogen  X  6.37),  casein,  albumin,  globulin,  amids, 
peptones,  ammonia,  lactose,  fat,  cholesterol,  lecithin,  ash,  ash 
constituents;  potassium,  sodium  calcium,  magnesium  phos- 
phoric acid,  chlorin,  sulphuric  acid  and  iron. 

Emym  tests:  Catalse,  peroxidase,  oxidase  and  reductase. 

The  principal  changes  noted  in  the  chemical  composition  of  the 
milk  during  the  pathological  process  were  as  follows : 

Acidity:  Most  milks  at  the  beginning  of  the  process  showed  a 
diminution  of  the  apparent  acidity.  This  in  some  instances  went 
on  until  alkalinity  set  in,  where  it  remained  until  the  disease 
began  to  undergo  resolution,  after  this  the  acidity  gradually  rose 
to  its  normal  point  again. 

Total  solids:  In  acute  cases  the  total  solids  were  high  at  the 
outset,  but  as  the  process  went  on  there  was  a  diminution  of  the 
same. 

Total  solids-not-fat:  In  some  instances  there  was  an  increase, 
while  in  others  no  marked  change  took  place. 

Total  nitrogen  and  protein  X  6.38.  Increased  at  the  outset  and 
remained  increased  until  resolution  took  place. 

Casein:  Diminished  in  some  instances  and  remained  so  until 
the  pathological  condition  was  eliminated. 
8 


114  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Lactglobulin?  {Serum  globulin) :  Increased  until  resolution  set 
in. 

Albumin?  {Serum  alhurhin) :  Increased  during  the  whole  proc- 
ess, then  back  to  normal. 

Lactose:  Diminished  gradually  as  the  process  went  on,  then 
back  to  normal. 

Fat:  Diminished  gradually  until  the  fastigium  of  the  process 
was  reached,  then  increased  again. 

Cholesterol :  Diminished  gradually  until  the  fastigium  of  the  proc- 
ess was  reached,  and  then  increased  again.  When  calculated  on 
the  basis  of  100  parts  of  ether  extract  it  seemed  to  be  increased. 

Lecithin:  Diminished  gradually,  then  increased  gradually  as 
resolution  was  taking  place. 

Ash:  In  some  cases  an  increase  took  place,  but  only  in  a  few 
instances  was  a  very  large  increase  apparent. 

Ash  constituents:  The  most  characteristic  changes  taking  place 
in  the  composition  of  the  ash  were  an  increase  in  the  sodium  and 
chlorin  content,  a  corresponding  decrease  in  the  potassium  con- 
tent, and  in  most  instances  a  decrease  in  the  calcium  and  phos- 
phoric acid  content.  In  all  probability  a  determination  of  the 
chlorin  content  of  the  milk,  respectively  in  the  ash,  will  furnish 
a  clue  as  to  whether  the  milk  in  question  is  of  pathological  origin 
or  not. 


THE    ARYL    ARSON ATES:  THEIR    PHARMACOLOGY 
CONSIDERED  FROM  THE  EXPERIMENTAL  AND 
PRACTICAL  STANDPOINTS 

By  J.  M.  Fortescxje-Bbickdale,  M.A.,  M.D.  Oxon 

Assistant   Physician   to   the    Royal   Infirmary,  Bristol;   Clinical 

Lecturer  and  Director  of  the  Public  Health  Laboratory, 

University  of  Bristol 

The  fact  that  atoxyl  (sodium  para-amido-phenyl  arsenic  acid) 
ean  cause  trypanosomes  to  disappear  from  the  peripheral  circula- 
tion is  now  generally  known.  Since  the  introduction  of  this  sub- 
stance by  Thomas  and  Breinl  in  1905'  a  number  of  allied  sub- 
stances have  also  been  employed  both  on  experimental  animals 
and  in  practice.  Breinl  and  Nierenstein*  found  that  the  following 
bodies  had  no  trypanocidal  action  in  infected  animals: 
(1)  Salicyl  atoxyl  „ 

As  =  0 
y/^NoNa 


N  =  C.CIL.  OH 
(2)  Sodium  pora-hydroxy-phenyl  arsenate 

^oH 


As  =  0 


ONa 


OH 
lis 


116         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


(3)  Di-sodium  azobenzene  4-arsenate 

Na  Ov  /  \  /  \. 


0=As/ 
NaO^        ^ 


\^  = 


N=N< 


V 


(4)  Di-sodium  4-oxy-azobenzeiie  4-arsenate 


NaO.           / 

0  =  As/ 
Nao/        V 

\n=n^ 

V 

\0H 

(5)  Tetra-sodiuTTi  phenazine  4-arsenate 

NaO.         r^           Y                 T              )       /ONa 

0=As 

As  =  0 

NaO^ 

V^ 

\./^ 

\y 

-     \0Na 

(6)  Sodium  di-para-amido-pfaenyl  arsenate 
\ 


H,N. 


O 

!l 

-As 


V 


zx. 


ONa       \ /" 


^NH 


(7)  Sodium  di-paro-acetyl-amido-phenyl  arsenate 


ca.co.HN. 


/ 


0 

i 

■As 


N. 


\nh.co.ch, 


ONa 


nx] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


117 


On  the  other  hand  (1)  Acetyl-atoxyl 

.OH 
As  =  0 


NH.CO.CHa 


(2)  Sodium' 3-methyl-4-amido-phenyl  arsenate  (Kharsin) 

yOH 
As  =  0 


NHj 


CH, 


Sodium  3-methyl-4-acetyl-amido-phenyl  arsenate  (Orsudan) 

yOH 

As=0 
y'^NoNa 

CH, 
/ 
NH.CO.CH, 

were  trypanocidal  for   certain  trypanosomes  in  experimental 
animals. 


118  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


The  following  derivatives  of  Orsudan  corresponding  with  the 
inactive  atoxyl  derivatives  above  enumerated  had  very  slight 
trypanocidal  action  in  the  case  of  the  JSirst  two,  and  none  at  all 
in  the  case  of  the  two  last  in  the  list. 

(1)  Sodium  3-methyl-4-hydroxy-phenyl  arsenate 

yOH 

As  =  0 
y/^NoNa 


OH 


CHs 


(2)  Di-sodium  4-di-methylamido-2-methyl-azo-benzene  4-arsen- 
ate 

CH3 


NaOv  / 

\     / 
0=As< 


NaO'' 


\ /  \    / 


(3)  Sodium  di-3-methyl-4-amido-phenyl  arsenate 
Ca  CH, 

,/ — \    V    / — \ 


HjN^  ^     As     ^  "^NH: 


21^  \  y         As        \^  yUNXlj 


\ / 


ONa 


\ / 


(4)  Sodium  di-3-methyl-4-acetyl-amido-phenyl  arsenate 
CH,  CH, 

^     As     ^  >NH.CO.CH, 


CH3.C0.HN<^ 


V 


ONa 


\ / 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  119 

The  acetylated  compounds  were  found,  generally  speaking,  to  be 
less  toxic.  Acetyl-atoxyl  is  less  toxic  for  animals  highly  suscep- 
tible to  atoxyl;  orsudan  experimentally  was  without  action  on  T. 
Brucei,  but  active  against  T.  Equiperdum  and  T.  Gambiense. 
Moore,  Nierenstein  and  Todd»  found  that  acetyl-atoxyl  was  of 
more  value  in  dogs,  guinea-pigs  and  mice  infected  with  T.  Brucei 
than  the  parent  substance  atoxyl.  Salmon*  came  to  a  similar 
conclusion  with  regard  to  monkeys,  fowls  and  rats. 

Relation  of  chemical  structures  to  physiological  action. 

An  important  factor  in  the  production  of  a  trypanocidal  effect 
appears  to  be  the  amide  group.  Mesnil  and  Nicolle'and  Moore, 
Nierenstein  and  Todd'  have  drawn  attention  to  this,  and  the 
latter  observers  have  shown  a  parallel  phenomenon  in  the  case 
of  trypanocidal  colouring  matters. 

Nierenstein'  showed  that  in  test  tube  experiments,  mixtures  of 
animal  serum  and  solutions  of  arsenic  compounds  which  contain 
the  amido  group  form  chemical  combinations,  whereas  in  similar 
mixtures  in  which  arsenic  compounds  without  amido  groups  are 
used,  no  combination  with  serum  proteins  occurs. 

The  substances  employed  in  his  experiments  were  atoxyl, 
mono-acetyl-atoxyl  and  mono-benzoyl-atoxyl  containing  the 
amido  group,  and  sodium  arsenate,  acetyl-benzoyl-atoxyl  and 
sodium  para-hydroxy-phenyl  acetate,  in  which  the  amido  group 
was  either  absent  or  substituted  in  respect  of  both  the  hydrogen 
atoms.  He  suggests  that  the  amido  group  plays  the  same  part 
as  the  chromogen  group  in  a  dye.  The  action  of  this  group  is 
apparently  in  accord  with  the  theory  put  forward  by  Loew»  of 
the  interaction  between  amido  groups  with  labile  aldehyde 
groups  in  the  living  protoplasmic  molecule. 

Chemical  Changes  in  the  Organism 

The  chemical  changes  in  the  molecule  of  atoxyl  which  take 
place  after  it  has  been  introduced  into  the  animal  body  have  been 
variously  stated.    Ehrlich'  noting  the  fact  that  atoxyl  in  vitro 


120         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


^has  no  trypanocidal  action,  supposed  that  in  the  organism  it 
was  changed  into  a  more  toxic  body.  Two  reduction  products, 
para-amido-phenyl  arsenic  oxide 

As  =  0 


\ 


NH2 


and  di-amido-arseno-benzol 

As 


/ 


As 


M+, 


/ 


NH, 


are  trypanocidal  in  vitro,  and  he  assumes  that  in  the  protoplasm 
of  the  trypanosome  a  receptor  group  exists,  having  a  special 
affinity  for  the  trivalent  arsenic.  A  substitution  product  of 
diamido-arseno-benzol,  namely  arseno-phenyl-glycine 


As 


\ 


Na  COO.CH2NH 


As 


HN.CH2.COO  Na 


was  prepared  by  Bertheim,  and  has  been  somewhat  extensively 
used  in  experimental  trypanosomiasis.  Rohli"  found  that  it 
was  not  only  trypanocidal  in,  various  animals,  but  could  be  used 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  121 

prophylactically  in  mice.  It  was  also  found  to  destroy  T.  Levdsi, 
which  are  not  affected  by  other  arsenic  preparations.  The  success 
of  this  preparation,  however,  is  dependent  on  the  species  of  animal 
employed,  and  in  large  animals, such  as  donkeys, doses  approach- 
ing the  lethal  amount  could  not  arrest  the  infection.  In  dogs  it  is 
excreted  almost  quantitatively  in  the  urine,  and  poisonous  doses 
produce  a  marked  increase  in  the  fat  and  lecithin  content  of  the 
blood." 

Levaditi  and  Yamanouchi"  found  that  mixtures  of  liver 
emulsion,  lung  emulsion,  or  muscle  emulsion  with  solutions  of 
atoxyl,  after  incubation  at  38°  C.  for  two  hours  were  powerfully 
trypanocidal.  They  explained  this  by  supposing  that  the 
protein  combined  with  the  reduced  arsenic,  and  enabled  it  to  act 
on  the  trypanosomes  after  the  manner  of  an  amboceptor.  Fried- 
berger"  supposed  that  the  SH  group  in  the  protein  molecule  was 
the  reducing  agent,  and  obtained  an  analogous  reaction  with 
thioglycolic  acid,  which,  when  added  to  atoxyl,  produced  a 
trypanocidal  substance  in  vitro.  Other  observers,  however,  have 
failed  to  confirm  entirely  the  results  of  Levaditi  and  Yamanouchi. 

Uhlnhut  and  Woithe"  in  1908  obtained  negative  results,  and 
Breinl  and  Nierenstein  only  occasionally  got  positive  results 
when  carefully  repeating  the  original  experiments.  Holmes, 
after  repeated  experiments,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  no 
action  such  as  that  described  by  Levaditi  and  Yamanouchi  takes 
place. 

Breinl  and  Nierenstein,"  however,  in  repeating  Levaditi's 
experiments,  were  able  to  show  that  it  was  only  when  the  filtrate 
or  dialyzate  of  the  atoxyl-liver-emulsion  contained  inorganic 
arsenic  that  a  trypanocidal  effect  was  obtained.  Further,  they 
showed  that  peroxide  of  Hydrogen  and  oxidases  obtained  from 
the  liver  and  from  vegetable  sources,  such  as  black  tea,  were  the 
active  agents  in  the  production  of  inorganic  arsenic  from  solutions 
of  atoxyl.  Tendron"  and  Wedemann"  have  confirmed  Nieren- 
stein's  experiments  by  finding  inorganic  arsenic  in  the  urine  after 
the  administration  of  atoxyl. 

In  contradistinction,  therefore,  to  the  theory  of  Ehrlich  that 
the  trypanocidal  action  of  atoxyl  in  vitro  is  due  to  the  production 
of  a  reduced  trivalent  arsenic  compound,  Breinl  and  Nierenstein 


122  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International   '    [vol. 


believe  that  an  oxidation  of  the  organic  substance  occurs,  leading 
to  the  formation  of  inorganic  arsenic,  to  which  the  effect  on 
trypanosomes  is  due. 

Holmes"  states  that  his  experiments  all  point  to  the  view  that  a 
small  amount  of  cleavage  occurs,  and  that  the  therapeutic  effect 
is  due  to  the  presence  of  free  arsenic.  Breinl  and  Nierenstein  also 
found  that  a  fermentative  process  occured  by  which  atoxyl  was 
split  up  into  trivalent  arsenic  and  aniline.  In  vitro  this  did  not 
lead  to  the  production  of  a  trypanocidal  substance,  unless  the 
amount  of  trivalent  arsenic  split  off  was  sufficient  to  inhibit  the 
action  of  the  reductase. 

Stated  fully,  their  view  is  that  atoxyl  when  it  enters  the  animal 
body  is  partly  combined  with  the  serum  proteins  by  means  of  the 
amido  group.  This  combination  is  then  oxidized  by  ferment 
action,  and  the  nascent  inorganic  arsenic  exerts  a  trypanocidal 
action.  At  the  same  time,  another  portion  of  the  atoxyl  is 
reduced;  the  aniline  is  destroyed  and  the  trivalent  arsenic  ex- 
creted in  the  faeces. 


V/OH 
As  =  0 
//\\0H 


NH2 


III  /OH 

As=   OH 
\0H 

7^\ 


+   H2    = 


s/ 

NH2 


/ 


In  support  of  this  view,  the  following  experimental  evidencejias 
been  adduced,  in  addition  to  that  already  stated,  (a) Nierenstein" 
showed  that  when  atoxyl,  mono-acetyl-atoxyl  and  mono- 
benzoyl-atoxyl  were  injected  into  rabbits  and  donkeys,  arsenic 
could  be  detected  in  the  serum.  On  the  other  hand,  sodium 
arsenate  and  sodium  paro-hydroxyphenyl  arsenate  produced  no 
arsenic  in  the  blood  serum.  Acetyl-benzoyl-atoxyl,  however, 
gave  rise  to  arsenic  in  the  serum,  as  the  acetyl  group  is  saponified 
and  a  mono-benzoyl-atoxyl  is  produced.     About  80%  of  the 


xix] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


123 


arsenic  could  be  recovered  from  the  urine,  and  about  40%  from 
the  faeces.  Aniline  could  only  be  detected  in  the  faeces  of  the 
horse  and  monkey. 

(b)  The  same  author"  showed  that  atoxyl  was  partly  excreted 
in  the  urine  as  inorganic  arsenic  and  partly  as  paro-amido-phenyl 
arsenic  acid 


/OH 
As  =  0 
/\N0H 


NHa 


poro-oxyphenylil^arsenic  acid 


yOH 
As  =  0 


OH 


Oxy-carbamido-phenyl  arsenic  acid 


yOH 

As  =  0 


\      ,/-p 


124         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

This  is  in  accordance  with  the  theory  that  atoxyl  undergoes  an 
oxidation  process  in  the  organism;  a  similar  oxidation  of  Tolui- 
dine  into  oxycarbamido-cresol  has  been  shown  to  take  place." 

(c)  Durham,''^  in  1908,  published  some  observations  on  the 
colour  of  the  blood  in  animals  in  the  late  stages  of  infection  with 
T.  Brucei.  He  noticed  that  the  blood,  instead  of  being  bright  red 
was  of  a  "dull  purplish  or  chocolate  colour."  Even  after  exposure 
to  the  air  for  a  week  or  more,  it  did  not  regain  its  normal  colour. 
He  suggested  that  this  was  due  to  the  presence  of  methaemoglobin 
and  was  analogous  to  the  change  in  colour  produced  in  some 
animals'  blood  by  poisonous  doses  of  dinitrobenzol.  Naus  and 
Yorke"  have  shown  by  careful  spectroscopic  examination  that 
such  blood  contains  partially  reduced  haemoglobin.  Further, 
they  were  able  to  demonstrate  that  suspensions  of  living  trypano- 
somes  had  a  reducing  action  on  haemoglobin  and  methylene  blue, 
and  that  the  incubation  of  living  trypanosomes  in  the 
absence  of  air  in  normal  defibrinated  blood  caused  a  reduction 
or  disappearance  of  the  oxygen  combined  with  the  haemoglobin. 
The  carbon  dioxide  was  not  foimd  to  be  correspondingly  increased. 

If  therefore  atoxyl  is  activated  by  a  reduction  process,  it  should 
be  trypanocidal  in  viiro, which,  as  is  well  known,  is  not  the  case." 

(d)  Mameli  and  Patta^'  prepared  the  following  iodo  com- 
pounds:— 

p-Iodo-phenyl  arsenic  acid 

yOH 

As  =  0 


I 


xix] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


125 


p-Iodo-phenyl  arsenic  oxide 


As  =  0 


\ 


V 


p-di-iodo-arsenobenzol 

As 


I 


As 


I 


Owing  to  the  absence  of  the  amido  group,  none  of  these  bodies 
acted  on  T.  Brucei  either  in  vivo  or  in  vitro.  In  the  two  latter,  the 
arsenic  is  trivalent,  and  according  to  the  reduction  theory  should 
exert  a  trypanocidal  action. 


Resistant  Strains 

It  has  been  shown  by  Ehrlich,  and  is  well  recognized,  that 
trypanosomes  can  be  rendered  resistant  to  the  action  of  atoxyl 
and  other  drugs  when  these  are  injected  into  an  infected  animal, 
and  that  this  resistance  in  almost  all  cases  is  specific,  or  holds 
good  only  for  the  particular  drug  used.  It  has  however  also  been 
shown  by  Mesnil  and  Brimont,"  Breinl  and  Nierenstein,"  and 
Rohl,"  that  to  a  certain  degree  this  resistance  is  also  specific  for 
the  species  of  animal  employed,  and  that  atoxyl-fast  trypano- 
somes from  donkeys,  for  instance,  lose  their  resistance  when 
injected  into  rats. 


126         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Ehrlich  explains  this  by  assuming  a  decreased  aAddity  of  the 
arseno-receptors  of  the  trypanosomes,  but  strains  resistant  to 
atoxyl  have  been  found  to  be  influenced  by  arseno-phenyl-glycine 
and  by  acetyl-atoxyl.  Ehrlich  supposes  that  in  the  former  case, 
the  arseno  receptors  are  not  entirely  put  out  of  action,  and  in  the 
latter,  that  there  are  present  also  acetyl  receptors  capable  of 
linking  the  organic  arsenic  compounds  to  the  trypanosomes.  In 
fact,  in  his  view,  a  number  of  receptors  may  exist  in  the  trypano- 
some  capable  of  linking  it  to  numerous  radicles. 

The  measure  of  acceptance  which  this  hypothetical  explanation 
gains  will  depend  upon  the  importance  which  may  be  attached 
to  bringing  all  the  experimental  results  into  correspondence  with 
the  "  side-chain  theory." 

But  it  seems  clear  that  the  resistance  acquired  by  the  trypano- 
somes is  a  resistance  not  purely  to  the  atoxyl  (or  other  drug 
employed),  but  to  the  atoxyl-serum  of  the  given  species  employed 
in  the  experiment. 


Practical  Eesults 

The  arylarsonates  have  been  employed  in  the  treatment  of 
various  diseases  caused  by  Trypanosomes,  both  alone  and  in  com- 
bination with  other  drugs.  They  have  also  been  extensively 
employed  in  the  spirochaetal  infections,  the  spirochaetes,  as  a 
biological  group,  being  held  intermediate  between  the  obviously 
protozoan  trypanosomes  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  bacteria — 
which  are  regarded  as  vegetable  organisms — on  the  other.  With 
regard  to  spirochaetes,  however,  recent  work  has  been  mainly 
concerned  with  the  investigation  of  p-dioxy-m.-di-amido-benzol 
or  salvarsan. 

As 

/\ 


NH. 


/ 


OH 


\        /NH2 
OH 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  127 

which  has  obtained  a  dominant  position  among  the  arsenic 
compounds  used  in  the  treatment  of  syphilis. 

To  deal  with  the  practical  results  obtained  by  this  preparation, 
alone  requires  a  large  volume;  it  is  possible,  however,  and  may 
not  be  without  interest  briefly  to  summarize  here  the  position 
which  the  earlier  drugs  have  attained  as  remedies  for  various 
forms  of  trypanosome  infection  in  man  and  animals. 

The  most  important  pathogenic  varieties  of  trypanosomes  are 
T.Brucei,  causing  nagana  or  tsetse  fly  disease  in  cattle  and  other 
animals;  T.  Gambiense  causing  "  sleeping  sickness  "  in  man;  and 
T.  Evansi  causing  "  surra  "  in  horses  and  other  animals. 

(1)  T.  Brucei.  Numerous  experimental  results  have  been 
obtained  with  this  organism,  as  it  multiplies  rapidly  in  the  blood 
of  small  laboratory  animals  and  is  thus  a  convenient  member  of 
the  group  for  observation.  The  immediate  effect  of  the  injection 
of  atoxyl  is  almost  always  favourable,  but  the  trypanosomes 
recur  in  the  blood  after  a  longer  or  shorter  interval  in  spite  of 
repeated  injections  and  very  few  permanent  cures  have  been 
obtained.  In  practice,  and  also  experimentally,  better  results 
have  been  obtained  by  the  combination  of  atoxyl  with  various 
dyes  or  with  mercury  salts.  The  theoretical  explanation  of 
this  fact  appears  to  be  either  that  a  certain  number  of  trypano- 
somes which  have  been  subjected  to  the  atoxyl  treatment  survive 
and  become  immune  to  the  drug,  but  not  to  some  other  drug,  such 
as  trypan-red  or  mercury;  or  that  in  the  organism  developmental 
forms  of  trypanosome  occur  which  are  not  affected  by  arsenic 
compounds,  but  which  are  susceptible  to  other  trypanocides. 

(2)  T.  Gambiense.  The  long  course  of  the  infection  by  this 
parasite  makes  observations  on  the  ultimate  effect  of  drugs  very 
difficult.  In  spite  of  earlier  reports  of  successes  by  means  of 
atoxyl  in  human  beings,  some  authorities  doubt  whether  a  case 
has  ever  been  cured.  Mott,"  who  has  recently  reviewed  the 
whole  question,  inclines  to  the  view  that  possibly,  if  the  diseases 
is  treated  before  the  organisms  have  invaded  the  subarachnoid 
space,  a  cure  can  take  place.  He  describes  a  post-mortem  on  a 
case  which  had  been  very  energetically  treated  with  atoxyl,  and 
m  which  there  was  no  evidence  of  involvement  of  the  central 
nervous  system.    Death  had  occurred  from  intercurrent  disease 


128  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol, 

of  another  character.  The  difficulty  appears  to  be  that  it  is  at 
present  impossible  to  determine  at  what  point,  in  the  clinical 
course  of  the  infection,  the  parasites  (or  their  toxins)  have  already 
caused  such  damage  to  the  nervous  structures  that  the  lesions  are 
likely  to  be  progressive,  even  if  all  the  trypanosomes  have  been 
destroyed.  Mott  quotes  the  opinion  of  Hodges,  based  upon  the 
observation  of  over  5000  cases,  that  the  course  of  the  disease  is 
xmdoubtedly  modified,  if  not  cut  short,  by  the  administration  of 
atoxyl  and  its  derivatives. 

(3)  T.  Evansi.  Many  authors  have  reported  a  certain  percent- 
age of  successes  in  the  treatment  of  surra  in  horses  and  mules 
with  various  forms  of  arsenic,  sometimes  combined  with  other 
drugs.  The  most  successful  results  appear  to  have  been  obtained 
by  a  combination  of  atoxyl  subcutaneously  with  arsenious  acid 
by  the  mouth.  The  atoxyl  has  the  effect  of  rapidly  causing  the 
trypanosomes  to  disappear  from  the  peripheral  circulation,  and  is 
the  best  method  of  introducing  arsenic  by  injections,  as  it 
causes  no  local  lesions.  The  continued  exhibition  of  arsenic 
which  is  necessary  in  these  cases  can  be  conveniently  and  more 
effectively  carried  out  by  the  inorganic  form  of  arsenic  given  by 
the  mouth.  In  some  cases,  more  than  70%  of  animals  naturally 
infected  have  been  permanently  cured  by  this  method. 

REFERENCES. 

'Thomas.    Brit.  Med.  Journal,  May,  1905. 

Thomas  and  Breinl.  Liverpool  School  of  Tropical  Medicine  Memoir  XVI. 
1905. 

breinl  and  Nierenstein.  Annals  of  Tropical  Medicine  and  Parasitology. 
Vol.  iii.  No.  3.    November,  1909,  p.  395. 

'Moore,  Nierenstein  and  Todd.    Ibid.    Vol.  ii.  No.  4.  1908.  p.  265. 

^Salmon.    C.  Rendus  de  I'Acad.  des  Sciences.  June  22,  1909. 

=^Mesml  and  NicoUe.  Annates  de  I'lnstitut  Pasteur.  Tome  xx.  p.  417.  p. 
613.    1910. 

^Moore,  Nierenstein  and  Todd.  Annals  of  Tropical  Medicine  and  Parar 
sitology,  vol.  ii.  No.  4.    1908.    p.  271. 

'Neierenstein.    Ibid.    Vol.  ii,  No.  3,  July,  1908,  p.  249. 

'Oscar  Loew.  NatiirUches  System  der  Gift-wirkungen.  Munchen.  1893. 
p.  38  et  seq. 

'Ehrhch.  Verhandlungen  der  Deutschen  Dermatologischen  GeseUschaft. 
X  Congress,  1908. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  129 

"R8hl.    Zeitsohraft  f.  Immunitats-forschung.    Bd.  I,  1909,  p.  633. 

"Breinl  and  Nierenstein.    Ibid.    Bd.  IV,  1909,  p.  169. 

"Levaditi  and  Yamanouchi.  Comptes  rendus  Soc.  de  Biol.,  Tome  btv,  p. 
23, 1908. 

"Freidberger.    Berlin  klin.  Woch.,  No.  38,  1908. 

"Uhlenhut  and  Woithe.  Arb.  a.  d.  Kaiserl.  Gesundheitsamte,  xxiv.,  p. 
403  et  seq.  1908. 

"Breinl  and  Nierenstein.  Zeit.  f.  ItDmumtatsforschung,  Bd.  ii.  No.  4,  p. 
620, 1909. 

"Tendion.    Bull.  Soc.  de  Pathol,  exotique.  ii,  p.  140  et  seq.  1909. 

"Wedemann.    Arb.  a.  d.  KaiserUcb.  Gesunheitsamte,  xxviii,  p.  685,  1908. 

"HolmeB.    Parasitology,  vol.  iii.    April,  1910,  p.  79. 

"Nierenstein.  Annals  of  Tropical  Medicine  and  Parasitology.  Vol.  ii. 
No.  4,  Feb.,  1909,  p.  323. 

"Idem.    Zeitschr.  f.  Immunitatsforschung.    Bd.  ii,  1909,  p.  453. 

"FrMnkel.    Die  Arzneimittelsynthese.    Bd.  II,  p.  147. 

"Durham.    Parasitology.    Vol.  I,  No.  3,  Oct.,  1908,  p.  232. 

"Naus  and  Yorke.  Annals  of  Tropical  Medicine  and  Parasitology.  Vol. 
V,  No.  2,  August,  1911,  p.  199. 

"Nierenstein.    Ber.  d.  Deut.  Chem.  GezeU.,  44,  3563,  1911. 

"Mameli  and  Patta.    Achivo  di  Farm,  sper.,  XI,  p.  475;  XII,  p.  1,  1911. 

"Mesnil  and  Brimont.   Comptes  rensus  Soc.  de  Biol.,  Tome  64, 1908,  p.  637. 

"Breinl  and  Nierenstein.    Deutsche  med.  Woch.,  No.  27,  1908. 

"R5hl.   Berliner  klin.  Wochens.,  No.  11,  1909. 

"Mott.  Proc.  Roy.  Soc.  Med.,  Vol.  iv.  No.  1,  Nov.,  1910.  Epidem.  Sec- 
tion, p.  16. 


(Abstract) 

THE  UTILIZATION  OF  INGESTED  PROTEIN  AS  INFLU- 
ENCED BY   UNDERMASTICATION   ("BOLTING") 
AND  OVERMASTICATION  ("  FLETCHERIZING  ") 

By  Lawrence  F.  Foster 
University  of  Illinois,  Urbana,  III. 

AND  P.  B.  Hawk 
Jefferson  Medical  School,  Philadelphia 

The  subjects  of  the  investigation  were  two  young  men  (labora- 
tory assistants)  weighing  63.0  kg.  (J)  and  58.3  kg.  (F)  respec- 
tively at  the  commencement  of  the  experiments.  The  study  was 
divided  into  four  periods  as  follows,  each  period  being  seven  days 
in  length:  (1)  normal,  (2)  bolting,  (3)  Fletcherizing,  (4)  normal. 
A  uniform  diet  was  fed  each  subject  throughout  the  course  of  the 
test.    The  diets  as  fed  were  as  follows: 


Subject  "  F  " 

Meat  185 

Graham  Crackers        150 
650 
150 
1800 
1.6 
10 


Subject  "  J  "   , 


Milk 
Butter 
Water 

Sodium  chloride 
Agar-agar 
Total 


11.21  Meat 

1 .  93  Graham  Crackers 

3.31  Milk 

0.16  Butter 

Water 

Sodium  chloride 

Agar-agar 


215 

150 

800 

150 

2100 

2 

15 


16.60 


Total 


13.03 
1.93 
4.07 
0.16 


19.18 


It  will  be  noted  that  meat  contributed  the  major  part  of  the 
nitrogenous  portion  of  the  diet.  This  meat  consisted  of  the  best 
"round  steak"  procurable,  which  was  freed  from  all  visible  fat 
and  connective  tissue.  It  was  then  cut  into  approximately 
fifteen-millimeter  cubes  and  cooked  by  being  allowed  to  "  sim- 
mer "  in  boiling  water  for  two  and  one-half  hours.  After  being 
thoroughly  mixed  and  sampled  for  analysis  it  was  placed  in  pint 


132         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Mason  jars  and  sterilized  at  125°  C.  Agar-agar  was  included  in 
the  diet  to  facilitate  defecation. 

During  the  preliminary  period  of  the  experiment  the  food  was 
masticated  normally;  in  the  period  of  undermastication  the  diet 
was  "  bolted  "  with  no  attempt  at  mastication;  in  the  period  of 
Fletcherism  the  food  was  chewed  until  carried  down  the  oesoph- 
agus by  the  "  swallowing  impulse  "  and  in  the  final  period  normal 
mastication  was  agaip  practiced. 

Total  nitrogen  (Kjeldahl)  determinations  were  made  on  foods, 
feces  and  urine.  The  feces  were  "  separated  "  by  means  of  car- 
mine, and  satisfactory  differentiations  were  secured  in  every 
instance.  All  stools  were  examined  fresh.  Microscopical  meat 
residues  of  varying  sizes  were  found  in  every  stool  passed  during 
the  bolting  periods.  The  weights  of  these  residues  in  one  particular 
stool  aggregated  nearly  seventeen  grams. 

An  attempt  was  made  to  secure  data  as  to  the  actual  daily 
output  of  "  metabolic  nitrogen  "  by  the  subjects  of  the  experi- 
ment. To  this  end  the  suggestion  of  Mendel  and  Fine  was 
adopted.  A  nitrogen-free  diet  of  similar  energy  value  to  the  expe- 
rimental diet  was  ingested,  agar-agar  being  added  in  sufficient 
quantity  to  bring  the  daily  fecal  output  up  to  the  level  of  the 
fecal  output  of  the  experiment  proper.  This  diet  was  fed  each 
subject  for  a  period  of  four  days  and  the  average  output  of  fecal 
nitrogen  for  the  final  three  days  of  the  period  was  taken  as  the 
"  metabolid  nitrogen  check."  This  correction  was  then  applied 
to  the  fecal  nitrogen  values  obtained  in  the  four  periods  of  the 
experiment  proper.  The  utilization  values  corrected  for  metabolic 
nitrogen  are  as  follows: 


Utilization 

Period 

F 

per  cent. 

J 

Normal 

97.0 

95.5 

Bolting 

95.4 

95.7 

Fletcheri 

zing 

97.2 

97.5 

Normal 

97.0 

97.5 

The  data  for  F  indicate  that  the  protein  of  the  diet  was  some- 
what less  efficiently  utilized  by  this  subject  during  the  period  of 
food  bolting  than  during  the  periods  of  normal  mastication  and 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  133 

Fletcherisin.  The  uniformity  of  the  values  for  the  two  periods 
in  which  the  food  was  normally  masticated  and  the  practical 
duplication  of  this  value  when  the  subject  Fletcherized  are  points 
to  be  emphasized. 

In  the  case  of  J  the  protein  portion  of  the  diet  was  fully  as  sat- 
isfactorily utilized  when  bolted  as  when  normal  mastication  was 
practiced.  As  he  passed  from  bolting  to  Fletcherizing  there  was 
rather  better  utilization  as  is  shown  in  the  table.  The  improved 
utilization  in  the  period  of  Fletcherism  continued  throughout  the 
following  normal  period,  a  fact  which  may  perhaps  be  interpreted 
as  due  in  part  to  the  influence  of  the  preceding  period  of  hyper- 
mastication.  It  should  be  mentioned  in  this  connection,  how- 
ever, that  the  utilization  value  for  the  normal  period  of  this  sub- 
ject (95.5%)  is  rather  lower  than  one  would  expect  when  it  is 
recalled  that  the  "  metabolic  product "  correction  has  been 
applied.  Throughout  the  course  of  this  normal  period  J  was  in  a 
continual  state  of  worry  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  his  digestive 
efficiency  was  lowered  somewhat  from  the  normal.  In  the  bolting 
period  he  was  more  normal  so  far  as  mental  attitude  was  con- 
cerned. We  are  inclined  to  believe  that  the  utilization  values  for 
the  bolting,  Fletcherizing  and  final  normal  periods  are  depend- 
able values  whereas  the  value  for  the  preliminary  period  of  this 
subject  we  believe  to  have  been  influenced  by  non-experimental 
conditions. 

Our  data  indicate  that  when  meat  is  bolted  in  fifteen-milli- 
meter cubes  it  is  somewhat  less  efficiently  utilized  than  when 
normally  masticated  or  Fletcherized.  However,  the  difference  in 
utilization  is  not  pronounced  and  cannot  be  considered  as  fur- 
nishing an  experimental  basis  for  the  belief  that  food  bolting  is 
harmful  to  the  organism.  The  protein  portion  of  the  diet  was  no 
more  efficiently  utilized  when  the  food  was  chewed  imtil  carried 
down  the  oesophagus  by  the  "  swallowing  impulse  "  than  when 
it  was  masticated  in  a  normal  manner.  In  other  words  our  data 
fail  to  show  the  advantages  of  Fleteherism  or  the  harmfulness  of 
food  bolting. 


{Extrait) 

CHLORURE    DE    L'ACIDE    DICHLOROARSINOBENZO- 

IQUE.    ETHERS  DES  ACIDES  BENZARSINEUX 

ET  BENZARSINIQUE 

Par  mm.  E.  Fourneatj  bt  K.  Ochslin 
Paris,  France 

Les  auteurs  ont  pr^par^  k  I'^tat  de  puret6  le  chlorure  de  I'acide 
dichlorarsinobenzoique  dont  la  preparation  avait  d^jk  6t6 
tent^e  par  LaCoste.  Ce  chlorure  est  distillable  sans  decompo- 
sition dans  le  vide  et  bout  vers  189-190°  sous  19  mm.  C'est  un 
liquide  sirupeux  qui  cristallise  spontan^ment  au  bout  de  plusi- 
eurs  semaines  et  imm^diatement  par  a  orcage.  II  est  soluble  dans 
rether,  le  chloroforme,  etc.  II  se  comporte  comme  le  chlorure 
de  benzoyle  envers  les  alcools  les  phenols  les  aminoalcools  et  la 
quinine,  etc.  Les  auteurs  ont  ainsi  pr^mar^  1°  lather  benzarsin- 
ique  de  la  quinine,  soluble,  a  la  fois,  dans  les  alcalis  et  les  acides 
en  donnant  des  solutions  insipides;  2°  le  produit  de  reduction 
de  rether  benzarsinique  ou  benzars  enoquinine;  3°  l'6ther  du 
gayacol  et  4°,  l'ars6nostovaine. 

Ce  dernier  produit  est  un  anesthfeique  local  don  les  fonctions 
determinant  I'anesthesie  entrainent  la  chaine  arsenicale.  II 
s'agit  la  peurent  les  aideurs,  du  premier  essai  rationnel  de  trans- 
port d'une  substance  active  dans  un  tissus  design^  I'avance,  qui, 
dans  le  ces  particulier  et  la  substance  nerveuse. 


13i 


ETUDE  COMPARfiE  DES  PRESURES  DE  L'AMANITE 
PHALLOIDE  ET  DE  L'AMADOUVIER— RELATIONS 
ENTRE  LES  PRESURES  DES  BASIDIOMYCfiTES 
ET  DES  VEGETAUX  SUPfiRIEURS 

Note  de  M.  C.  Gerber 

Professeur  d  I'Ecole  de  Midecine  de  Marseille,  France 

Les  sues  de  ces  deux  champignons  sont  des  coagulants  4ner- 
giques  du  lait. 

Cette  coagulation  est  une  cas6ification  diastasique.  Les  agents 
de  la  cas6ification  sont  tr^s  diff^rents  dans  les  deux  esp^ces  quant 
k  leur  localisation,  leur  resistance  k  la  chaleur,  leur  action  sur  les 
kits  cru  et  bouilli,  I'influence  de  certains  sels  sur  leur  fonctionne- 
ment. 

A.  Localisation.  A  I'oppos^  de  ce  que  Ton  observe  avec  les 
autres  Agaricacies,  la  pr6sure  de  I'Amanite  phalloide  (amanita 
phalloida  Fr)  est  beaucoup  moins  abondante  dans  les  lames 
sporifSres  que  dans  la  partie  sterile  du  chapeau.  Au  contraire, 
conform^ment  ^ce  que  Ton  observe  avec  les  autres  Aphyllop- 
horacSes  la  pr6sure  de  I'Amadouvier  (Fames  fomentarius  Fr) 
est  beaucoup  plus  abondante  dans  les  tubes  sporif  feres  que  dans  le 
reste  du  chapeau.  Ce  champignon  d'ailleurs  constitue  le  materiel 
de  choix  pour  6tablir  la  relation  dtroite  qui  existe  entre  la  forma- 
tion des  spores  et  I'activit^  pr6surante  du  sue,  chez  les  Basidiomy- 
c^tes.  Chez  ce  Porohydn^,  en  effet,  les  tubes  hym^niaux  nais- 
sent  par  pouss6es  successives  et  d'une  fagon  telle  qu'ils  consti- 
tuent des  couches  superpos6es  tres  distinctes,  la  couche  la  plus 
ancienne,  qui  a  perdu  ses  spores  6tant  celle  qui  est  fix6e  directe- 
ment  au  chapeau,  et  la  plus  jeune  qui  est  en  voie  de  sporulation 
6tant  au  contraire  celle  qui  termine,  en  bas,  la  s^rie  verticale  des 
couches  superpos^es.  Sur  un  amadouvier  poss6dant  trois  couches 
de  tubes,  nous  avonss6par6  (ce  qui  est  tres  facile)  celles-ci  les  unes 
des  autres  et  en  avons  extrait  s6par6ment  les  sues.  Nous  avons 
constats  que  ractivit^  pr^surante  du  sue  de  la  couche  la  plus 
jeune,  sporiffere,  6tant  dix,  celle  de  la  couche  moyenne,  est  5  et 

1S7 


138  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

celle  de  la  couche  la  plus  &g^e  qui  a  essaim^  presque  toutes  ses 
spores,  2,  5  seulement:  Cette  derniere  est  m^me  deux  fois  moins 
forte  que  I'activit^  prfeurante  du  sue  r6tir6  de  la  partie  sterile 
du  chapeau  qui  fournit  Tamadou. 

B.  Resistance  a  la  Chaleur.  La  prfeure  de  Amanita 
phalloidea  Fr  est  moins  rfeistante  a  la  chaleur  que  celle  de  Fames 
fomentarius  Fr.  La  premiere  est,  en  effet,  compl^tement  d^truite 
par  un  s6jour  de  5  minutes  k  65°,  alors  que  la  seconde  ne  perd  toute 
action  pr^surante  qu'aprfes  un  pareil  temps  de  chauffe  a  75° : 

C.  Action  Sur  les  Laits  Ceu  Et  Bouilli.  A  fortes  doses, 
et  par  suite  dans  le  cas  des  cas6ifications  rapides,  les  deux  pr^sures 
coagulent  plus  rapidement  le  lait  cru  que  bouilli.  A  faibles  doses, 
et  par  suite  dans  le  cas  des  cas6ifications  lentes,  la  presure  de  la 
phalloide  seule  continue  h,  coaguler  plus  rapidement  le  premier 
liquide  que  le  second;  celle  de  I'Amadouvier,  au  contraire,  coagule 
plus  lentement  le  lait  cru  que  bouilli. 

Cette  difference  est  due  h  Taction  favorisante  du  calcium  plus 
prononc^e  dans  le  cas  de  la  premiere  diastase  et  h  Taction  empdch- 
ante  des  albumines  et  globulines  du  lait  cru  plus  ^nergique  dans 
le  cas  de  la  seconde. 

Quelques  Basidiomycetes  appartemant  surtout  au  groupe  des 
porohydn^es  et  qui  supportent  de  grandes  differences  de  tempera- 
ture se  comportent  comme  Tamadouvier,  leurs  prfeures  coagu- 
lent mieux,  k  faibles  doses  le  lait  bouilli  pur  que  le  lait  cru  pur, 
elles  sont  dites  presures  du  lait  bouilli.  Un  plus  grand  nombre, 
qui  ne  peuvent  vivre  qu'entre  des  limites  assez  etroites  de  tem- 
perature, se  comportent  comme  I'Amanite  phalloide;  leurs  pres- 
ures £l  toutes  doses,  coagulent  mieux  le  lait  cru  pur  que  le  lait 
bouilli  pur;  elles  sont  dites  presures  du  lait  cru;  quelques  unes, 
plus  calciphiles,  sont  incapables  de  coaguler  le  lait  bouilli  pur 
{Pleurotus  ostreatus  L  Armillaria  caligata  Viv,  Clitocybe  inversa 
Scop) ;  certaines  mSmes  ( HypholowM  sublateritium  Bete)  ont  un 
tel  besoin  de  calcium  que  la  quantite  de  cet  ei6ment  dissous  dans 
le  lait  cru  lui-m^me  est  insuflBsante  pour  leur  permettre  d'en 
mener  k  bien  la  caseification;  elles  n'agissent  que  sur  le  alit  calcifie 
soit  directement,  (addition  de  CaCl2)  soit  indirectement  (addi- 
tion de  quelques  molecules  milligr.  HCl  dissolvant  le  phosphate 
de  chaux  en  suspension).     Nous  les  faisons  neanmoins  entrer 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  139 

dans  le  type  pr&sures  du  lait  cru  dont  elles  possMent  tous  les 
autres  caract^res. 

D.  Influence  de  Cehtains  Sels  sue  la  Caseification. 
Les  chromates  des  m^taux  alcalins,  les  sels  neutres  de  Nickel,  de 
Cobalt,  de  Zinc,  de  Cadmium,  de  Cuivre,  d' Argent  et  surtout 
ceux  de  Mercure  d'Or  et  des  m^taux  du  groupe  du  Platine, 
ajout^s  au  lait  emp^chent  ou  retardent  fortement  la  caseifica- 
tion par  les  sues  d'Amadouvier  et  des  autres  basidiomycMes 
appartenant  au  groupe  Prisures  du  lait  bouilli;  au  contraire  ils 
retardent  faiblement,  ou  pas  du  tout,  ou  m6me  acc616rent  la 
cas6ification  par  les  sues  de  I'Amanite  phalloide  et  des  autres 
basidiomycfetes  appartenant  au  groupe  Prisures  du  lait  cru. 

Lea  corps  retardateurs :  Lactoglobulini,  lactalbumines  et  sels 
p^c^dents  agissent  non  pas  sur  la  diastase  qu'ils  rendraient  moins 
active,  mais  sur  la  caseins  qu'ils  rendent  plus  rfeistants  en  f ormant 
avec  elle,  tr6s  probablement  un  complexe  difficilement  d^doubl- 
able. 

E.  Parallelisme  Entbe  les  Peesures  des  Basidiomy- 
CETES  et  Celles  DES  Vegetaux  Superieubs.  Nous  avons 
montr6  dans  des  travaux  ant^rieurs,  que  les  sues  pr6surants  des 
v^g^taux  supdrieurs  se  groupent  en  deux  classes  correspondantes 
k  celles  que  nous  venons  d'^tablir. 

La  premiere  classe,  de  beaucoup  la  plus  importante  dont  le 
type  est  la  pr^sure  du  Vasconcelba  Quercijolia  correspond  k  celle 
de  I'Amadouvier;  les  ferments  prot6olytiques  qu'el'e  renferme 
sent  en  effet,  tr6s  r^sistantes  k  la  chaleur,  coagulent  de  preference 
le  lait  bouilli  et  voient  leur  action  caseifiante  fortement  entrav^e 
par  les  sels  des  electrolytes  ci-dessus.  La  seconde  classe,  moins 
grande,  dont  le  type  est  la  presure  du  murier  k  papier  {Brounonitia 
papyrifera  L),  correspond  k  celle  du  type  Amanite  phalloide;  les 
ferments  proteolytiques  qu'elle  renferme  sont  generalement  peu 
rfeistants  k  la  chaleur — Le  murier  k  papier  fait  exception — 
coagulent  de  preference  le  lait  cru  et  voient  leur  action  caseifiante 
peu  ou  pas  influencee  par  les  sels  precedents,  parfois  m^me 
favorisee. 

II  y  a  done  paralieiisne  entre  les  presures  des  Basidiomyc^tes 
et  celles  des  vegetaux  superieurs ;  mais  les  premieres  sont  en  grande 
majorite  des  presures  du  lait  cru  et  lessecondes,  le  plus  souvent, 
ies  presures  du  lait  bouilli. 


SCHNELLES    VERFAHREN    ZUR    BESTIMMUNG    DER 
HARNSAURE  IM  HARN 

Ing.  Chem.  Franz  Hbbles 
Prag,  Bdhem 

Die  Bestimmung  der  Hamsaure  im  Hame  ist  in  vielen  Fallen 
ftir  medizinische  Zwecke  von  Wichtigkeit.  Es  ist  wtinschenswert 
in  manchen  Krankheiten  ofters  die  Menge  dieser,  im  Hame 
ausgeschiedenen  Saure  zu  kontrolieren.  Es  kommen  demnach 
fiir  klinische  Zwecke  diejenige  Verfahren  in  Betracht,  welche 
bei  schneller  und  leichten  Ausfiihrung  geniigend  richtige  Ergeb- 
nisse  liefem.  Von  den  bestehenden  Verfahren  zur  Bestimmung 
der  Hamsaure  sind  als  mehr  oder  minder  genau  bekannt  die 
Metoden  von  Ludwig,  Hopkins,  Jolles  und  ihre  zahlreichen 
Modificationen  und  Verbesserungen.  Sammtliche  diese  Verfah- 
ren erfordem  aber  mehr  oder  weniger  Zeit  zu  ihrer  Durchf  iihrung 
und  Bereitung  besonderer  Losungen. 

Mit  der  Mehrazhl  dieser  Metoden  habe  ich  auch  entsprechende 
Vergleichsversuche  angestellt  ohne  iibereinstimmende  Zahlen 
zu  erhalten,  manche  Verfahren  lieferten  sogar  ganz  falsche 
Ergenhnisse. 

Ich  bemiihte  mich  deshalb,  da  ich  grossere  Anzahl  solcher 
Bestimmungen  durchzuflihren  hatte,  eine  andere,  moglichst 
rasche  u.  leichte,  dabei  aber  genugend  genaue  Metode  aus- 
zuarbeiten. 

Dies  gelang  mir  auf  Grund  des  Prinzipes  der  Hopkinsschen 
Metode:  Ausscheidung  von  hamsaurem  Ammoniak  und  durch 
weitere  einfache  Manipulation  mit  demselben.  Mein  Verfahren 
basiert  namlich  auf  der  direkten  acidimetrischen  Titration  des 
ausgeschiedenen  und  ausgewaschenen  Ammoniumurates.  Die 
Hamsaure,  als  sehr  schwache  organische  Saure  lasst  sich  leicht 
durch  starkere  Mineralsauren  aus  ihren  Salzen  frei  zu  machen. 
Die  Mineralsauren  bilden  mit  der  betreffenden  Base,  mit  welcher 
die   Hamsaure    verbunden    war,    entsprechende    Salze.      Der 


142         Original  Communications :  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Uiberschuss  der  Mineralsaure  wird  durch  entsprechende  Indica- 
toren  genau  angezeigt.  Als  Indicator  hiezu  eignet  sich  besonders 
Methylorange,  welche  bekanntlich  durch  Uiberschuss  von  Min- 
eralsaure rot  und  nach  Neutralisation  mit  Lauge  wieder  citronen- 
gelb  sich  farbt.  Zur  Titration  eignet  sich  am  hasten  1/10  n  Schwe- 
felsaure.    Das  Verfahren  empfiehlt  sich  wie  folgt  durchzuftihren. 

Zur  Untersuchung  werden  50-100  cc  Harn  in  ein  Becherglas 
abgemessen,  18  resp.  36  g  reines  pulveriges  Ammoniumchlorid 
zugesetzt  und  bis  zur  Auflosung  desselben  geriihrt.  Nach  einer 
halben  Stunde  kann  schon  durch  Papierfilter  filtrirt  Werden. 
Nach  vollstandigem  Abfliessen  der  Mutterlauge  wird  dreimal 
nach  einander  mit  gesatigter  SalmiaklQsung  ausgewaschen  und 
zwar  am  besten,  dass  jedesmal  das  Filter  mit  der  Waschfliis- 
sigkeit  voll  gef  iillt  und  vollstandig  abfliessen  gelassen  wird. 

Der  Niederschlag  sammt  Filter  wird  sodann  in  das  Becherglas, 
in  welchem  der  Niederschlag  gebildet  wurde,  gegeben,  ca  50  cc 
destilirtes  Wasser  zugesetzt,  zum  Kochen  erhitzt  und  2  Tropfen 
Methylorangelosung  zugesetzt,  damit  nur  schwache  Gelbfarbung 
entsteht.  Mehr  Tropfen  von  diesem  Indicator  zuzusetzen  ist 
zu  vermeiden,  da  hiebei  eine  rotgelbe  Farbung  entsteht,  welche 
die  Erkennung  des  XJiberganges  der  Reaktion  sehr  erschwert. 
Nachher  wird  1/10  n  Schwefelsaure  im  Uiberschuss  bis  zur  ken- 
ntlichen  Rotfarbung  zugesetzt  imd  mit  1/10  n  Lauge  bis  zur 
Eintretung  der  gelben  Farbung  zurticktitriert.  Zur  Gewinnung 
gehoriger  Gelaufigkeit  in  Erkennung  dieses  Farbenumschlages 
und  Gewinnung  vollstandig  sichtiger  Resultate  empfiehlt  es  sich 
nochmals  die  Saure  bis  zur  Rotfarbung  zusetzen  und  mit  der 
Lauge  zuriicktitrieren. 

Die  verbrauchten  cc  der  1/10  n  Saure,  multipliciert  mit  dem 
Faktor  0.01682  ergeben  die  Menge  der  Harnsaure  in  g  in  der 
abgemessenen  Harnrnenge. 

Ist  der  untersuchte  Harn  nicht  mehr  klar,  muss  der  eventuell 
ausgeschiedene  harnsaurehaltige  Niederschlag  in  Losung  gebracht 
und  die  ausgeschiedenen  Phosphate  abfiltrirt  werden.  Hierbei 
wird  wie  folgt  verfahren:  Nach  gehorigem  Durchmischen  werden 
100  cc  Harn  in  Becherglas  abgemessen,  einige  Tropfen  Phenol- 
phtaleinlosung  zugesetzt,  erwarmt  und  tropfenweise  Aetznatron 
bis  zur  dauemden  Rotfarbung  zugesetzt,  eine  Weile  gekocht. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  143 

damit  ein  Teil  der  Losung  verdampft  und  alles  in  ein  100  cc 
Kolbchen  gebracht  und  mit  destillirtem  Wasser  nach  Abkiihlung 
zu  100  cc  nachgef tillt  werden  kann.  Sonach  wird  durch  trockenes 
Filter  filtrirt  und  vom  Filtrate  50  cc  zur  Bestimmung  der  Harn- 
saure  nach  der  oben  angegebenen  Metode  entnommen. 

Mit  diesem  Verfahren  wurden  zahlreiche  Kontrolversuche 
sowle  im  Harne  als  auch  in  reinen  Harnsaurelosungen  ausgef  tihrt, 
welche  sehr  befriedigende  Resultate  ergeben  haben.  Da  die 
kaufliche  reine  Hamsaure  zu  diesen  Versuchen  nicht  geniigend 
rein  war,  wurde  dieselbe  zu  diesen  Versuchen  wie  folgt  gereinigt : 
1  g  der  kauflichen  Hamsaure  wurde  in  50  cc  Wasser  suspendirt, 
einige  Tropfen  Phenolphtaleinlosung  zugesetzt,  erwarmt  und 
tropfenweise  Aetznatron  bis  zur  dauemden  Rotfarbung  zugesetzt, 
welches  wieder  durch  ein  Tropfen  Salzsaure  entfarbt  wurde. 
Nachher  wurde  die  Fliissigkeit  filtrirt  und  das  reine  Filtrat  nach 
Zusatz  von  2  Tropfen  Methylorangelosung  durch  einen  kleinen 
Uiberschuss  von  konzentrirter  Salzsaure  (bis  zur  eintretenden 
Rotfarbung)  zersetzt,  die  ausgeschiedene  Hamsaure  durch  das 
Ludwigsche  Filtrationsrohr  abfiltrirt,  mit  destillirtem  Wasser 
zum  vollstandigen  Verschwinden  der  Chlorreaktion  ausgewas- 
chen,  bei  40°  C.  im  Wassertrockenschrank  und  nachher  iiber 
Schwefelsaure  zur  Gewichtskonstanz  ausgetrocknet.  Auf  diese 
Weise  geteinigte  Harnsaure  wurde  zu  den  Kontrolversuchen 
verwendet.  Zu  diesem  Zwecke  wurde  eine  bestimmte  Menge 
Hamsaure  abgewogen,  in  destillirtem  Wasser  suspendirt,  mit 
titrirter  Aetzlauge  unter  Zusatz  von  Phenolphtalein  neutralisirt, 
auf  bestimmtes  Volumen  gebracht  und  von  dieser  Losung  immer 
notige  Mengen  entnommen  um  nach  Zusatz  von  bestimmter 
Menge  destillirten  Wassers  den  im  Harne  vorkommenden  Harn- 
sauremengen  entsprechende  Losungen  zu  bekommen. 

I 

Versuche  mit  unreiner  Harnsaure  (in  100  cc) : 

1.  Verwendet  0.10  g,  gefunden  0.0841  g 

2.  Verwendet  0.02  g,  gefunden  0.0168  g 

3.  Verwendet  0.10  g,  gefunden  0.0841  g 


144  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

II 

Versuche  mit  gereinigter  Hamsaure  (in  100  cc) : 

4.  Verwendet  0.04  g,  gefunden  0.0390  g 

5.  Verwendet  0.08  g,  gefunden  0.0782  g 

6.  Verwendet  0.20  g,  gefunden  0.1952  g 

7.  Verwendet  0.20  g,  gefunden  0.1952  g 

8.  Verwendet  0.30  g,  gefunden  0.2938  g 

9.  Verwendet  0.01  g,  gefunden  0.0097  g 

Versuche  mit  Bestimmung  der  Harnsaure  im  Harne  fiihrten 
zu  ebenso  gunstigen  Ergebnissen.  Die  Harnsauremenge  wird 
gewohnlich  auf  1  L  oder  auch  auf  in  24  Stunden  entleerten  Ham 
gerechnet  angegeben.  Da  die  tagliche  Hammenge  ofters  schwer 
anzugeben  ist  und  die  Berechnung  auf  1  L  Harn  bezogen  nicht 
einwandfrei  sein  kann,  da  sehr  von  der  momentanen  Konzentra- 
tion  des  Harnes  abhangend,  durfte  einer  Erwagung  wert  sein, 
ob  nebstdem  auch  die  Harnmenge  auf  Trockensubstanz  des 
Harnes  bezogen  nicht  angegeben  werden  soUte.  Die  Trocken- 
substanz konnte  zu  diesem  Zwecke  entweder  refrektometrisch 
oder  aus  dem  specifischen  Gewichte  nach  Uiberfiihrung  in  Sac- 
charometergrade  (nach  der  Ballingschen  oder  Brixschen  Tabelle) 
bestimmt  werden.  Bei  zuckerhaltigen  Harnen  miisste  die 
Harnsauremenge  auf  die  zuckerfreie  Trockensubstanz  bezogen 
werden.  Die  prozentische  Harnsauremenge  in  der  Trockensub- 
stanz konnte  "  Harnsaurequotient "  benannt  werden.  So  z.B. 
enthalt  ein  Harn  0.037%  Harnsaure.  Das  specif.  Gewicht — 
1.0199,  entsprechend  5.06%  saccharometrischer  Trockensub- 
stanz. Es  sind  demnach  in  100  T.  Trockensubstanz  0.73  T. 
Harnsaure  enthalten,  oder  der  Harnsaurequotient — 0.73%. 


THE   UTILIZATION   OF    INDIVIDUAL   PROTEINS   BY 
MAN  AS  INFLUENCED  BY  REPEATED  FASTING 

By  Paul  E.  Howe 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,   New   York 

AND  p.  B.  Hawk 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

A  study  was  made  of  the  utilization  of  meat,  milk,  glidine, 
plasman  and  gluten,  substances  of  which  the  nitrogenous  portion 
is  made  up  for  the  most  part  in  each  instance  by  some  particular 
individual  protein.  The  utilization  of  a  standard  "  cracker- 
milk-butter-peanut-butter  "  diet  was  studied  for  comparison. 
In  order  that  a  uniform  basis  for  the  study  of  the  utilization  might 
be  secured  the  subject  (58  kg.  man)  was  fasted  for  a  period  of  two 
days  previous  to  the  ingestion  of  the  various  experimental  diets. 
A  series  of  eight  such  fasts  was  made,  water  being  taken  in  uni- 
form quantity  daily. 

The  standard  diet  furnished  12.12  grams  of  nitrogen  and  2500 
calories  of  energy.  For  a  period  of  two  days  immediately  follow- 
ing each  fast  this  diet  was  increased  50%  thus  furnishing  18.18 
grams  of  nitrogen  and  3750  calories  of  energy.  Following  this 
increased  diet  the  normal  nitrogen  and  calorific  level  was  again 
assumed  for  a  three-day  interval.  At  this  point  the  subject  again 
fasted  for  two  days.  In  brief  the  experimental  plan  consisted  of 
a  series  of  two-day  fasts  separated  by  five-day  feeding  intervals 
the  diet  for  two  days  immediately  following  the  fast  being 
increased  50%  above  that  fed  during  the  next  three  days.  No 
attempt  was  made  to  separate  the  feces  of  the  two-day  fasting 
intervals.  On  the  basis  of  previous  fasting  experiments  in  this 
laboratory  it  has  been  found  that  the  output  of  feces  by  fasting 
men  even  yields  approximately  0.1  gram  of  nitrogen  per  day. 
This  correction  was  applied  in  this  case. 
10  us 


146         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  utilization  and  nitrogen  balance  data  for  the  experiment 
are  summarized  below. 

Utilization  Values  (Pek  cent.) 


^ 

Source  of  Protein  Fed 

Diet 

o 

•B 

1 

a 

g 

•2 

Q 

' 

§ 

m 

F 

an 

i 

S  M 

m 

1 

150% 

2 

94.2 

97.5 

96.5 

92.2 

96.3 

95.8 

93.8 

90.5 

97.4 

100% 

3 

94.3 

96.5 

85.5 

94.5 

86.0 

96.5 

Nitrogen 

Balance 

for  5 

days 

Grams 

N 

5 

+7.8 

—1.3 

+1.4 



+0.0 

+5.0 



—9.7 

+11.3 

An  examination  of  the  data  indicates  that  meat  and  glidine 
were  utilized  more  efficiently  than  the  other  nitrogenous  foods 
fed,  whereas  plasmon,  milk,  standard  diet  and  gluten  follow  in  the 
order  given.  It  will  be  noted  that  in  practically  every  instance,  no 
matter  what  the  character  of  the  protein,  there  was  more  complete 
utilization  during  the  two-day  period  of  high  diet  immediately 
following  the  fast,  than  during  the  subsequent  three-day  interval 
on  the  normal  nitrogen  level. 

From  a  consideration  of  the  nitrogen  balances  we  find  that  the 
greatest  nitrogen  gains  were  made  upon  meat  and  milk.  The 
standard  diet,  plasmon  I,  glidine  and  gluten  were  next  in  order. 
The  nitrogen  balance  for  plasmon  II  is  not  comparable  with  the 
other  nitrogen  balances  inasmuch  as  it  relates  solely  to  the  two 
days  during  which  the  150%  diet  was  fed.  There  was  of  course 
always  a  pronounced  retention  of  nitrogen  during  this  period 
no  matter  what  the  character  of  the  ingested  protein.  It  will  be 
observed  that  the  most  pronounced  plus  balances  were  obtained 
when  proteins  from  animal  sources  (meat  and  milk)  were  fed. 


xa]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  147 

The  proteins  of  vegetable  origin,  e.g.,  glidine  and  gluten  yielded 
minus  balances.  This  speaks  for  the  greater  eflSciency  of  the 
animal  proteins.  It  is  also  an  interesting  fact  that  the  nitrogen 
of  milk  was  a  much  more  satisfactory  nutritive  medium  than  was 
the  dried  milk  protein  preparation  (plasmon). 

The  fact  that  utilization  values  are  not  necessarily  reliable 
indexes  of  efficiency  is  demonstrated  through  the  data  for  meat 
and  glidine.  The  protein  from  these  two  sources  was  equally 
well  utilized.  However  when  we  examine  the  nitrogen  balances 
we  observe  that  the  meat  yielded  a  plus  nitrogen  balance  of  11.3 
grams  whereas  glidine  gave  a  minus  balance  of  1.3  grams.  It  is 
evident  therefore  that  so  far  as  digestion  and  absorption  are  con- 
cerned there  is  apparently  no  margin  of  choice  between  meat  and 
glidine.  However,  when  the  question  of  the  retention  of  their 
nitrogen  for  the  use  of  the  organism  is  concerned  the  evidence 
is  strongly  in  favor  of  the  meat. 

A  word  of  explanation  should  be  offered  regarding  the  low 
utilization  values  for  gluten.  It  so  happened  that  there  was  a  delay 
in  the  arrival  of  the  gluten  flour  and  it  was  necessary  to  feed  it 
before  its  composition  could  be  determined  by  analysis.  The 
nitrogen  value  as  recently  determined  by  Mendel  and  Fine 
(14%)  was  therefore  made  the  basis  of  our  calculations.  Subse- 
quent analyses  (a  dozen  or  more)  indicated  that  our  gluten  con- 
tained less  than  7%  of  nitrogen.  Therefore  instead  of  feeding  the 
same  quantity  of  nitrogen  in  the  form  of  gluten  as  was  fed  in  the 
form  of  the  other  proteins  we  were  feeding  less  than  one-half  as 
much  nitrogen.  For  this  reason  the  utilization  values  for  gluten 
are  in  no  way  comparable  with  the  other  utilization  values.  It 
might  be  well  to  mention  the  fact  that  we  made  a  starch  deter- 
mmation  on  the  gluten  flour  as  purchased  and  found  50.7% 
of  starch.  This  particular  specimen  can  hardly  be  considered  a 
satisfactory  flour  for  the  use  of  diabetics. 


PURINE  CATABOLISM  IN  THE  MONKEY 

By  Andrew  Hunter  and  Maurice  H.  Givens 

{From  the  Department  of  Physiology  and  Biochemistry,  Cornell 
University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.) 

While  the  urine  of  man  contains  considerable  amounts  of  uric 
acid  with  almost  negligible  traces  of  allantoin,  it  is  the  latter  sub- 
stance which  for  the  lower  mammals  forms  the  principal  product 
of  purine  catabolism.  The  apparently  unique  position  occupied 
in  this  respect  by  the  human  species  makes  it  of  interest  to  ascer- 
tain the  fate  of  purine  material  in  apes  and  monkeys.  Our  con- 
tribution to  the  problem  is  at  present  limited  to  observations 
upon  a  female  guenon  monkey  (Cercopithecus  callitrichus) ,  weigh- 
ing 4.7  kilograms.  We  have  already*  reported  results  showing 
that  in  this  animal  the  allantoin-purine  ratio  is  of  the  same  order 
as  in  the  lower  mammals.  The  present  communication  deals 
with  later  experiments  which  confirm  and  amplify  our  earlier 
conclusion. 

The  monkey  was  maintained  for  ninety-six  days  on  a  diet  of 
milk,  peanuts,  and  bananas,  the  urine  being  regularly  collected 
in  two-day  periods.  Of  the  forty-eight  urine  samples  thus 
obtained  twenty-six  represented  the  normal  excretion  on  the 
(presumably)  purine-free  regime  selected.  The  allantoin  nitro- 
gen of  these  twenty-six  controls  varied  between  20  and  32  milli- 
grams; in  twenty  cases  it  lay  between  26  and  31  milligrams;  the 
average  of  all  was  27.7.  Purine  nitrogen  ranged  from  6.7  to 
13.9  milligrams;  in  twenty  cases  from  9.1  to  12.1;  average,  11.0. 
This  purine  output  appeared  to  consist  mainly  of  bases;  at  any 
rate  uric  acid  was  never  isolated  from  the  normal  urine.  Of  the 
total  allantoin-purine  nitrogen  of  individual  samples  allantoin 
accounted  for  a  minimum  of  64  and  a  maximum  of  82  per  cent. 
Each  of  these  extremes  was  exceptional  ;  on  all  but  six  occasions 
the  ratio  lay  between  71  and  76;  its  mean  value  was  72. 

'Proc.  Amer.  See.  Biol.  Chem.,  II,  p.  73,  1912;  Joum.  Biol.  Chem.,  XI,  p. 
nzix. 

149 


150         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  results  of  the  oral  or  subcutaneous  administration  of 
Sodium  nucleate,  sodium  urate,  and  allantoin  are  summarized  in 
the  table.  (The  figures  are  milligrams  of  nitrogen;  for  sodium 
nucleate,  of  which  2  gram  doses  were  given  they  represent  nitro- 
gen of  the  purine  ring  only.) 


Amount 
given 

Method 

Amount  recovered 

Total 

SubBtance 

Uric  acid 

recovered 

Sodium 
nucleate 

140 
140 

oral 
oral 

3.5 
5.6 

12.7 
30.1 

16.2 
35.7 

12 
26 

Sodium  urate 

32.9 
34.4 
65.9 
66.6 

oral 

oral 

oral 

subcut. 

9.3 

0.0 

1.2 

28.9 

0.0 

1.4 

4.6 

37.6 

9.3 

1.4 

5.8 

66.5 

28 

5 

9 

100 

Allantoin 

45.8 
96.3 
98.0 
33.5 
34.1 
70.4 

oral 
oral 
oral 

subcut. 

subcut. 

subcut. 

0.0 
22.3 
13.5 
25.1 
27.9 
63.1 

0 
23 
14 
75 
82 
90 

The  feeding  experiments  with  nucleic  acid  demonstrate  the 
conversion  of  the  purine  nuclei  into  allantoin  with  uric  acid  as  an 
intermediate  product.  The  proportion  in  which  these  appear  is 
such  as  might  have  been  expected,  allantoia  accounting  for  78 
and  84  per  cent,  of  the  recovered  purine  nitrogen.  The  total 
amoimt  of  the  latter  is  however  but  a  fraction  of  that  adminis- 
tered. The  result  of  feeding  uric  acid  is  even  less  illuminating; 
very  little  indeed  reappears  in  the  lurine,  and  the  allantoin  excre- 
tion is  not  appreciably  affected.  How  the  deficit  in  either  case 
is  to  be  explained — ^whether  by  destruction  in  the  intestine,  or  by 
failure  of  absorption — ^we  have  not  yet  been  able  to  decide. 


xrx]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  151 

One  must  of  course  reckon  with  the  possibility  of  aUantoin  being 
not  a  terminal  but  an  intermediate  product.  The  small  percent- 
age of  ingested  allantoin  recoverable  in  the  urine  would  hannon- 
iie  with  such  a  view.  The  injection  experiments  seem  to  negative 
it  completely.  The  quantity  of  allantoin  recovered  unchanged 
after  subcutaneous  introduction  is  practically  as  great  as  if  it  had 
been  directly  dissolved  in  the  urine.  Injected  uric  acid  is  like- 
wise completely  accounted  for,  more  than  half  being  converted 
into  allantoin.  One  seems  forced  meanwhile  to  conclude  that  in 
the  intermediary  metabolism  of  the  monkey  allantoin  is  inde- 
structible, and  that  it  constitutes  not  only  the  principal  but  also 
the  final  product  of  purine  destruction. 


THE  RELATION  BETWEEN  CHEMICAL  CONSTITUTION 
AND  PHYSIOLOGICAL  ACTION  AS  EXEMPLIFIED 
BY  THE  GLYOXALINES,  ISO-QUINOLINES  AND 
ACID  AMIDES 

By  H.  a.  D.  Jowett,  D.Sc,  F.  L.  Pyman,  D.Sc,  and  F.  G.  P. 
Remfry,  D.Sc. 

Wellcome  Chemical  Works,  Dartford,  Kent,  England 

At  the  Eighth  International  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 
we  discussed  the  relation  between  chemical  constitution  and 
physiological  action,  and  entered  into  particulars  with  respect 
to  three  classes  of  chemical  compounds,  namely,  the  Arylarsonic 
Acids,  the  Alkamine  Esters  and  the  Tropeines.  Little  has  been 
added  to  our  knowledge  of  the  physiological  action  of  the  two 
last  mentioned  classes  of  compounds  since  then,  but  much 
progress  has  been  made  by  Ehrlich  and  his  collaborators  in  the 
case  of  the  organic  derivatives  of  arsenic.  Briefly,  it  has  been 
shown  that  the  arylarsonic  acids  yield  on  reduction  successively 
arylarsenious  oxides  and  arsenoaryls.  A  very  large  number  of 
these  compounds  have  been  physiologically  examined,  and  have 
led  eventually  to  the  production  of  3:3'-diamino-4:4'-dihydro- 
xyarsenobenzene,  which  has  since  been  largely  employed  in  the 
treatment  of  syphilis  and  other  protozoal  diseases. 

The  success  attending  the  use  of  organic  arsenic  compounds 
has  naturally  led  to  the  production  and  physiological  examina- 
tion of  other  organo-metalloidal  and  organo-metallic  compounds. 
For  instance,  several  investigations  have  been  carried  out  with 
a  view  of  preparing  aryl  antimony  compounds  for  use  in  medi- 
cine. None  of  these,  however,  has  reached  a  satisfactory  con- 
clusion; and  this  has  been  due  partly  to  the  physical  unsuitability, 
such  as  insolubility,  of  many  of  the  compounds  prepared,  which 
has  hindered  or  prevented  their  physiological  investigation,  and 

153 


154  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

partly  to  the  fact  that  such  as  could  be  satisfactorily  tested  failed 
to  have  the  desired  action. 

Another  development  of  work  on  these  lines  was  suggested 
by  the  combined  treatment  of  sjrphilis  with  sodium  p-amino- 
phenylarsonate  and  mercurials,  or  with  a  mercury  salt  of  p-am- 
inophenylarsonic  acid.  It  was  thought  that  the  introduction  of 
one  or  more  mercury  residues  into  the  aromatic  nucleus  of 
phenylarsonic  acids  might  give  rise  to  valuable  therapeutic 
compounds.  A  considerable  series  of  oxymercury  derivatives 
of  phenylarsonic  acids  were  therefore  prepared,^  a  tj^jical  example 
of  such  compounds  being  disodium  3-oxymercury-4-aminopheny- 
larsonate  (HOHg.)  (NH2)  CeHs.AsO  (0Na)2,  which  is  a  deriva- 
tive of  sodium  p-amino-phenylarsonate.  These  compoimds  con- 
tain mercury  in  a  non-ionised  condition.  They  do  not  coagulate 
albumin,  and  are  satisfactory  on  the  whole  as  regards  toxicity 
and  suitability  for  hypodermic  injection,  but  the  results  obtained 
on  physiological  examination  have  been  disappointing. 

In  connection  with  organo-metalloidal  compounds,  von  Was- 
sermann's  recent  use  of  an  eosin-selenium  compoimd  in  experi- 
ments with  cancerous  mice  has  aroused  widespread  interest, 
and  it  will  be  interesting  to  follow  the  further  developments  of 
this  work. 

On  this  occasion,  we  propose  again  to  deal  with  the  relation 
between  Chemical  Constitution  and  Physiological  Action  in 
certain  selected  fields  in  which  we  have  been  working,  namely, 
glyoxalines,  isoquinolines  and  acid  amides. 

The  investigation  of  the  glyoxalines  has  proceeded  in  two 
directions  of  physiological  interest  dealing  respectively  with 
synthetic  substances  allied  to  4(or  5)-^-aminoethylglyoxaline 
and  pilocarpine.  Our  knowledge  that  aminoethylglyoxaline  is 
a  base  of  physiological  importance  is  due  to  the  extended  investi- 
gations of  Barger  and  Dale,  who  have  shown  that  it  is  one  of 
the  active  principles  of  ergot. 

In  the  course  of  the  last  few  years,  great  progress  has  been 
made  in  the  elucidation  of  the  bases  to  whose  combined  effect 
the  properties  of  ergot  are  due,  and  it  is  now  known  that  besides 


•Wellcome  and  Barrowcliff  {Erig.  Pat.  12,472  of  1908). 


Tax]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  155 

the  alkaloids  ergotinine  and  ergotoxine,  a  number  of  other  bases 
also  contribute  towards  it. 

These  bases  are  derived  from  amino-acids  by  the  loss  of  the 
elements  of  carbon  dioxide,  and  are  derivatives  of  ethylamine; 
the  two  most  important  are  p-hydroxyphenylethylamine  derived 
from  tyrosine,  and  aminoethylglyoxaline  from  histidine.  One 
of  the  most  important  and  thorough  examinations  of  the  phar- 
macology of  any  series  of  compounds  has  recently  been  carried 
out  by  Barger  and  Dale  in  the  study  of  the  relation  between 
chemical  structure  and  sympathomimetic  (adrenine-like)  action 
of  the  phenylalkylamines  and  their  phenolic  derivatives,  the  class 
to  which  p-hydroxyphenylethylamine  belongs. 

Their  results  are  too  profuse  to  receive  consideration  in  detail, 
but  we  may  draw  attention  to  certain  analogies  which  exist 
between  the  aminoalkyl  derivatives  of  benzene,  and  those  of 
glyoxaline,  which  latter  are  more  fully  described  in  the  special 
part  of  this  paper. 

In  the  case  of  the  phenylalkylamines,  the  optimum  structure 
for  physiological  effect  is  present  when  the  benzene  ring  and 
amino-group  are  separated  by  a  chain  of  two  carbon  atoms,  and 
another  optimum  condition  is  the  presence  of  two  phenolic 
hydroxyls  in  the  3 :4  positions  relative  to  the  side  chain. 

Similarly  it  has  been  found  that  only  those  aminoalkylglyoxa- 
lines  have  any  pronounced  physiological  activity,  in  which  the 
glyoxaline  ring  and  amino-group  are  separated  by  a  chain  of  two 
carbon  atoms.  Here  again  the  presence  of  an  acidic  grouping 
in  the  ring  is  an  optimum  condition;  in  this  case  it  is  of  coiu-se 
the  imino-group  which  so  functionates  in  the  place  of  the  hydro- 
xylic  substituents  of  phenylalkylamines. 

A  second  line  of  work  in  connection  with  the  derivatives  of 
glyoxaline  has  been  followed  in  attempts  to  prepare  bases  of 
piloearpine-like  action.  The  results  of  such  experiments,  how- 
ever, have  been  entirely  negative  and  serve  to  show  that  like 
other  groups  of  compounds,  such  as  the  tropeines,  the  glyoxalines 
only  become  possessed  of  physiological  activity  under  conditions 
difficult  to  determine. 

Glyoxalines  which  are  very  closely  related  chemically  vary 
enormously  in  physiological  action,  and  a  good  example  of  this 


156         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

is  seen  in  the  reduced  activity  of  isopilocarpine  as  compared  with 
its  stereo-isomeride  pilocarpine. 

The  pharmacology  of  the  isoquinoline  derivatives,  a  section 
which '  comprises  a  large  number  of  well-known  alkaloids,  is,  of 
course,  a  large  subject,  and  we  will  consequently  limit  ourselves 
to  a  discussion  of  the  relation  between  Chemical  Constitution 
and  Physiological  Action  in  bases  of  the  cotarnine  type,  of  which 
there  are  now  a  number  of  known  examples.  The  conclusion  to 
which  we  are  led  in  this  case  is  that  the  property  of  causing  con- 
traction of  the  uterus  is  common  to  those  2-alkyl-3 :4-dihydro- 
isoquinolinium  bases  (that  is  bases  of  the  cotarnine  type)  which 
contain  methoxy-  or  methylenedioxy-groups.  At  the  same  time 
we  desire  to  qualify  this  statement  by  pointing  out  that  only  a 
comparatively  small  number  of  such  compounds  have  been  pre- 
pared and  physiologically  examined.  Experience  teaches  that 
an  apparent  relation  between  Chemical  Constitution  and  Physi- 
ological Action  often  appears  to  exist  between  a  small  number  of 
closely  allied  substances,  but  on  extending  the  field  of  enquiry 
somewhat  wider,  it  is  frequently  found  that  no  satisfactory 
generalisation  can  be  deduced. 

The  third  section  of  this  paper  deals  with  recent  work  on  the 
relation  between  Chemical  Constitution  and  Hypnotic  Action, 
and  for  this  purpose  only  those  compounds  containing  the  acid 
amide  radicle,  -  CO  NH  -,  have  been  described.  Under  this 
heading  such  well-known  groups  as  barbituric  acid,  urethane  and 
their  aUied  compounds  can  be  included,  and  it  was  found  advis- 
able to  limit  the  paper  in  this  manner  on  accoimt  of  the  wide 
range  of  the  subject. 

Glyoxalinb  Derivatives 

The  organic  bases  which  occur  in  nature  contain  nitrogen  com- 
bined in  many  different  ways.  Of  the  ring  compounds  with  one 
nitrogen  atom  mention  may  be  made  of  the  pyridine,  pyrollidine, 
quinoline,  isoquinoline  and  indole  derivatives.  Rings  containing 
more  than  one  N-atom  also  occur,  thus  a  large  and  important 
class  of  naturally  occurring  substances — the  purine  derivatives— 


XDc]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  167 

contain  a  double  ring  system,  each  containing  two  nitrogen 
atoms,  the  two  rings  being  the  pyrimidine  and  glyoxaline  rings. 

N  =  CH  N  =  CH 

CN  C— NH\,  CH  CH  CH— NH\ 

II       II  CH  II       II  II  ^CH 

N-C-  N/  N— CH  CH  —  N/- 

Purine  Pyrimidine  Glyoxaline 

Until  the  last  decade,  however,  the  simple  glyoxaline  ring 
had  not  been  recognised  as  a  constituent  of  physiologically 
impori;ant  compounds,  although  glyoxaline  itself  and  some  of  its 
simpler  derivatives  had  long  been  known.  The  first  recognition 
of  the  simple  glyoxaline  ring  in  a  naturally  occurring  compound 
was  made  in  the  case  of  the  alkaloid  isopilocarpine;  shortly  after- 
wards the  important  amino-acid  histidine  was  shown  to  be  a 
glyoxaline  derivative,  and  quite  recently  4(or  5)  )8-aminoethyl- 
glyoxaline  and  ergothioneine,  another  glyoxaline  derivative,  have 
been  isolated  from  ergot. 

The  occurrence  of  glyoxaline  derivatives  amongst  natural 
products  is  susceptible  of  a  ready  explanation.  Glyoxalines  it 
is  well-known  are  readily  formed  when  ammonia  is  added  to  a 
cold  aqueous  solution  containing  an  aldehyde,  R.CHO,  and  a 
compound  R'.CO.CO.R",  where  R,  R',  and  R"  may  be  hydrogen 
as  in  the  case  of  glyoxal  itself 

R'    .CO        NH,  R'      .C— NHv 

I       +  +OHC.R II  >  C.R-l-3  aO 

R"     .CO       NH,  R"     .C  —  N^ 

and  many  alkylglyoxalines  have  been  prepared  in  the  laboratory 
in  this  way.  Moreover,  it  has  been  shown^  that  when  an  aqueous 
solution  of  glucose,  formaldehyde  and  zinc  hydroxide-ammonia 
is  left  exposed  to  light  for  some  time  4  (or  5)-methylglyoxaline  is 
produced,  and  it  seems  probable  that  in  this  reaction  the  glucose 


'Windaus  and  Knoop  (fier.,  1905,  38,  1166). 


158         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

is  first  degraded  to  methylglyoxal,  which  then  enters  into  com- 
bination with  the  ammonia  and  formaldehyde  as  depicted  below: 

CHO         NH,  CH— NHv 

I  +  +HCHO II  CH+saO 

CH3.C0        NH,  ca.c  —  N  ^ 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  reaction  takes  place  under 
normal  conditions  of  temlperature  and  pressure,  and  requires 
only  such  reagents  whose  formation  in  nature  can  readily  be 
understood. 

Before  going  on  to  describe  the  synthetic  experiments  made 
with  the  view  of  preparing  substances  of  physiological  activity, 
we  propose  to  give  a  short  account  of  the  recent  researches  on 
the  naturally  occurring  glyoxaline  derivatives. 

Pilotarpine. 

Pinner  and  Schwarz"^  first  suggested  that  pilocarpine  was  a 
glyoxaline  derivative,  and  proposed  the  constitutional  formula 

(I) 

Ca  —  CH  —  CH  —  Ca  —  C  —  NMe. 

II  II  CH 

CO      Ca  CH   —  N'^ 

\  / 

0 

(I) 

This  formula  was  based  on 

1.  The  constitution  of  homopilopic  acid,  which  had  pre- 

viously been  determined  by  Jowett*. 

2.  The  composition  of  the  fragment  left  on  subtraction  of 

the  homopilopic  residue  from  the  empirical  formula 
of  pilocarpine. 

3.  The  formation  of  methylurea  on  oxidation,  and 

4.  Certain  analogies  shown  to  exist  between  pilocarpine 

derivatives  and  glyoxalines. 


iBer.,  1902,  35,  2441. 

V.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1901,  79,  1331. 


jox]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  159 

Definite  proof  that  pilocarpine  is  a  glyoxaline  derivative  was 
{umished  by  Jowett'  in  the  next  year.  By  distilling  tsopilocarpine 
with  soda  lime  he  isolated  and  identified  1-methylglyoxaline, 
l:4(or  l:5)-dimethylglyoxaline  and  l:4(or  1 :5)-methylmylglyox- 
alme.  For  the  purpose  of  comparison,  Jowett  and  Potter^  pre- 
pared what  they  believed  to  be  a  homogeneous  l:4(or  1:5)- 
dimethylglyoxaline  by  methylating  4(or  5)-methylglyoxaline, 
but  came  to  the  conclusion  that  this  was  not  identical  but  iso- 
meric with  the  dimethylglyoxaline  from  isopilocarpine.  As  there 
was  no  evidence  to  show  which  of  the  two  dimethylglyoxalines 
was  the  1 :4  isomeride  and  which  the  1 :5,  Jowett  put  forward  for 
M(^ilocarpine  the  two  alternative  formulae  (I)  and  (II)  of  which 
(I)  is  identical  with  that  suggested  by  Pinner  and  Schwarz,  and 
represented  pilocarpine  as  a  stereo-isomeride. 
CHs— CH— CH— CEt— C— NMe. 

I       I  II  cn 

CO      CH,  CH  —  N^ 

\    / 
0 

I 

CH— NMe\^ 
II  CH 

ca— CH— CH— ca— c    —    n^ 

I      I 

CO     CH, 

II 

Pinner'  regarded  pilocarpine  and  isopilocarpine  as  structural 
isomerides — derivatives  of  the  two  1 :4  and  1 :5-methylglyoxalines 
corresponding  with  the  formulae  (I)  and  (II),  but  Jowett*  was 
able  to  show  that  the  alkaloids  are  not  structural  but  stereo- 
iBomerides,  since  they  are  mutually  interconvertible  by  means 
of  alcoholic  potash. 

V.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1903,  83,  438. 
V.  C.  5.  Trans.,  1903,  83,  464. 
'Ber.,  1905,  38,  1510. 
V.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1905,  87,  794. 


160         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Recently  Pyman^  ha?  repeated  the  methylation  of  4(or  5)- 
methylglyoxaline,  and  isolated  the  two  isomerides  1:4  and  1:5- 
dimethylglyoxaline.  The  latter  proved  to  be  identical  with  the 
dimethylglyoxaline  obtained  by  Jowett  by  the  distillation  of 
isopilocarpine  with  soda  lime.  Zsopilocarpine  has  therefore  the 
formula  (I). 

Further  evidence  was  also  obtained  against  the  view  that  the 
difference  between  pilocarpine  and  isopilocarpine  depends  on 
structural  isomerism  as  represented  by  Pinner.  Thus,  it  was 
found  that  1:4  and  1 :5-dimethylglyoxaline  yield  one  and  the 
same  methiodide,  doubtless  owing  to  tautomeric  changes  in  the 
sense  of  the  following  scheme: 


CH  —  NMe. 

II  CH\^ 

CMe-      N^  XcH-NMe.^ 


CMe  — NMev  / 

II  ch/ 


CHI- 
CMe— NMe^ 


CH     —     N- 


/ 


f  CH  —  NMey 
II  CH 

CMe— NMel^ 

or 

CMe  — NMe. 
II  CH 

CH  —  NMel^ 


By  analogy  therefore  if  pilocarpine  and  isopilocarpine  owed 
their  isomerism  solely  to  structural  causes,  in  the  sense  that  they 
were  1 :4  and  1 :5-methylglyoxaline  derivatives,  they  should  also 
yield  one  and  the  same  methiodide.  This  is,  however,  not  the 
case,  pilocarpine  giving  an  amorphous  methiodide,  whereas  iso- 
pilocarpine  methiodide  is  crystalline.  These  facts,  therefore, 
afford  further  evidence  against  Pinner's  view  of  the  isomerism 
of  pilocarpine  and  isopilocarpine,  and  consequently  strengthen 
Jowett's  position. 

Histidine. 

Histidine  is  an  amino-acid  which  occurs  as  a  degradation 
product  of  most  albumins.    It  is  readily  prepared  by  hydrolysing 

>J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1910,  97,  1814. 


xix)  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  161 

haemoglobin.  Pauly'  first  suggested  the  constitution  of  his- 
tidine  (III)  which  is  now  known  to  be  correct,  but  it  was  Knoop 
and  Windaus'  who  first  proved  that  this  amino-acid  is  a  glyo- 
xaiine  derivative  by  degrading  it  to  y8-glyoxaIine-4(or  5)-pro- 
pionic  acid  (IV)  which  they  also  prepared  synthetically  by  the 
action  of  formaldehyde  and  ammonia  on  glyoxylpropionic  acid 
(V). 


CH  -  NHv^ 

II                  CH 

CH  — 

NH. 

CH 

CHO  —  NH. 

I        _|_        ^H.CHO 

C    -     N'^ 

C     — 

N^ 

CO          NH, 

1 

— >  1 

^  1 

CH, 

CH> 

1 

ca 

1 

m-NH, 

ca 

1 

CH. 

1 

CO,H 

COjH 

CO,H 

III 

IV 

V 

The  recent  synthesis  of  histidine  by  Pyman  will  be  referred 
to  later. 

4(or  b)-p-Aminoethylglyoxaline. 

This  base  was  first  prepared  synthetically'  by  the  degradation 
of  ift-glyoxaline-4(or  6)-propionic  acid  (IV)  by  Curtius'  method 
some  years  before  it  was  recognised  as  a  naturally-occurring 
compound.  Recently,  however,  it  has  been  shown  to  be  present 
in  certain  preparations  of  ergot,*  and  to  have  very  great  physio- 
logical activity.' 

4(or  5)-/8-Aminoethylglyoxaline  (VII)  can  be  prepared  from 
histidme  (VI)  in  the  laboratory  by  the  elimination  of  carbon 
dioxide  by  bacterial  action,"  and  it  seems  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  it  is  produced  in  this  manner  in  nature.    It  can  also  be 

'2et/«cA.  physiol.  Chem.,  1904,  42,  513. 
*Beilr.  chem.  Physiol.  Path.,  1905,  7,  144. 
'WindaiiB  and  Vogt  (Ber.,  1907,  40,  3691). 
•Barger  and  Dale  (J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1910,  97,  2592). 
•Dale  and  Laidlaw  (J.  physiol.  1910,  41,  318). 
•Adtennann  (Zeilsch.  physiol.  Chem.,  1910,  65,  504). 
11 


162         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

prepared  from  histidine  by  removing  carbon  dioxide  by  purely 
chemical  means,  such  as  the  use  of  acids  at  a  high  temperature.' 
CH  —  NHv  CH  —  NH. 

II  CH  II  CH 

C     —     N^  C    —     N^ 

I  -  I 

CHj  CH2 

1  I 

CH— NH.  CH, 

I  I 

CO,H  NH, 

VI  VII 

The  most  convenient  method  for  its  preparation,  however,  is 
the  synthetic  method  to  be  described. 

Ergothioneine. 

This  was  isolated  from  ergot  by  Tanret^  who  determined  its 
composition,  CgHuOjNjS.  Barger  and  Ewins'  have  recently 
shown  that  this  compound  is  jS-2-thiolglyoxaline-4(or  5)-pro- 
piobetaine  (VIII)  in  the  following  manner.  On  boiling  the  base 
with  strong  aqueous  potassium  hydroxide,  trimethylamine  was 
removed,  and  /8-2-thiolglyoxaline-4(or  5)-acrylic  acid  (IX) 
resulted;  on  oxidation  with  nitric  acid  this  gave  )8-glyoxaline-4 
(or  5)-acrylicacid  (X)  and  the  latter  compound  furnished  ^glyox- 
aline-4(or  5)-propionic  acid  (XI)  on  reduction;  the  last  two  acids 
mentioned  were  identical  with  snytheticaUy  prepared  specimens. 
CH  —  NH.  CH  —  NH. 

II  C.SH  II  C.SH 

C     —     N'^       •  C    —     N^ 

CH,  CH 

I  II 

CH— N(CHO,  CH 

I  I  I 

CO— 0  COjH 

VIII  IX 


lEwins  and  Pyman  (J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1911,  99,  339). 
V.  Pharm.  Chim.  1909  (VI),  30,  145. 
'J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1911,  101,  2336. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  163 

CH  —  NH.  CH  —  NH. 

II  .CH  II  ^  CH 

C     —     N<^  C     —     N^ 


CH  CHs 

I 

H  ca 

I  I 

CO,H  CO»H 


h 


XI 


Ergothioneine  has  no  marked  physiological  action.  It  is  an 
interesting  addition  to  the  comparatively  small  number  of  plant 
principles  containing  sulphur,  and  is  the  first  example  of  a  2-thi- 
olglyoxaline  to  be  found  in  nature. 

lodated  Proteins. 

It  will  be  observed  that  apart  from  pilocarpine  and  the  allied 
alkaloids  the  glyoxaline  derivatives  which  have  hitherto  been 
isolated  from  natural  sources  are  derivatives  of  or  nearly  related 
to  histidine.  The  latter  is  widely  distributed  in  nature  in  com- 
bination with  other  amino-acids,  entering  into  the  composition 
of  most  albumins,  and  it  has  recently  been  suggested  that  natur- 
ally-occurring iodated  proteins  may  contain  the  iodine  fixed  in 
the  glyoxaline  nucleus  of  histidine  residues. 

The  active  principle  of  thyroid  glands,  for  instance,  has  been 
8hown>  to  be  an  iodated  globulin,  and  in  view  of  its  physiological 
importance,  the  nature  of  the  iodine-bearing  group  in  this  com- 
pound, iodothyrin,  has  been  the  subject  of  investigations  by 
Pauly  and  Gundermann.*  These  authors  reviewed  the  various 
amino-acids  which  are  formed  by  the  hydrolysis  of  proteins,  and 
showed  that  histidine  is  the  one  which  can  most  readily  fix  iodine 
permanently  when  treated  with  gentle  iodating  agents,  such  as 
iodine  and  alkali.  They  therefore  prepared  and  tested  a  number 
of  iodated  and  brominated  glyoxalines,  and  found  that  the 
Itelogenated  glyoxalines  (imlike  the  halogen  free  bases)  caused 

'Baumann  (ZeUschr.  physiol.  Chem.  1895,  21,  319). 

'Ber.,  1908,  41,  3999;  1910,  43,  3243  and  Arch.  expt.  Path.  Pharm.  1911, 
65,259. 


164         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

a  marked  acceleration  of  the  pulse  and  breathing  frequency; 
this  is  of  particular  interest  since  the  characteristic  pharma- 
cological action  of  thyroid  gland  and  iodothyrin  is  the  accelera- 
tion of  the  pulse-frequency. 

With  regard  to  toxicity,  whilst  glyoxaline  (XII),  ■2-methyl- 
glyoxaline  (XIII)  and  2:4:5-trimethylglyoxaline  (XIV)  had  little 
effect  on  dogs  in  doses  of  1.0-gram,  fractions  of  this  amoxmt 
proved  toxic  in  the  case  of  the  halogenated  bases. 

CH  —  NH.  CH  —  NH.  CH,.C  —  NHv 

II  CH  II  C.CHa  II  C.CH, 

CH  —   N^  CH   —   N^  CHa.C  —  N^ 
XII                           XIII  XIV 

The  most  toxic  compound  tested  was  2:4:5-tribromoglyoxaline 
(XV)  of  which  0.2-gram  given  per  os  was  sufficient  to  kill  a  61- 
kilo  dog  in  2  hours.  Of  the  iodated  glyoxalines  2(or  5)-iodo-4- 
methylglyoxaline  (XVI)  was  the  most  toxic  0.3-grams  per  os 
killing  a  medium  weight  dog  in  10  hours,  then  followed  4:5- 
diiodo-2-methylglyoxaline  (XVII)  of  which  the  lethal  dose  was 
0.4-grams  and  2:4:5-triiodoglyoxaline  (XVIII)  of  which  the  lethal 
dose  was  0.6-grams  or  more. 


CBr— NH. 

II                      CBr 

Cle 

—  NH. 

CH 

or 

CH  —  NHv 

II                     CI 

CBr  —  N^ 

CMe  —  N^ 

CMe  —  W 

XV 

XVI 

CI  —  NH. 

II                     CMe 
CI    —    N^ 

CI  —  NHv 

II                     CI 
CI    —    N^ 

CI  —  NIv^ 

li                   .CI 
CI    —    N^ 

XVII 

XVIII 

XIX 

l:2:4:5-tetraiodoglyoxaline  (XIX)  and  tetraiodohistidineanhy- 
dride  had  little  or  no  pharmacological  action  probably  owing  to 
their  slight  absorption  from  the  intestine. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  165 

Synthetic    Glyoxaline    Derivatives    and    Their    Physio- 
logical Action. 

Until  quite  recently  synthesis  in  the  glyoxaline  series  has  been 
confined  almost  exclusively  to  the  preparation  of  glyoxalines 
with  simple  substituents  such  as  alkyl-groups.  A  few  of  these 
appear  to  have  been  physiologically  tested;  thus  4(or  5)-methyl- 
glyoxaline  (XX)  is  described  as  toxic'  Further,  1 :4-dimethyl- 
glyoxaline  (XXI)  and  1 :2-dimethylglyoxaline  (XXII)  are  said  to 
have  no  pilocarpine-like  action,*  whilst  l-ethyl-2-methylglyox- 
aline  (XXIII)  (oxalethylin)  is  stated  to  show  a  surprising  similar- 
ity in  its  action  to  that  of  atropine.' 

CH  —  NH.  CH  —  NMe. 

II  CH  II  CH 

CMe—  N^  CMe    —    N^ 
XX  XXI 

CH  —  NMe.  CH  — NEtv 

II  CMe  II  CMe 

CH     —     N^  CH   —    N<^ 
XXII  XXIII 

and  apart  from  the  fact  that  considerably  larger  doses  are  neces- 
sary to  cause  all  the  characteristic  effects  of  atropine.  In  view 
of  this  statement  we  have  prepared  a  quantity  of  l-ethyl-2- 
methylglyoxaline  by  Radziszewski's  method*  and  Dr.  H.  H.  Dale 
who  has  tested  it  finds  that  4-drops  of  4%  solution  instilled  into 
the  eye  of  a  cat  produced  no  trace  of  mydriatic  action;  lOO-mgms. 
did  not  paralyse  the  heart  vagus  or  the  action  of  the  chorda 
tympani  on  salivary  secretion,  and  the  only  trace  of  atropine- 
like  action  exhibited  was  seen  in  its  antagonistic  action  to  that  of 
pilocarpine  when  directly  applied  to  the  frog's  heart. 

Within  the  last  few  years,  however,  glyoxalines  with  longer 
side  chains  have  been  synthesised;  Knoop  and  Windaus'  synthe- 

•Kowalewski  {Biochem.  Zeitschr.,  1909,  23,  1). 
'Jowett  (J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1903,  83,  466;  1905,  87,  406). 
•Schulz  (fier.,  1880,  13,  2353). 
•Ber.,  1883,  16,  489. 


166         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

sis  (in  1905)  of  /8-glyoxaline-4(or  5)-propionic  acid  from  glyox- 
ylpropionic  acid  and  their  degradation  of  the  former  compound 
to  4(or  5)-)S-aminoethylglyoxaline  have  already  been  mentioned. 
Further  the  discovery^  that  4(or  5)-methylgloyxaline  can  be 
readily  prepared  in  quantity  from  glucose  has  led  to  a  number  of 
interesting  researches, ",  ',  *  in  which  the  base  has  been  con- 
densed with  variou  aldehydes  to  yield  alcohols  in  accordance 
with  the  following  scheme : 

CH3.C  — NHv  CHs.C  — NH. 

II  CH^  II  CH 

R.CHO  +  CH  — N^  R.CH(OH).C  —  N'^ 

In  1905  after  clearing  up  the  constitution  of  pilocarpine, 
Jowett'  suggested  the  preparation  of  pilocarpine-like  compounds 
by  the  condensation  of  brominated  glyoxalines  with  substances 
such  as  ethyl  sodiomalonate. 

CH  —  NHv 

II  CH 

(C02Et).CHNa  +  Br.  C     —     N^ 

but  at  the  time  brominated  glyoxalines  were  not  readily  accessible 
and  no  actual  condensation  experiments  were  carried  out. 

Some  years  afterwards  Pyman'  prepared  quantities  of  several 
glyoxalines  brominated  in  the  ring,  but  found  that  they  would 
neither  react  with  compounds  of  the  type  of  ethylsodiomalonate, 
nor  would  they  react  with  magnesium  to  form  glyoxaline  mag- 
nesium bromides,  and  were  therefore  useless  for  synthetic  pur- 
poses. Later,  however,  the  same  author'  devised  a  method  by 
which  4  (or  5)-chloromethylglyoxaline  could  readily  be  prepared. 

Diaminoacetone  dihydrochloride  (I)  was  condensed  with  one 
molecule  of  potassium  thiocyanate  and  the  resulting  product 


iWindaus  and  Knoop  (Ber.,  1905,  38,  1166). 

^Gerngross  (Ber.,  1909,  42,  398;  1912,  45,  609). 

Windaus  (Ber.,  1909,  42,  758). 

^Ewins  (J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1911,  99,  2052). 

V.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1905,  87,  405. 

«/.  C.  -S.  Trans.,  1910,  97,  1814;  1912,  101,  530. 

'J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1911,  99,  668. 


xix]                    Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry                     167 

(II)  treated  with  nitric  acid  yielding  4  (or  5)-hydroxyinethyl- 
glyoxaline  (III) ;  this  on  treatment  with  phosphorous  pentachlor- 
ide  gave  4(or  6)-chloromethylglyoxaline  (IV). 

Ca— NHj 

1 
CO 

1 

CH  —  NHv 

II                     C.SH 

C     -     N^ 

1 

ca— Na 

ca.NH, 

I 

II 

CH  —  NH\ 

CH  —  NH. 

^     II                     CH 

C     —     N^ 
1 

II                    CH 

C     —     N^ 
1 

ca.oH 

caci 

III 

IV 

The  latter  compound  contains  the  chlorine  atom  in  a  very 
reactive  condition  and  may  be  employed  for  the  introduction  of 
the  glyoxaline  methyl  (CjH«Ns.CHj)  group  into  organic  com- 
pounds in  the  same  way  that  benzyl  chloride  is  used  for  the  intro- 
duction of  the  benzyl  group. 

Mainly  by  the  use  of  this  compound  it  has  been  possible  to 
carry  out  the  following  researches : 

1.  Synthesis    and    physiological    examination    of    various 

aminoalkylglyoxalines. 

2.  Synthesis  of  histidine. 

3.  Synthesis  and  physiological  examination  of  various  glyox- 

aline derivatives  containing  carboxylic  groups. 

1.    Synthesis  and  Physiological  Examination  of  Various  Ami- 
noalkylglyoxalines. 

In  the  first  instance,  4(or  5)-^-aminoethylglyoxaline  (VI)  was 
synthesised  from  this  compound  by  replacing  the  chloro-group 
by  the  cyano-group  forming  4(or  5)-cyanomethylglyoxaline 
(V),  which  was  then  suitably  reduced. 


168         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


CH  —  NHx 

II                     CH    - 

C     —     N^ 
1 

CH  —  NH^ 

-    II                     CH 

C     -     N^ 

1 

CH  —  NH. 

-  II                     CH 

C     -     N^ 

1 

CH,C1 

IV 

ca.cN 

V 

Ca.CH2.NH2 
VI 

Physiological  examination  of  these  compounds  showed  that 
Nos.  (II),  (III),  (IV)  and  (V)  were  almost  devoid  of  stimulant 
action  on  the  uterus,  and  had  only  trivial  pressor  effects  on  the 
blood  pressure,  whilst  4(or  5)-^-aminoethylglyoxaline  (VI)  has 
a  very  powerful  motor  effect  on  the  isolated  uterus,  and  a  well 
marked  depressor  effect  upon  the  blood  pressure.  The  prepara- 
tion of  homologous  aminoalkylglyoxalines  might  therefore  be 
expected  to  lead  to  interesting  results.  Barger  and  Dale*  in  deal- 
ing with  the  relationship  between  the  chemical  constitution  of 
the  amines  and  their  physiological  action,  have  shown  that  the 
activity  varies  greatly  with  the  length  of  the  side-chain;  in  the 
fatty  series  the  maximum  of  activity  is  attained  at  hexylamine, 
whilst  the  most  active  phenylalkylamine  is  phenylethylamine, 
having  a  fatty  side-chain  of  two  carbon  atoms.  It  appeared, 
therefore,  of  interest  to  determine  the  optimum  length  of  side- 
chain  for  physiological  effect  in  the  aminoalkylglyoxahnes.^ 
For  comparison  with  4  (or  5)-y8-aminoethylglyoxaline,  4(or  5)- 
aminomethylglyoxaline  (VII)  and  4(or  5)-'y-aminopropylglyox- 
aline  were  required,  but  since  the  latter  was  not  readily  accessible 
its  methylhomologue,  4(or  5)-7-aminobutylglyoxaline  (VIII) 
was  prepared  and  tested  in  its  place. 


CH  —  NH. 

II                   /CH 

C     —     N^ 

1 

CH  —  NHv 

II                     CH 

C     -     N^ 

1 

CH.  NH2 

CH2.CH2.  CHMe.NHj 

VII 

VIII 

1/.  Physiol.,  1910,  41,  19. 

=iPyman  (J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1911,  99,  2172). 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  169 

Neither  of  these  bases  had  any  physiological  action  at  all 
comparable  with  that  of  No.  (VI),  both  of  them  only  producing 
very  weak  motor  effects  on  the  uterus,  and  very  faint  pressor 
effects  on  the  blood  pressure. 

A  similar  relation  obtains  in  the  homologous  series  derived  from 
4(or  5)-methylglyoxaline.i  Here  again  the  aminomeyethyl 
derivatives,  4(or  5)-methyl-5(or  4)-aminomethylglyoxaline  (IX) 
and  4(or  5)-methyl-5(or  4)-methylaminomethylglyoxaline  (X) 
are  physiologically  almost  inactive,  whilst  the  ethylamine 
derivative  (XI)  has  considerable  physiological  activity. 

CMe-NHv  CM^NH^  CM^NH^ 

I)  CH  II  CH  II  CH 

C    _     N^  C     —     N^  C     —    N-^ 

CH.NBt  CHj.NHMe  CH,.CH,.NH, 

IX  X  XI 

This  base,  4(or  5)-methyl-5(or  4)-j8-aminoethylglyoxaline  pro- 
duced a  fall  in  blood  pressure  similar  to,  though  somewhat  less 
powerful  than,  that  of  4(or  5)-/8-aminoethylglyoxaline  when 
injected  intravenously.  Its  motor  effect  on  plain  muscle  how- 
ever, was  far  less  than  that  of  the  last  mentioned  base. 

The  next  point  investigated  was  the  effect  of  substituting  the 
imino-hydrogen  atom  in  (VI)  by  the  methyl-group.  The  two 
isomeric  AT-methyl  derivatives  l-methyl-4-)8-aminoethylglyoxa- 
line  (XII)  and  l-methyl-5-/8-aminoethylglyoxaline  (XIII)  were 
accordingly  prepared, 

CH— NMe.  NHj.CH^.Ca.C— NMe^ 

II  >H  II  /H 

NH..Ca.CH,  C     —     N^  CH  — N^ 

XII  XIII 

and  tested.  Their  physiological  action,  however,  was  negligible 
compared  with  that  of  the  parent  compound  (VI). 

/S-y-Bi8[4(or  5)-glyoxaline]  propylamine  (XIV)  which  may 
be  regarded  as  an  aminoethylglyoxaline  containing  a  glyoxa- 

'Ewins  (J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1911,  99,  2054). 


170         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

linemethyl  substituent  was  also  tested  physiologically;  the  effect 
of  this  base  on  the  uterus  and  blood  pressure  is  barely  perceptible. 


CH  —  NH 


C 


CH  — NH 


CH 


C 


N' 


\ 
( 


CH 


CHj, 


ca.ca.Na 


XIV 


The  nature  of  the  results  obtained  by  the  investigation  of  these 
aminoalkylglyoxalines  is  readily  seen  from  the  following  table 
in  which  the  bases  are  arranged  according  to  their  chemical  con- 
stitution: 


Ref.No. 

Base 

Physiological 
Activity 

(VII) 

CsHsNa.  CHj-NHj 

Slight 

(IX) 

4:5-Me.  C,H,Nj.  CH,.NHj 

Slight 

(X) 

4:5-Me.  CHsN^.  CHj.NHMe 

Slight 

(VI) 

C,H,N».  CH..CH,.NH, 

Very  great 

(XI) 

4:5-Me.  C,H,N,.  CHj.CH^.NH^ 

Considerable 

(XII) 

1:4-Me.  CH^N^.  CH,.CH2.NH, 

Slight 

(XIII) 

1:5-Me.  C,H,N,.  CHs.CHs.NH2 

Slight 

(XIV) 

CHsNj.  CH, 

CaH.N,.  CH.CHs.NHs 

Slight 

(VIII) 

C,H,N2.  CHs.CHs.CHMe.NHs 

SUght 

Amongst  the  aminoalkylglyoxalines  tested  therefore  only 
those  two  (VI)  and  (XI)  have  any  pronounced  physiological 
action  in  which 

(1)  the  amino-group  and  the  glyoxaline  complex  are  con- 

nected by  a  chain  of  two  carbon  atoms,  and 

(2)  the  imino-group  of  the  glyoxaline  complex  is  free. 


xnc]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  171 

2.    Synthesis  of  Histidine. 

4(or  6)-chloromethylglyoxaline  readily  reacts  with  compounds 
of  the  type  of  ethyl  sodiomalonate  forming  condensation  products, 
and  histidine  has  been  synthesised  by  this  means  as  follows:' 

4(or  5)-chloromethylglyoxaline  was  condensed  with  ethyl 
sodiochloromalonate  to  give  ethyl  4(or  5)-glyoxalinemethyl- 
chloromalonate  (XV) ;  this  on  hydrolysis  with  hydrochloric  acid 
gave  oc  -chloro-/8-glyoxaline-4(or  5)-propionic  acid  (XVI)  which 
when  treated  with  strong  ammonia  under  pressure  gave  racemic 
histidine  (XVII) ;  the  latter  was  then  resolved  into  its  optically 
active  components  by  fractional  crystallisation  of  the  acid 
tartrates. 


CH  -  NH^ 

II                   CH-^ 

C    —    N^ 

CH  —  NH\^ 

II                     CH^ 

C     —     N^ 

1 

CH  —  NHv 

II                     CH 

C     —     N^ 

1 

CH,.CCl(CO,Et), 

Ca.CHCl.CO.H 

ca.cH(Na).co,H 

XV 

XVI 

XVII 

3.  Synihesis  and  Physiological  Examination  of  Various  Glyoxaline 
Derivatives  Containing  Carboxylic  Groups. 

Starting  with  4(or  5)-chloromethylglyoxaline  it  has  been  pos- 
sible to  synthesise  a  large  number  of  compounds  having  this  much 
in  common  with  pilocarpine  that  they  contain  the  |lyoxaline 
complex,  and  an  esterified  carboxyl-group.^  It  may  be  stated 
at  the  outset  that  none  of  the  compounds  prepared  had  any 
pilocarpine-like  action,  and  most  of  them  were  physiologically 
inactive. 

In  the  first  place  a  number  of  ethyl  esters  were  prepared  and 
tested.  These  were  ethyl  glyoxaline-4(or  5)-acetate  (I),  ethyl 
l-methylglyoxaline-4-acetate  (II),  ethyl  4(or  5)-glyoxalinemeth- 
ylmalonate  (III),  ethyl  4 (or  5)-glyoxalinemethylmethylaceto- 
acetate  (IV),  ethyl  4(or  5)-glyoxalinemethylchloromalonate  (V) 
and  4(or  6)-glyoxalinemethylchloromalonamide  (VI). 

'Pyman  {J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1911,  99,  1386). 
•Pyman  (loc.  cit.). 


172         Original  Communications:  Eighth 

International       [vol. 

CH  —  NHv 

II              c 

C     —     N^ 

CH— NMe. 

II                     CH 

C     —     N^ 

CH  —  NHs 

II                     CH 

c   —    n/ 

H 

oa.cOiiEt 

ca.coaEt 

Ca.CH(CO.Et), 

I 

II 

III 

CH- 

II 

c    - 

-NH. 
-     N^ 

CH- 

CH                  11 

c    - 

-NHv 

CH 

-     N^ 

I  I 

Ca.CMe(C0.Me)C02Et     CH.CCl  (CO.Et), 
VI  V 

CH  —  NH. 

II  CH 

C     —     N^ 

I 

Ca.CCl   (CO.NH,). 

VI 

The  fact  that  none  of  these  substances  had  any  pilocarpine- 
like  action  showed  that  the  presence  of  an  esterified  carboxyl- 
group  in  a  glyoxaline  derivative  was  not  sufficient  to  confer  the 
physiological  properties  characteristic  of  this  alkaloid.  It  was 
thought,  however,  that  if  the  carboxyl-group  were  internally 
esterified*forming  a  lactonic  complex  as  in  pilocarpine,  the  desired 
effect  might  be  produced.  The  lactone  of  oo  (/8-hydroyethyl)-^- 
glyoxaline-4(or  5)-propionic  acid(VII)  was  therefore  synthesised. 

This  compound  has  certain  constitutional  features  in  common 
with  pilocarpine  (VIII);  thus  both  contain  a  glyoxaline  residue 
connected  through  a  methylene  group  with  a  butyryl  lactone 
residue,  though  the  point  of  attachment  to  the  lactone  ring 
Ca— CH— CH,— C  — NHv 
II  II  CH 

Ca    CO  CH— N^ 

\  / 

o 

VII 


jxx]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  173 

CH.— CH— CH— CH,— C— NMev 

II  II  CH 

CO     CH,  CH  —  N^ 

\    / 
0 

VIIT 

is  different  in  the  two  cases.  The  two  bases  also  differ  in  that  the 
former  is  not  methylated,  and  when  it  was  found  that  the  lactone 
(VH)  was  physiologically  inactive,  a  quantity  was  methylated 
with  a  view  to  the  preparation  of  the  two  isomeric  N-methyl- 
derivatives  (IX)  and  (X) 

CH— NMe. 
II  CH 

CH,— CH— Ca— C     —     N^ 

I  I 

CH,    CO 

\    / 
0 

IX 

CHa— CH— CH,- C— NMes^ 

I  I  II  .CH 

CH,    CO     CH       —       N^ 

\    / 
0 


Only  one  of  these  was  isolated  in  a  pure  state,  and  this  also 
was  found  to  be  physiologically  inactive. 

Another  series  of  experiments,  which  cannot  be  described  in 
detail  here,  was  carried  out  with  the  object  of  synthesising 
pilocarpine,  and  resulted  in  the  preparation  of  substances  con- 
taining the  skeleton  of  this  alkaloid.  Of  these  ethyl  oc  -4(or  5)- 
glyoxalinemethyI-)8-ethylsuccinate  (XI)  was  submitted  to  phy- 
siological examination  but  likewise  proved  to  be  inactive. 


174         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Ca— CH— CH — Ca— C— NH 


\ 
( 


CH 


COsEtCOsEt  CH— N^ 

(XI) 

All  attempts  to  synthesise  glyoxaline  derivatives  of  pilocar- 
pine-like  action  have  therefore  hitherto  been  iiniformly  unsuc- 
cessful. 

7/SOqtjinoline  Derivatives. 

The  constitution  of  many  members  of  the  large  and  important 
group  of  alkaloids  containing  the  isoquinohne  ring  have  been 
known  for  a  long  period,  but  it  is  only  within  the  last  few  years 
that  synthetic  methods  have  been  developed  for  their  prepara- 
tion. During  the  latter  period,  however,  much  work  has  been 
done  in  this  field,  and  we  may  recall  in  particular  the  syntheses 
of  laudanosinei  papaverine,"  berberine'  and  of  narcotine.* 

Besides  the  naturally-occurring  alkaloids  of  the  isoquinoline 
series,  a  considerable  number  of  less  complex  bases  have  also 
been  studied.  Some  of  these  have  been  prepared  synthetically, 
whilst  others  are  best  obtained  by  the  partial  degradation  of 
natural  tsoquinoline  alkaloids. 

We  propose  in  this  paper  to  deal  with  a  special  group  of  bases 
of  the  latter  class,  namely,  the  2-alkyl-3 :4-dihydroisoquinolinium 
bases  with  which  we  have  been  more  particularly  concerned. 

Until  the  year  1909  only  three  bases  of  this  type  were  known, 
namely,  hydrastinine  (I),  cotarnine  (II)  and  cotamamic  acid 
(III),  a  compound  derived  from  cotarnine  by  hydrolysis. 
CH  MeO  CH 

0/        \y        %NMeCl  0/        \/      \NMeCl 

CHs  CH, 


\ 


0 


(I) 


/CH2  0\        /\        /CHa 

CH2  CH2 

(11) 


iPictet  &  Finkelstein  {Ber.,  1909,  42,  1979). 

"Pictet  &  Gams  {Ber.,  1909,  42,  2943). 

'Pictet  &  Gams  (Ber.,  1911,  44,  2480). 

<Perkin  &  Robinson  (/.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1911,  99,  775). 


XDC] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


175 


CHj 


2 
\ 


HO  CH 

0/        \/        \NMeCl 


o\. 


CH2 


CH, 


(III) 


The  only  practical  method  at  that  time  existing  for  the  prep- 
aration of  hydrastinine  and  cotarnine  was  the  oxidative  fission 
of  hydrastine  and  narcotine  (IV)  respectively,  when  in  each  case 
opianic  acid  (VI)  was  obtained  as  a  bye  product.  The  following 
scheme  depicts  the  oxidation  of  narcotine  to  cotarnine  (V),  and 
serves  equally  well  to  show  the  preparation  of  hydrastinine  from 
hydrastine,  when  the  methoxyl-groups  in  the  8-position  of  the 
Moquinoline  rings  are  removed. 


MeO 


0 


CH. 


\ 


OMe 
/        \OMe 


/oo 

CH— 0 
CH 

NMe 


CH2 


CH2 

(IV) 


2 
\ 


MeO  CH 

0/        \/        ^NMeCl 


0\. 


CH2 


\/    v 


CH2 


(V) 


176         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


OMe 
/        \OMe 


+ 


\        /CO2H 
CHO 

(VI) 

No  other  method  was  known  for  the  preparation  of  cotarnine, 
but  hydrastinine  had  been  synthesised  in  another  way,  which 
was  not  however,  suitable  for  its  preparation  in  quantity.  This 
method'  consisted  in  condensing  3 :4-methylenedioxybenzylid- 
eneaminoacetal  (VII)  to  6 :7-methylenedioxyisoquinoline  (VIII) 
reducing  a  methyl  salt  of  this  base  to  hydrohydrastinine  (IX) 
and  oxidising  the  latter  to  hydrastinine  (X) 


CH2 


2 
\ 


0/ 
(VII) 


CH:N.CH2.CH  (OEt)^         0 


CH2 


\ 


CH 


0\ 


(VIII) 


\N 


CH 


CH2 


\ 


CH2  CH 

0/        \/        \NMe  0/        \/        \NMeCl 


CH2 


0\        ^        /CH. 

CH2 

(IX) 


/ 

2 
\ 


0\        /\        /CH2 

\/    \/ 

CH2 

(X) 


'Fritzsch  {Anmilen,  1895,  286,  1). 


XIXI 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


177 


Since  no  other  bases  of  the  type  of  narcotine  and  hydrastine 
were  known,  cotarnine,  hydrastinine  and  cotarnamic  acid  re- 
mained up  till  this  time  the  only  representatives  of  the  2-alkyl- 
3:4-dihydroi8oquinohnium  bases. 

In  1909,  however,  Pyman*  found  that  l-benzyl-2-alkyltetra- 
hydroisoquinolines  in  general  gave  on  oxidation  2-alkyl-3:4- 
dihydroisoquinolinium  bases  together  with  the  aldehyde  cor- 
responding with  the  substituted  benzyl  group :  thus 

(1)    1-benzylhydrocotarnine  gave  cotarnine  and  benzaldehyde 


MeO 


/ 


\ 


CH, 


\ 


CH.CHjPh 
\NMe 


CHs 


/ 
CHs 

\ 


MeO  CH 

/\        /\ 
0/        \/        \NMeCl 


+   Ph.CHO 


0\        /\        /CH, 
CHj 


(2)  laudanosine  (l-veratryl-6:7-dimethoxy-2-methyltetrahy- 
droisoquinoline)  gave  6 :7-dimethoxy-2-methyl-3 :4-di- 
hydroisoquinolinium  chloride  and  veratraldehyde, 

OMe 
/        \OMe 


CH 


CH 


MeO/ 


MeO 


NMe         MeO/ 


CH 

•\NMeCl 


CHj 

y.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1909,  95,  1266,  1738. 
12 


/CHs  MeO\        /\        /CH2 

\/        \/ 
CH2 


178         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 


+ 


MeO 
\MeO 


\ 


CHO 

(3)  and  in  the  simplest  possible  case,  l-benzyl-2-inethyltetra- 
hydrotsoquinoline  gave  2-methyl-3 :4-dihydroisoquino- 
linium  chloride  and  benzaldehyde. 


CH.CHzPh 
/        \y        \NMe 


V^ 


/     '\/ 


/CH2 

\/ 
CH2 


CH 

\NMeCl 


\        ./\. 


+   Ph.CHO 


\/ 


/CH2 


The  discovery  of  this  general  method  has  led  to  important 
results,  for  it  has  been  appUed  not  only  to  the  preparation  of  a 
considerable  number  of  new  2-alkyl-3:4-dihydroisoquinolinium 
bases,  with  which  we  shall  deal  later,  but  has  also  been  utilised 
in  the  synthesis  of  cotamine  by  Salway,  the  synthesis  of  hydras- 
tinine  by  Decker  and  the  preparation  of  hydrastinine  from  ber- 
berine  by  Freund. 

By  means  of  this  reaction,  2-alkyl-3:4-dihydroisoquinolinium 
bases  can  readily  be  prepared  from  the  corresponding  1-benzyl- 
2-alkyltetrahydroisoquinolines,  and  it  is  therefore  of  interest  to 
note  how  the  latter  are  obtained. 

In  the  first  place,  Bischler  and  Napieralski^  in  1893,  described 
a  general  method  for  the  formation  of  isoquinoline  derivatives 
consisting  in  the  internal  condensation  of  the  acyl-derivatives  of 
phenylethylamines. 


'Ber.,  1893,  26,  1903. 


XIX 


Congress  of  AppUed  Chemistry 


179 


/^N 


\  /CH2.CH2.NH.CO.CH, 


CH. 

C 
/\        /\ 


Recently,  the  process  has  been  thoroughly  investigated  by 
Pictet  and  Kay'  and  Decker  and  Kropp,*  and  has  been  developed 
into  an  excellent  method  for  the  preparation  of  l-benzyl-2- 
alkyltetrahydroisoquinolines  and  similar  bases.  For  instance, 
Picet  and  Finkelstein'  were  able  to  synthesise  laudanosine 
(XIII)  by  first  carrying  out  the  internal  condensation  of  homo- 
Teratroylhomoveratrylamine  (XI)  which  they  had  prepared 
synthetically,  then  methylating  the  isoquinoline  base  (XII)  so 
produced  and  reducing  its  methochloride. 

OMe  OMe 


/ 


OMe 


./ 


OMe 


/ 

1 
CO 


y 

CH2 


MeO/ 


MeO\ 


NH  ,         MeO/ 
— H2O 


C 


\. 


CHj 


MeO\ 


CH2 


\/ 


\N 


/CH, 
'CH2 


. (XI) 

'Btr.,  1909,  42,  1973. 
'Ber.,  1909,  42,  2875. 
*«r.,  1909,  42,  1979. 


(XII) 


180         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


OMe 
/        \OMe 


CH. 


+MeI  MeO/ 


./\, 


CH 


+H2   MeO\ 


NMe 


CH, 


GH« 

(XIII) 

This  method  was  applied  by  Salway>  in  1910  to  the  synthesis 
of  1-benaylhydrocotamine,  and  since  this  compound,  as  Pjrman 
had  previously  shown,  yields  cotamine  on  oxidation,  the  synthe- 
sis of  cotamine  was  thus  effected. 

Decker'  subsequently  synthesised  hydrastinine  in  a  similar 
manner  by  first  preparing  l-homo-piperonylhydrohydrastinine, 
and  then  splitting  it  by  oxidation  according  to  the  following 
scheme: 


V.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1910,  97,  1308. 
'Chem.  Zat.,  1911,  35,  1077. 


xrxl 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


181 


0 


GHi 


/ 


\ 

L  0 


0 
O 


CH. 

I 
CH 


0 


CH, 


\ 


CH 

\/        \NMeCl 


/\        /CH,  0\        /\        /CH, 

CH,  CH. 

O 

y^^^CH, 


+ 


0 


\/ 

CHO 
The  same  author  has  also  described  a  method  for  the  syntheses 
of  hydrastinine  and  cotamine  by  the  internal  condensation  of 
the  formyl-derivatives  of  the  corresponding  phenylethylamine; 
thus  formylhomopiperonylamine  (XIV)  gave  rise  to  6:7-methyle- 
nedioxy-3:4-dihydroisoquinoline  (XV)  of  which  the  methochlor- 
ide  is  hydrastinine  chloride  (XVI),  but  this  method  gave  poor 
yields  owing  to  the  reaction  proceeding  mainly  in  another  direc- 
tion. 


CH,' 


/ 

\ 


.0/ 


0 


H,0  / 

>  CH, 

\ 


CH 

o/\/\. 


/CH,.CH,.NH.CHO       0\        /\        /CH, 

CH, 
(XIV)  (XV) 


182  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


+MeCl  / 

>     CH2 

\ 


CH 

0/        \/        \NMeCl 


CHj 


0\        /\        y 
\/        \/ 

(XVI) 

The  general  method  for  the  preparation  of  2-alkyl-3 :4-dihydro- 
isoquinolinium  bases  by  the  oxidation  of  l-benzyl-2-methyl- 
tetrahydrotsoquinolines  has  recently  been  utilised  by  Freund^ 
in  the  preparation  of  hydrastinine  from  berberine  (XVII);  in 
this  process  the  latter  alkaloid  is  converted  by  an  interesting  se- 
ries of  reactions  into  a  compound  of  the  formula(XVIII),  which 
in  accordance  with  the  general  rule  yields  the  corresponding 
2-alkyl-3:4-dihydroisoquinolinium  base — in  this  case  hydrasti- 
nine (XIX) — on  oxidation. 

OMe 


CH2 


\OMe 


/OMe 


0/ 


CH 
/\_       ,/\        /CH 


/       \OMe 


/CH  =  CH.Ph 
CH, 


CH^! 


\ 


0 


CH 

/\        /\ 
\N  0/        \/        \NMe 

\  / 

OH-^CHs 


CH2 

(XVII) 


\ 


CH2 

(XVIII) 


'^Chem.  Ztit.  1911,  35,  1000. 


XIX 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


183 


CH 
0/        \/        \NMeCl 


CHj 


/ 


\ 


T 


o\^/X 


CH, 


CH2 

(XIX) 

Besides  hydrastine  and  berberine,  another  naturally-occurring 
alkaloid,  namely,  narcotine  may  be  used  as  a  source  of  hydrasti- 
nine  by  means  of  the  following  process.'  Narcotine  is  oxidised 
to  cotamine,  and  this  reduced  to  hydrocotarnine  (XX)  by  known 
methods;  the  latter  base  is  then  strongly  reduced  by  means  of 
sodium  and  alcohol,  when  the  methoxyl-group  is  replaced  by 
hydrogen  and  hydrohydrastinine  (XXI)  results. 


CHs 


\ 


MeO  CH2 

0/        \/        \NMe 


CHo 


CH., 

(XX) 


/ 

2 

\ 


CH.. 
0/         \/         \NMe 


0\        /\        /CH. 

■       '        \/ 
Cft 

(XXI) 


The  latter  base  readily  yields  hydrastinine  on  oxidation. 

Having  now  given  some  account  of  the  methods  applied  to  the 
synthesis  of  the  previously  known  alkaloids  cotamine  and 
hydrastinine,  we  propose  to  deal  with  a  number  of  new  2-alkyl- 
3 :4-dihydroisoquinolinium  bases.  All  these  have  been  prepared 
by  the  general  method  already  described,  that  is  the  oxidation  of 
the  corresponding  l-benzyl-2-alkyl-tetrahydroisoquinoline. 

Hydrastinine  (A)  and  cotamine  (B)  have  long  been  used  in 
therapeutics  as  haemostatics  particularly  in   abnormal   uterin 


'WeUcome,  Pyman  &  Remfry  {Eng.  Pat.  23,736  of  1911). 


184  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


conditions.  They  cause  contraction  of  the  isolated  uterus  of  cat, 
rabbit  or  guinea-pig.  Hydrastinine  occasions  a  rise  of  blood 
pressure,  and  cotarnine  a  fall  succeeded  by  a  very  slight  rise. 
Cotarnamic  acid  (C)  in  which  the  methoxyl-group  of  cotarnine 
is  replaced  by  a  hydroxy-group  produces  a  minimal  rise  of  blood 
pressure,  but  has  no  significant  action  on  the  uterus  or  other 
organ. 


0/ 


./\. 


CH2 


\ 


o\ 


CH 
\NMeCI 


CH2 


/CH2 


CHa 


MeO  CH 

0/       \/        \NMeCl 


CH2 


(A) 


CH2 


2 
\ 


HO  CH 

/\        /\ 
0/        \/        % 


(B) 

NMeCl 
CH2 


0\        /\        / 

\/        \/ 
CH2 

(C) 

The  new  bases  described  below  were  prepared  by  one  of  us^ 
except  where  otherwise  stated,  in  an  endeavour  to  produce  an 
improved  uterine  haemostatic. 

The  physiological  action  of  the  most  important  of  the  new 
bases,  6 :7-dimethoxy-2-methyl-3 :4-dihydroisoquinolinium  chlor- 
ide (D)  has  already  been  fully  described  by  Laidlaw''  who  has 
shown  that  this  compound  produces  a  well-marked  contraction 
of  the  uterus,  and  a  rise  of  blood  pressure  due  to  vaso-constric- 
tion  and  increased  cardiac  output;  its  action  appears  to  be  similar 


iPyman,  (J.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1909,  95,  1266,  1738;  1910,  97,  264). 
^Biochem.,  J.  1910,  5,  243. 


xix] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


185 


to  that  of  hydrastinine.    Clinical  reports  have  shown  that  it  is 

of  great  value  in  abnormal  uterine  conditions.    It  is  slightly  more 

toxic  than  cotamine. 

CH  CH 

/\       /\  /\        /\ 

MeO/        \y        %NMeCl     MeO/        \/        \NetCl 


MeO\        /\       /cm  MeO\        /\        /CH^ 

CHj  CHj 

(D)  (E) 

CH 

/\        /\ 
MeO/        \/        \NPrCl 


MeO\ 


CHj 


CHs 


(F) 


A  considerable  number  of  bases  differing  only  slightly  from 
(D)  in  chemical  constitution  has  been  prepared.  In  the  first 
place,  the  compounds  (E)  and  (F)  in  which  the  methyl-group 
on  the  nitrogen  atom  is  replaced  by  the  ethyl-  and  propyl-groups 
respectively  were  made;  of  these  (E)  proved  to  be  very  similar 
in  its  general  action  to  (D),  but  was  considerably  more  toxic. 
In  its  action  on  the  blood  pressure,  (E)  resembles  cotamine 
causing  a  fall,  succeeded  by  a  very  slight  rise. 

Then,  the  corresponding  dihydroxy-bases  (G)  and  (H)  were 
prepared  from  (D)  and  (E)  respectively  by  hydrolysis: 
CH  CH 

HO/      \/        \NMeCl       HO/        \/        \NetCl 


H0\        /\        /CH2 

\/    \y 

CHs 

(G) 


H0\ 


/CH2 

\/ 
CH2 


(H) 


186  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Of  these,  (G)  was  physiologically  examined,  but  produced 
only  a  minimal  rise  of  blood  pressure,  and  had  no  significant 
action  on  the  uterus,  thus  behaving  like  cotamamic  acid  (C), 
the  hydrolytic  product  of  cotamine.  6(or  7)-Methoxy-7(or  6)- 
hydroxy-2-methyl-3:4-dihydroisoquinolinium  chloride  (J)  which 
has  one  of  the  two  formulae  given  below: 

CH  '  CH 

/\        /\  /\        /\ 

HO/        \/        \NMeCl     MeO/        \/        \NMeCl 


MeO\ 


or 


(J) 


H0\       ./\. 


CH2 
CH2 


represents  an  intermediate  stage  in  the  hydrolysis  of  (D)  to  (G), 

one  methoxyl  being  replaced  by  hydroxyl;  this  compoimd  cause* 

contraction  of  the  uterus  and  a  slight  rise  of  blood  pressure. 

Sal  way'  has  recently    prepared  6 :8-dimethoxy-2-methyl-3 :4- 

dihydrotsoquinolinium  chloride  (K),  which  is  isomeric  with  (D), 

differing  only  from  it  in  the  position  of  one  of  the-methoxy-groupe 

as  is  shown  below. 

CH  MeO  CH 

/\        /\  /\        /\ 

MeO/        \y        \NMeCl  /        \/        \NMeCl 


MeO\        /\        /CH2 

CH2 

(D) 


MeO\ 


\/        \/ 


(K) 


/CHa 

CH2 


Laidlaw  has  shown  that  (K)  closely  resembles  (D)  in  its  action 
on  the  isolated  uterus,  and  is  considerably  less  toxic  than  either 
(D)  or  cotarnine.  It  further  resembles  (D)  in  producing  a  rise 
of  blood  pressure  accompanied  by  slowing  of  the  heart  beat  when 
injected  into  the  blood  stream  of  a  cat. 


'/.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1911,  99,  1320. 


XIX 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


187 


Salway'  has  also  prepared    neocotarnine  (L)  an  isomeride  of 
totamine  <C)  having  the  relation  to  it  shown  below: 


MeO 


0 


CHj 


/ 

[2 
\ 


o\. 


CH 

CHj 

'\ 

\ 

\NMeCl 

^/ 

/^ 


\/ 


CHj 


\. 


MeO\ 


CH2 


\/ 


•VNMeCl 
/CH, 


CHj 


(C) 


(L) 


but  unfortunately  no  account  of  its  physiological  action  has  yet 

been  published. 

The  simplest  possible  example  of  this  type  of  substance, 

namely,  2-methyl-3 :4-dihydroisoquinolinium  iodide  (M)  has  also 

been  prepared  and  tested. 

CH 

/\        /\ 
/        \/        \NMeI 


./ 


CH2 


CH2 


(M) 


Its  action,  however,  is  peculiar  in  that  it  produces  in  doses  of 
10  to  20  milligrams  a  marked  rise  of  blood  pressure  superficially 
similar  to  that  produced  by  adrenine. 

It  will  be  clear  from  a  consideration  of  these  results  that  the 
property  of  causing  contraction  of  the  uterus  is  common  to  all 
those  2-alkyl-3:4-dihydrotsoquinolinium  bases  tested  which  con- 
tain only  methoxy-  or  methylenedioxy-groups  as  substitutes; 
where  these  are  replaced  by  hydroxy-groups  (except  in  the  case 
of  J)  this  property  appears  to  be  lost  or  at  least  seriously  dimin- 
ished. 


y.  C.  S.  Trans.,  1910,  97,  1208. 


188  Original  CommunicaHons :  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Acid  Amides 

The  title  of  this  paper  being  the  relationship  between  chemical 
constitution  and  physiological  action  in  acid  amides,  we  would 
explain  at  the  outset  that  we  use  here  the  term  "  acid  amides  " 
in  a  rather  wider  sense  than  is  usual  and  include  under  this  head- 
ing substances  containing  the  —  CO  —  NH  —  group,  such  as 
urethanes  and  barbituric  acids.  The  large  majority  of  hypnotics 
are  found  to  contain  an  NHj  group  and  FrankeU  has  brought 
forward  evidence  to  show  that  even  when  several  ethyl-groups 
are  present  in  the  molecule  an  unsubstituted  NH2  group  is  often 
necessary  to  impart  to  it  hypnotic  properties.  Thus  he  regards 
ethyl  urethane  as  an  ester  of  an  acid  amide  and  not  as  an  amino, 
acid,  for  the  reason  that  if  an  amino-acid,  then  the  next  higher 
gomologue,  ethyl  glycoUate,  should  have  hypnotic  properties, 
but  as  a  fact  has  none.  In  the  light  of  this  reasoning  several  large 
classes  of  hypnotic  substances  can  fairly  be  brought  within  the 
scope  of  the  present  paper.  With  the  theory  of  narcosis  we  are 
not  specially  concerned  as  that  is  more  a  question  for  the  physi- 
ologist than  the  chemist.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  principal 
one  has  been  that  devised  by  Overton  and  Meyer,  which,  put 
briefly,  states  that  the  more  soluble  a  substance  is  in  fats  (lipoid 
substance)  and  the  less  in  water,  i.e.,  the  greater  the  ratio  of  the 
solubility  fat:  water,  the  higher  will  be  its  hypnotic  power. 

Thus  a  compound  having  a  large  solubility  ratio  will  be  a 
stronger  hypnotic  than  one  having  a  smaller  ratio. 

Although  giving  results  agreeing  very  closely  with  those  found 
in  practice,  it  has  not  held  undisputed  sway,  and  several  new 
theories  hate  been  put  forward  of  late  years.  For  them  we  would 
refer  readers  to  the  original  papers  or  to  an  excellent  condensed 
exposition  of  the  subject  in  Frankel's  Arzneimittelsynthese,  3rd 
edition  1912,  page  510. 

The  trend  of  modem  investigation  has  followed  rather  closely 
on  those  lines  which  have  proved  most  successful  in  the  past  and 
the  splendid  results  obtained  by  the  use  of  diethylbarbituric 
acid  (I) 


^Arch.  expt.  Path.  Pharm.  1908,  suppl.  181. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  189 


CjHs  CO.  NH 

>C<  >C0 

CjHs  CO.  NH 

(I) 

have  led  to  the  production  of  an  enormous  number  of  closely 
allied  derivatives  in  the  hope  that  an  even  safer  and  more  effect- 
ive hypnotic  could  be  thus  obtained. 

Dipropylbarbituric  acid  (II)  is  the  only  derivative  in  which  a 
change  in  the  alkyl  groups  has  effected  an  increase  in  hypnotic 
power.  This,  however,  has  been  found  to  be  almost  too  powerful 
in  its  action  and  consequently  dangerous  for  general  use. 

C3H7  CO.  NH 

>C<  >C0 

CsH,  CO.  NH 

(11) 

In  order  to  obtain  an  hypnotic  of  the  same  order  of  activity 
as  diethylbarbituric  acid,  but  one  of  which  it  was  necessary  to 
take  less  in  order  to  produce  the  same  effects,  the  sodium  deriva- 
tive of  this  acid  was  introduced.  It  was  expected  that  its  much 
greater  solubility  in  water  would  enable  it  to  exert  a  prompter 
action  and  in  this  way  have  the  same  effect  as  a  larger  dose  of 
the  free  acid.  These  expectations,  however,  were  not  realised 
in  practice,  for  very  little  real  difference  was  found  in  the  rapidity 
with  which  sleep  was  induced  by  the  two  compovmds. 

In  the  light  of  the  Overton-Meyer  theory  this  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  as  the  sodium  derivative  is  probably  quite  insoluble 
in  lipoid  substances  and  hence,  before  action  can  take  place,  has 
to  be  decomposed  and  the  free  diethylbarbituric  acid  liberated 
by  the  acids  of  the  body. 

Dibenzylbarbituric  acid  has  already  been  proved  inactive, 
but  just  as  acetamide  (which  also  has  no  hypnotic  effect)  is  en- 
dowed with  slight  hypnotic  properties  by  the  introduction  of  a 
phenyl  radicle  as  in  phenylacetamide,  CsHt.CHs.CO.NHj,  so 
inactive  ethylbarbituric  acid  is  said  to  be  converted  to  a  safe  and 
active  hypnotic  when  transformed  into  the  phenyl-derivative 
(III). 


190         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International        [vol. 

CsHs  CO.  NH 

>C<  >C0 

CaH,  CO.  NH 

(III) 

The  joining  together  of  two  molecules  of  propylbarbituric 
acid  by  an  ethylene  linkage  as  in  ethylene  bis-5-propylbarbituric 
acid'  (IV)  resulted  in  an  inactive  compound  although  it  may  be 
regarded  as  ethylpropylbarbituric  acid  substituted  on  the  ^ 
carbon  atom  of  the  ethyl  radicle  by  a  molecule  of  propylbarbit- 
uric acid. 

CO.  NH' 
C3H7.C<  >C0 

CO.  NH 

CH2 

I 
CHa 

CO.  NH 
C3HvC<  >C0 

CO.  NH 

,      (IV)  . 

Any  attempt,  however,  to  interfere  with  the  barbituric  acid 
ring  dooms  the  product  to  failure  as  far  as  useful  hypnotic 
properties  go,  for  example,  dipropylmalonylguanidine  (V)  is 
inactive. 

CsHv  CO.  NH 

>C<  >NH 

C3H7         CO.  NH 

(V) 

Diethyl- iV-methylbarbituric  acid  is  very  poisonous  although 
still  a  strong  hypnotic  and  the  same  occurs  in  the  case  of  diethyl- 
malonylthiourea  (VI). 

CJHs  CO.  NH 

>C<  >CS 

C2H6  CO.  NH 

(VI) 

'Remfrj-  (Trans.,  1911,  99,  623). 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  191 

The  poisonous  properties  imparted  by  the  methylation  of  the 
imino-group  are  analogous  to  the  case  of  methyl  benzamide 
(C«Hi.  CO.  NH.  CHs)  which  has  a  strychnine-like  action  whilst 
benzamide  itself  has  a  slight  alcohol-like  narcotic  effect.  Simil- 
arly iV-methylphenacetin  is  much  more  poisonous  than  phena- 
cetin. 

Einhom'  has  described  a  great  number  of  what  may  be  re- 
garded as  derivatives  of  diethylmalonamide,  in  which  the  carbon 
atom  joining  the  two  nitrogen  atoms  has  had  different  groups 
attached  to  it,  such  as 

CjHs  CO.  NH 

>C<  >C  =  N.  CsHe 

CsHb  CO.  NH 

These,  however,  all  proved  to  be  inactive. 

Other  examples  of  substances  which  differ  only  slightly  in  the 
construction  of  the  ring,\but  still  contain  at  least  two  ethyl  or 
propyl  radicles  attached  to  one  carbon  atom  and  are  yet  inactive, 
are 'given  in  the  following: 

Diethylketopiperazine'^ 

CjHe  CO.  NH 

>C<  >CH2 

C2H6  NH.  CO 

Diethylmdonylcarbonyldiurea 

NH.  CO.  NH.  CO 


CjHs 
0  C< 

i  I      C2H6 

NH.  CO.  NH.  CO 


A 


Dipropylmdonylmalonamide^ 


CH,  CO.  NH.  CP 

>C<  >CH, 

C3H7  CO.  NH.  CO 


Mwiaten,  1908,  359,  145. 
•Rogenmund  (Ber.,  1909,  42,  4470). 
'Remfry  {Trant.,  1911..  99,  618). 


192  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Diethylmalonylethylmalonamide^ 

C^Hb  CO.  NH.  CO 

>C<  >CH.  CaHs 

CjHs  CO.  NH.  CO 

Diethylmalonylbemidine^ 

CjHs  CO.  NH.  CeH* 

>C<  I 

CsHs  CO.  NH.  C6H4 

4::G-diketo-2'propyl-5-ethyltetrahydropyrimidine^ 

N— CO 

^  \ 

C3H7.  C  CH.  CjHs 

\  / 

NH.CO 

4  :Q~diketo-5  •.5-dipropyl-2-cc  -propyUmtyltetrahydropyrimidine^ 

C3H7  N— CO  CHt 

\  /•  \    / 

CH.  C  C 

/  \  /    \ 

C3H7  NH.CO  C3H7 

This  last  substance  is  a  good  example  to  show  that  multiplicity 
of  alkyl-groups  is  of  no  avail  when  the  nucleus  of  the  compound 
is  incorrect.  In  all  these  cases  however,  inactivity  may  be  due 
to  a  possible  insolubility  in  lipoid  substance  in  the  light  of  the 
Overton-Meyer  hypothesis. 

Many  compounds  described  in  recent  literature  have  been 
prepared  evidently  (from  their  formulae)  on  the  chance  of  their 
possessing  hypnotic  properties,  but  no  reference  can  be  found  to 
the  results  of  physiological  tests.  In  all  such  cases  we  are  forced 
to  conclude  that  the  substances  were  either  inactive  or  had  such 
small  activity  that  it  was  of  no  use  pursuing  that  coiu'se  further. 
Belonging  to  this  class  are  a  large  number  of  compounds  pre- 

»Eemfrey  {Trans.,  1911,  99,  618) 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  193 

pared  by  Clemmensen  and  Heitman,'  all  containing  two  ethyl 
radicles  attached  to  one  carbon  atom  and  of  the  general  formulae 

R,  :  C(OH)  CO.  NH  R^  :  C(OH)  CO.  NH.  CO.  NH, 

>C0  and 
R,  :  C(0H)  CO.  NH  (R  =  C^H.) 

They  also  prepared  diethylthiohydrantoin,  which,  however, 
would  only  be  expected  to  have  the  same  slight  hypnotic  power 
as  diethylhydrantoin  itself,  and  at  the  same  time  to  be  more  toxic. 

An  example  of  the  small  structural  change  which  is  sufficient 
to  deprive  a  substance  of  all  hypnotic  properties  is  afforded  in 
the  urethane  as  well  as  in  the  barbituric  acid  series. 

Acetyl  urethane  (VII)  which  is  as  active  as  urethane  itself, 
only  differs  materially  from  tertiary  amyl  allophante  (VIII)  in 
having  a  CHa  in  place  of  an  NH2  group,  yet,  whilst  the  former  is 
possessed  of  moderate  hypnotic  powers,  the  latter  is  a  perfectly 
inert  substance. 

Et.  0.  CO.  NH.  CO.  cm     (Me)2.  Et  C.  0.  CO.  NH.  CO.  N Ht 
(VII)  (VIII) 

It  is  curious  that  ethyl  cinnamoylcarbamate  C«Hs.CH:CH.  CO. 
NH.COjCjHs,  where  the  NHj  group  of  urethane  is  substituted 
by  an  aromatic  in  place  of  a  fatty  acid  radicle,  should  prove  quite 
inactive.  Urethanes  have  not  received  much  attention  of  late 
years;  a  great  number  of  derivatives  have  already  been  prepared 
and  no  very  satisfactory  results  having  been  obtained,  has  made 
it  apparent  that  this  substance  is  not  a  favourable  groundwork 
to  build  on  and  hence  it  has  been  shelved  for  more  promising  sub- 
jects. A  single  exception  to  this  is  found  in  amylenehydrate- 
carbamate 

(Me),  Et  C.  0.  CO.  NH2 

which  has  been  found'  to  have  about  twice  the  hypnotic  power 
of  amylenehydrate  itself  and  to  give  good  results  where  no  very 
drastic  treatment  is  necessary.  This  substance  affords  another 
example  of  the  fact  that  alkyl-groups  alone  do  not  necessarily 

'Am.  chem.  journal,  1908,  40,  280. 
•Huber  (Med.  Klinik.,  1911,  1234). 
18 


494  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

endow  a  compound  with  hypnotic  properties  as  can  be  seen  by 
comparing  its  formula  with  that  of  tertiary  amyl  allophanate. 

Besides  urethanes  other  acid  amides  are  deprived  of  their  hyp- 
notic properties  when  substituted  in  the  amido-group. 

Ethyl  cinnamoylcarbamate  can  be  regarded  as  a  substituted 
cinnamamide  and  in  this  case  we  have  another  active  acid  amide 
neutralised  by  the  entrance  of  a  carbonic  ester  into  the  amido 
radicle.  It  was  shown  many  years  ago^  that  most  aromatic  acid 
amides  possess  hypnotic  properties  in  varying  degree,  but  if  one 
or  both  H  atoms  of  the  amido-group  are  substituted  by  an  alkyl 
radicle  then  the  substance  becomes  more  like  ammonia  and 
strychnine  in  its  action.  Now,  however,  it  has  been  demon- 
strated that  other  substituents  as  well  as  alkyl-groups  are  cap- 
able of  depriving  aromatic  acid  amides  of  their  hypnotic  proper- 
ties, and  it  seems  as  if  almost  any  substituent  in  the  NHa  group 
were  sufficient  for  that  purpose. 

Carbonyl  dicinnamamide  (Dicannamoyl  carbamide)  (Celtj. 
CH  :  CH.C0NH)2  =  CO  is  quite  inactive." 

A  like  result  was  found  when  the  two  active  hypnotics  cin- 
namamide and  acetophenone  are  combined  in  cinnamoyl-p- 
aminoacetophenone  CH,.  CH  :  CH.  CO.  NH.  C,Hi.  CO.  CH,; 
also  in  the  combination  of  bromisovaleramide,  which  has  nar- 
cotic properties,^  and  acetophenone.*  These  compoimds  also 
afford  further  proof  of  the  fact  observed  by  Hildebrandt^  that 
when  p-aminoacetophenone  was  combined  through  the  NHs 
group  with  an  aldehyde,  the  hypnotic  power  was  decreased  unless 
the  aldehyde  possessed  a  free  hydroxyl  group,  when  an  increase 
was  observed. 

Fuchs'  has  advanced  the  theory  that  the  presence  of  an  OH 
group,  as  well  as  alkyl  radicles,  is  necessary  in  an  hypnotic  sub- 
stance in  order  to  act  as  an  anchor.  This  conclusion  is  arrived 
at  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that  whilst  diethyl-,  ethylpropyl- 

•Nebelthau  {Arch.  expt.  Path.  Pharm.  1895,  36,  451). 

^Rerafry  (loc.  cit). 

'Eckhart  (Arch.  expt.  Path.  Pharm.  1907,  57,  339). 

*Rem£ry  Q,oc.  cit.). 

'^Arch.  expt.  Path.  Pharm.  1905,  53,  87. 

«Zei«.  /.  angew  Chem.  1904,  17,  1505. 


xrx)  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  195 

and  dipropyl-  etc.,  ketones  are  inactive  the  corresponding  ketox- 
imes  are  occasionally  strong  hypnotics.  Also  dipropylacetamide, 
which  on  being  dissolved  in  alkali  goes  into  its  tautomeric 
iminoether  form 

NH 

(C3H7)2  =  CH.  C 

\ 
OH 

is  found  to  be  more  powerful  in  its  action  than  such  substances 
as  chloral  hydrate,  sulphonal,  amylenehydrate,  etc.,  and  is  only 
surpassed  by  diethylbarbituric  acid.  This  latter  is  also  con- 
sidered to  act  in  the  form 

C2H6  CO— N 

\    /  \ 

C  C— OH 

/    \  / 

C2H6  CO.  NH 

If  this  theory  of  the  anchoring  hydroxyl-group  is  correct  it 
accounts  satisfactorily  for  the  loss  of  hypnotic  properties  by  aro- 
matic acid  amides  when  both  H  atoms  of  the  amido-group  are 
replaced  by  alkyl  radicles,  it  being  impossible  for  the  tautomeric 
iminoether  form  to  be  assumed.  The  acceptance  of  this  theory 
moreover  forces  one  to  the  conclusion  that  only  in  the  case  where 
no  substitution  at  all  occurs  in  the  NH2  group  can  a  change  to  the 
tautomeric  form  take  place,  otherwise  it  is  probable  that  some 
at  least  of  the  mono-substituted  acid  amides  would  have  exhib- 
ited hypnotic  properties. 

Dipropylacetbromamide  (C,H7)2  -=  CH.  CO.  NH.  Br'  is  a 
further  case  in  point.  This  compound  is  quite  inactive  whilst 
bromdipropylacetamide  (CaH7)2  •=  CBr.  CO.  NH2  possesses  con- 
siderable activity,  only  slightly  less  than  that  of  the  diethyl- 
compound  which  has  found  practical  application. 

Although  having  no  close  connection  with  acid  amides  it  is  of 
interest  to  note  several  cases  which  have  appeared  lately  to  show 

'Fuchs  (loc.  cU.). 


196  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

the  varying  results  obtained  by  the  introduction  of  alkyl-groups 
into  a  compound.  Glycerol  is  quite  inactive,  as  is  also  the  trialkyl 
ether  where  the  three  alkyl  groups  are  similar.  When,  however, 
one  differs  from  the  other  two,  or  when  all  three  are  dissimilar, 
then  it  is  claimed  that  substances  having  hypnotic  properties 
are  produced'  as  for  example  glycerin-oc  -ethyl-oc  -propyl-y8- 
methylether. 

Ri  OC2  Hs 

Ortho  ketone  ethers  of  the  general  formula      >C< 

Rs  OC2  Hs 

were  made  by  Reitter  and  Hess,^  which  from  the  number  of 
alkyl  radicles  and  the  general  resemblance  to  ethyl  ether  might 
well  be  expected  to  have  proved  successful,  yet  turned  out  to  be 
entirely  without  physiological  action  whatever.  This  appears 
somewhat  strange  in  view  of  the  fact  that  trioxyethylmethane 
(ortho  formic  ethyl  ether)  has  been  recommended 

OC2H6 

/ 

CH— OC2H5 

\ 

OC2H6 

by  Chevalier'  as  an  antispasmodic  where  it  evidently  acts  as  a 
sedative  or  very  mild  hypnotic.  The  inactivity  of  the  former 
compound  may  however,  be  due  to  insolubility  in  lipoid  sub- 
stance (Overton-Meyer  theory). 

A  further  example  is  given  by  Frankel*  who  showed  that  the 
introduction  of  ethyl  radicles  into  phloroglucin  to  the  fullest 
extent,  i.e.,  hexaethylphloroglucin,  was  without  power  to  endow 
this  substance  O  (C2H6)2 

II       / 
C— C 

/         \ 

(C2H6)2  =  C  C  =  0 

v/ 

n     \ 

0  (C2H5)2 

ID.  R.  P.  226,  454. 

^Ber.,  1907,  40,  3024. 

'i?6p.  de  pharmade,  1907,  6,  271. 

*Arch.  expt.  Path.  Pkarm.,  1908,  58,  181. 


xixl  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  197 

with  narcotic  properties,  a  compound  being  obtained  having  only 
a  strychnine-like  action. 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  mentioned  that  a  close  connection 
seems  to  exist  between  narcotics  and  local  anaesthetics. 

Gros'  has  compared  the  action  of  these  two  classes  of  sub- 
stances and  concludes  that,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  it  is  the 
same  in  both  cases.  He  therefore  considers  that  local  anaes- 
thetics are  nothing  more  than  strong  hypnotics.  For  the  purposes 
of  comparison  the  narcotics  employed  were  chloroform,  paralde- 
hyde, chloral,  amylene  hydrate,  ethyl  propionate,  amylacetate, 
acetophenone,  phenyl  and  ethyl  urethane,  whilst  the  local  anaes- 
thetics comprised  alypin,  cocaine,  eucaine,  stovain,  tropacocain, 
nirvanin,  holocain  and  subcutin. 

Chloral  has  also  been  used  in  medical  practice  as  a  general 
anaesthetic  but  was  found  to  be  dangerous.  Lately,  however, 
another  substance  which,  like  chloral,  was  first  employed  as  a 
hypnotic  has  been  very  successfully  used  in  producing  general 
anaesthesia.  This  substance  is  methylpropylcarbinolurethane, 
which  was  first  introduced  as  a  hypnotic  about  the  year  1900. 
In  1910  its  use  as  a  general  anaesthetic  by  intravenous  injection 

Me  Pr  CH.  0.  CO.  NH, 
was  first  described,*  since   when  several  reports  have  appeared, 
the  latest  being  by  Page.' 

It  is  therefore  possible  to  attack  the  problem  of  the  true  man- 
ner in  which  hypnotics  act  from  two  points,  and  the  fact  that 
hypnotics  also  act  as  local  and  general  anaesthetics  irrespective 
of  their  volatility  may  help  to  elucidate  the  matter. 

Finally,  we  should  like  to  express  our  best  thanks  to  Drs. 
H.  H.  Dale  and  P.  P.  Laidlaw  of  the  Wellcome  Physiological 
Research  Laboratories,  who  have  co-operated  with  us  throughout 
the  work  and  conducted  most  of  the  physiological  experiments 
herein  recorded. 


'Arch.  expt.  Path.  Pharm.,  1910,  62,  380;  1910,  63,  80;  1911,  64,  67. 
'Sichkovski  (RussH  VrachSt.  Petersbury  1910,  9,  1447). 
'Lancet,  1012,  182,  1258. 


SUR    LES    ELEMENTS    MINERAUX    CONTENUS 
DANS  LA  CASEINE  DU  LAIT 

Par  M.  L.  Lindbt 
Paris 

Nous  connaissons  bien  mal  l'6tat  dans  le  quel  se  pr&entent 
certains  ^16ments  min^raux,  quand  nous  les  rencontrons  associ^s 
k  des  matiferes  prot^iques.  On  dit  commun^ment  par  exemple 
que  la  cas6ine  du  lait  renferme  du  phosphate  de  chaux,  parceque 
I'analyse  permet  d'y  d^celer  du  phosphore  et  du  calcium;  dans 
la  cas^ine  pr^cipit^e  par  la  pr^sure,  le  phosphore,  exprim6  en 
Pj  Os,  repr^sente  de  3,50  k  3,55  %  de  la  cas6ine  s^che,  alors  que 
le  calcium,  exprim6  en  CaO,  repr^sente  de  3,10  k  3,80%;  si  ces 
^l^ments  formaient,  k  I'int^rieur  de  la  molecule  prot6ique,  du 
phosphate  de  chaux,  celui-ci  aurait  une  formule  interm^diaire 
entre  le  phosphate  bicalcique  et  le  phosphate  tricalcique.' 

Je  voudrais  d^montrer,  dans  ce  m^moire,  qu'une  partie  seule- 
ment  du  phosphore,  environ  la  moiti6,  est  k  I'^tat  de  phosphate, 
probablement  tricalcique,  et  que  I'autre  est  engag6e,  k  I'^tat 
d'acide  phosphorique  encore,  dans  une  combinaison,  hydrolis- 
able  par  les  alcalis.  Quant  k  la  chaux  en  exc^s  par  rapport  k 
celle  qui  forme  le  phosphate  de  calcium,  elle  sature  la  fonction 
acide  de  la  cas6ine;  mais  cette  saturation  n'est  que  partielle; 
car,  comme  je  I'indiquerai  plus  loin,  on  peut  faire  absorber  k  la 
casfine,  plus  de  7%  de  chaux,  comme  on  peut  lui  faire  absorber 
de  I'alumine,  du  zinc,  etc.  II  est  probable  que  le  phosphate  de 
calcium  est  lui-m^me  dissous  par  cette  fonction  acide;  nous 
avons,  M.  L.  Ammann  et  moi,  (Ann.  de  I'Institut  national 
agronomique,  1906,    p.  283)  montr^  que  Ton  peut  satxirer  du 

'Les  dosages  d'acide  phosphorique  et  de  chaux  ont  toujours  6t6  obtenus  en 
attaquant  la  cas^ine  par  I'acide  nitrique  fumant,  puis  par  I'acide  sulfurique 
jusqu'^  decoloration;  on  reprenait  ensuite  par  I'eau  et  par  I'ammoniaque;  on 
acidulait  par  I'acide  ac^tique,  pour  ^liminer  cusuite  la  chaux  au  moyen  de 
I'oxalate;  puis  on  dosait  I'acide  phosphorique  k  I'^tat  de  phosphate  ammoniaco- 
magndaien. 

198 


200         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

casdinate  de  chaux  par  I'acide  phosphorique  sans  que  le  liquide 
se  trouble,  c'est  k  dire  sans  que  le  phosphate  form6  se  depose. 
II  est  6galement  possible  que  le  phosphate  de  chaux  soit  soluble 
dans  le  cas^inate  de  chaux,  bien  que  je  n'aie  pu  jusqu'ici  r^aliser 
cette  solubilisation,  en  partant  du  phosphate  pr6cipit6;  car  il 
convient  de  remarquer  que  la  cas^ine,  precipit^e,  par  la  pr^sure, 
est  entierement  soluble,  sans  d^pot  de  phosphate  de  chaux,  dans 
rammoniaque  et  m^me  dans  la  r^sorcine  concentr^e. 

I.  Je  traite  la  cas6ine  pr6cipitee  par  la  prfeure  au  moyen  d'une 
solution  ac^tique  faible,  et  j'enl^ve  de  cette  fagon  la  chaux  com- 
bin^e  k  la  fonction  acide,  et  le  phosphate  de  chaux,  et  j'obtiens 
un  r6sidu  d^calcifi^,  qui  renferme  encore  k  peu  pres  la  moiti^ 
du  phosphore  que  la  cas^ine  contenait  primitivement.^ 

Les  r^sultats  de  I'^puisement  ac6tique  de  la  cas6ine,  prove- 
nant  de  I'empr^surage,  sont  consign^s  dans  le  tableau  suivant: 


Pour  Cent  de  Cas&ne  Suppos^e  SJiche: 

ce  qui  repr&enterait: 


P2O5 

CaO 

Phosphate 
de  C  chaux 

Chaux  en  excfis 

enlev^e  par 
I'acide  ac^tique 

2' 

4" 

Epuisement 
fipuisement 
fipuisement 
Epuisement 
R^sidu 

1,01 
0,40 
0,14 
0,05 
1,88 

2,47 
0,79 
0,33 
0,10 
0,00 

2,20 
0,85 
0,30 
0,10 
0,10 

1,28 
0,34 
0,17 
0,05 
0,05 

au  lieu  de 

3,48 
3,55 

3,69 
3,80 

3,45 

1,84 

^Les  liquides  ac^tiques  dissolvent  malheureusement  de  la  casfiine;  on  les  en 
d^barassait  au  moyen  de  sulfate  de  bioxide  de  mercure,  et  dans  les  liquides, 
additionniSs  de  citrate  d'ammoniaque  et  d'ammoniaque,  on  ajoutait  le  chlorure 
de  magnesium;  on  s'assurait  que  le  pr6cipit6  mercurique  ne  renfermait  pas 
d'acide  phosphorique,  en  le  reprenant  par  I'acide  nitrique  fumant. — J'ai 
obtenu  6galement  1' Elimination  de  la  casfiine  dissoute  en  chauffant  les  liqueurs 
en  autoclave,  en  pr&ence  du  formol. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  201 

Si  tout  le  phosphore  de  la  cas6ine  s'y  trouvait  k  I'^tat  de  phos- 
phate de  chaux,  il  n'y  aurait  aucune  raison  pour  que  I'acide 
kendu  ne  I'enlSve  pas  en  mSme  temps  que  toute  la  chaux;  quand 
on  attaque  en  effet  du  phosphate  tricalcique  par  de  I'acide  ac6- 
tique  6ten  du,  I'acide  phosphorique  et  la  chaux  se  dissolvent,  k 
tout  moment,  en  quantit^s  6quivalentes.  Nous  dirons  done 
que  I'acide  ac6tique  a  fait  disparaitre  le  phosphate  de  chaux 
(3,45%  de  la  cas^ine)  et  la  chaux  combin^e  k  la  fonction  acide  de 
la  cas6ine  (1,84%). 

La  substitution  de  I'acide  ac6tique  k  la  pr^sure  dans  la  coagu- 
lation de  la  cas6ine  determine  la  precipitation  d'une  cas6ine 
pauvre  en  chaux,  que  I'on  peut  appauvrir  davantage  par  un 
lavage  k  I'acide  6tendu;  mais  comme  dans  le  cas  ci-dessus,  il 
reste  du  phosphore  insoluble  dans  I'acide  ac^tique  4tendu;  celui- 
ci,  compt6  en  P2  Os,  a  represents,  dans  mes  experiences,  sensible- 
ment  le  m6me  chiffre  que  prScedemment  (de  1,80  k  2,00%). 
Le  fait  est  d'ailleurs  connu  des  fabricants  de  casSine,  qui,  suivant 
I'usage  au  quel  est  destine  le  produit,  caillent  le  lait  ecrfeme,  soit 
par  la  presure,  soit  par  I'addition  d'un  acide  mineral,  soit  par 
Taction  biologique  du  ferment  lactique;  j'ai  trouve  dans  le  com- 
merce une  caseine,  provenent  de  I'acidification  lactique,  qui 
conservait  encore  une  quantite  de  phosphore,  representant  1,80% 
de  P2  Ob. 

J'ai  ete  d'ailleurs  k  mfeme  de  verifier  ce  fait,  en  recherchant 
Taction  de  I'acide  phenique  sur  le  lait;  je  pensais  que  cet  acide 
phenique,  dont  j'ai  montre  les  proprietes,  dissolvantes  vis  k  vis 
de  la  chaux  (Bin  Soc.  chimique.  1910,  P.  435)  serait  capable  de 
deplacer  la  chaux  combinee  k  la  fonction  acide  de  la  caseine; 
Texperience  a  ete  negative.  Mais  elle  n'a  pas  ete  inutile;  car 
elle  confirme  ce  qui  vient  d'etre  dit:  Deux  portions  d'un  mime 
lait,  dont  I'une  avait  ete  additionnee  d'acide  phenique,  ont  ete 
cailiees  par  la  presure,  et  Ton  a  recolte  les  sSrums;  le  lendemain, 
on  a  coaguie  par  la  chaleur  chacun  d'eux,  et  on  a  dose  I'acide 
phosphorique  et  la  chaux  dans  les  coagulums  et  dans  les  liquides. 
Dans  le  coagulum  du  sSrum  phenique,  il  y  a  eu  plus  d'acide 
phosphorique  et  plus  de  chaux  que  dans  le  coagulum  du  serum 
temoin,  parceque  ce  serum  s'etait  acidifie  du  jour  au  lendemain, 
et  que  I'acide  lactique  produit  avait  enleve  du  phosphate  de 


202         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

chaux  et  de  la  chaux;  le  complement  de  ces  deux  616meiits  se 
retrouve  dans  les  liquides  s6parfe  du  coagulum  ainsi  que  le 
montre  le  tableau  suivant: 

Rapports  au  litre  de  lait : 

en  grammes : 

PjOs  CaO 

p         ,       (  du  s^rum  t^moin  0,263  0,304 

t.oagulum|   ^^  g^^^^  pli6niqu6  0,279  0,349 


Liquide 
s6par6  du 
coagulum 


du  s6rum  t^moin  0,713  0,284 

du  s6rum  ph^niqu^  0,700  0,245 


Total  dans  les6rum  f  t^moin  0,976  0,588 

primitif  |  ph^niqu^  0,979  0,594 

II.  Pour  rechercher  l'6tat  chimique  que  le  phosphore  affecte 
dans  le  rfeidu  insoluble,  j'ai  eu  recours,  comme  je  I'ai  dit  plus 
haut,  k  une  hydrolise  m4nag6e  en  presence  des  alcalis  ou  des 
alcalino-terreux,  et  j'ai  6t6  frapp6  tout  d'abord  de  la  facility 
avec  la  quelle  ceux-ci  dissocient,  mSme  k  froid,  la  molecule  de 
cas6ine.  Mais  ce  qui  nous  int^resse  en  I'esp^ce,  c'est  que  le 
phosphore  de  la  cas^ine,  qui  restait  insoluble  dans  I'acide  ac^tique 
6tendu,  est  dfes  lors  facilement  d6cel6  k  I'^tat  d'acide  phosphori- 
que. 

Si,  par  exemple,  on  traite  par  un  lait  de  chaux  de  la  cas6ine 
d^calcifi^e,  et  si  on  filtre,  on  obtient  une  solution  qui  renferme 
de  la  cas^ine,  du  phosphate  de  chaux  et  de  la  chaux  en  exc&s, 
et  qui  repr^sente,  comme  nous  I'avons  appel6,  M.  L.  Ammann 
et  moi  (loc.  cit.)  une  solution  de  phosphocas6inate  de  chaux. 
Cette  chaux  en  excfe,  abstraction  faite  de  la  chaux  que  I'eau 
dissoudrait  naturellement,  a  repr6sent6,  dans  mes  experiences, 
de  7,30  k  7,75%  de  la  cas6ine;  elle  est  fix6e  par  la  fonction  acide 
de  la  cas^ine.  En  outre,  cette  solution  qui  se  decompose,  qui 
se  degrade,  en  fonction  du  temps  et  de  la  temperature,  donne 
naissance  k  de  I'ammoniaque  et  aux  produits  que  Schutzem- 
berger  a  isol6es,  en  chauffant  des  mati^res  albuminoides  k  180° 
en  presence  de  la  Baryte.  L'addition  d'acide  ac6tique  en 
exc^s  dans  une  semblable  solution  pr^cipite  de  la  cas^ine  non 
d6compos6e,  en  quantity  d'autant  plus  grande  que  la  d^grada- 


xix] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


203 


tion  a  6t6  moins  accentu^e.  Mais  ce  qui  frappe  surtout,  c'est 
que  cette  cas6ine  ne  renferme  plus  de  phosphore,  et  que  le  phos- 
phate de  chaux,  dissous  dans  I'acide  ac^tique  4tendu,  est  pass^ 
dans  les  liqueurs.  Les  chiffres  du  tableau  suivant  indiquent 
la  marche  du  ph^nom^ne: 


A  20-25''' 


A  35° 


Dur^edu 
contact  de 
la  chaux 
avec  la 
cas^ine 

24  heures 

48  heures 

96  heures 

10  jours 

48  heures 


Cafi€ine 
non 

d^grad^e 
%  0) 
79,2 
75,9 
69,2 
60,4 
63,2 


Caa^ine 

d^gradfe 

% 

20,8 

24,1 

30,8 

39,6 

36,8 


Acide 
Azote  de    phosphorique 
I'ammoniaque    contenu 
d€gag£e 
%  de  I'azote 
total 


2,03 
3,06 


dans  la 

cas^ine 

prdcipitte 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 


La  sonde  ne  degrade  pas  et  n'hydrolise  pas  I'acide  phosphorique 
aussi  vite  que  la  chaux;  quand  on  a  soin  de  ne  mettre  que  la  quan- 
tity n^cessaire  de  sonde  pour  dissoudre  une  cas6ine  k  1,80% 
d'acide  phosphorique,  on  obtient,  dans  trois  precipitations  suc- 
CBBsives  k  I'acide  ac^tique,  des  cas6ines  qui  renferment  encore 
1,66,  1,06,  0,78%  d'acide  phosphorique.  A  chaud,  la  degrada- 
tion de  la  cas6ine  est  plus  rapide,  et  apr^s  un  chauffage  d'une 
heure  k  120°,  on  he  pr^cipite  plus  de  cas6ine  par  I'acide  ac6tique. 

L'ammoniaque  est,  vis  k  vis  de  la  cas^ine,  encore  moins  ^ner- 
gique  que  la  sonde,  et  j'ai  pu,  en  dissolvant  k  froid  de  la  cas^ine 
k  1,80%  d'acide  phosphorique,  avec  le  minimum  d'ammoniaque, 
et  pendant  le  minimum  de  temps,  et  en  precipitant  trois  fois 
par  I'acide,  obtenir  le  meme  taux  d'acide  phosphorique.  Mais  un 
chauffage -de  cinq  heures  au  Bain-Marie  a  fourni  une  caseine 
pr^cipitee,  qui  ne  renfermait  plus  que  1,30  d'acide  phosphorique. 

Je  reviens  k  Taction  de  la  chaux:  On  pent  mettre,  en  evidence 
d'une  faQon  plus  elegante,  cette  action  dissolvante  de  la  chaux 
vis  k  vis  de  I'acide  phosphorique  que  la  caseine  retient.  La 
solution  de  phoaphocaseinate  de  chaux,  telle  qu'elle  a  ete  preparee 
plus  haut,  est  chauffee  en  autoclave,  k  120°,  pendant  une  heure; 

'J'ai  compt£  comme  caseine  non  d6gradfe  celle  qui  6tait  pr6cipit^e  par 
I'acide  en  excds,  et  celle  que  l'acidit6  ac6tique  dissolvait  nonnalement  dans  le 
liquide. 


204         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


la  degradation  de  la  mati^re  prot^ique  se  produit;  mais  la  cas6ine 
non  degrad^e,  qui  repr^sente,  dans  ce  cas,  de  25  k  38%  de  la 
cas^ine  primitive,  se  coagule,  emprisonnant  tout  le  phosphate 
primitif  (P2O6  =  3,66%  du  coagulum)  et  un  exc^s  de  chaux 
(CaO  =  11,70%  du  coagulum),  tandis  que  les  liqueurs,  qui  ren- 
ferment  les  matieres  azot^es  d6grad6es,  en  m^me  temps  que  la 
chaux  en  excds,  sont  exemptes  de  phosphore.  J'ai  mesur^  la 
degradation  de  la  cas^ine,  dans  ce  cas,  en  dosant  I'ammoniaque 
d^gag^e ;'  celle-ci,  compt^e  en  azote,  a  represents  de  13,5  k 
26,0%  de  I'azote  total. 

Ce  coagulum  a  StS  alors  epuisS  par  de  I'acide  acStique  Stendu 
qui  a  enlev6  trSs  facilement  le  phosphate  de  chaux  formS  et  la 
chaux  en  exc^,  en  sorte  qu'il  est  reste,commelemontrele  tableau 
ci-dessous,  une  casSine  sans  calcium  ni  phosphore;  cette  cas6ine 
comme  la  prScedente,  se  dissout  dans  la  chaux,  renferme  15,55% 
d'azote,  etc. 

Pour  Cent  de  Cab^ine  Suppos^e  Si;cHE: 


ce  qui : 

reprfisenterait: 
Cha\ix  en  exc^, 

Phosphate 

enlevte  par 

P»06 

CaO 

Chaux 

I'acide  ac^tique 

1. 

Epuisement 

3,16 

10,80 

6,90 

7,36 

2. 

Epuisement 

0,30 

0,54 

0,65 

0,19 

3. 

Epuisement 

0,04 

0,11 

0,10 

0,05 

RSsidu 

0,00 

0,01 

Jf 

tf 

3,50 

11,46 

7,65 

7,60 

au  lieu  de 

■3,66 

11,70 

Le  fait  que  nous  ne  pouvons  isoler  le  phosphore  k  I'Stat  d'acide 
phosphorique  sans  dSgrader  la  casSine  mise  en  oeuvre,  constitue- 
t-il  une  objection  s6rieuse  contre  le  preformation  de  cet  acide 
phosphorique  dans  la  molecule  de  casSine?  Je  ne  le  crois  pas. 
La  dislocation  de  la  matiSre  protSique,  dans  la  reaction  de 
Schutzemberger,  se  produit  sans  oxydation;  nous  avons  eu  re- 


'Le  ballon  6tait  muni  d'un  tube  h  boules,  contenant  de  I'acide  sulfurique 
titr4;  de  plus  les  liquides  du  baUon  6taient  saturfe  par  de  I'acide  ac4tique; 
puis  rammoniaque  en  dtait  chass^e  en  presence  de  Magnesia. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  205 

cours  k  une  reaction  moins  ^nergique  encore,  puisque  nous  Tavons 
produite  k  la  temperature  ordinaire;  dire  que  les  r^actifs  employes 
ont  iti  de  nature  k  oxyder  le  phosphore  m^talloidique  6quivau- 
drait  k  conclure  que  dans  la  16cithine,  dans  la  phytine,  etc.,  le 
phosphore  peut  n'etre  pas  k  I'^tat  d'acide  phosphorique,  puisque 
e'est  par  une  saponification  que  Ton  en  s6pare  celui-ci.  J'admets 
done  que,  dans  ces  experiences,  le  phosphore  qui  a  6t€  retire  par 
Taction  des  alcalis  se  trouvait,  prealablement  k  tout  traitement, 
sous  forme  d'acide  phosphorique. 

J'ai  k  plusieures  reprises  cherche  k  realiser  cette  sorte  de  sapon- 
ification sous  I'influence  des  seuls  elements  contenus  dans  la 
caseine.  Puisqu'une  partie  de  la  chaux  de  la  caseine  est  com- 
bin^e  k  sa  fonction  acide,  ne  peut-on  pas,  en  faisant  bouillir  du 
lait,  detacher  cette  chaux  de  I'acide  faible  que  represente  lacase- 
ine,  et  la  porter  sur  la  molecule  phosphorique  saponifiable?  Pour 
ce\k,  je  traitais  du  lait  cru  et  du  lait  bouilli,  puis  refroidi,  par 
une  mfime  quantite  d'acide  acetique;  celui-ci  dans  le  premier 
cas,  devait  dissoudre  les  phosphates  naturels  du  lait,  ainsi  que 
le  phosphate  de  chaux  de  la  caseine,  et,  dans  le  second  cas,  en 
outre  de  ces  phosphates,  le  phosphate  de  chaux  forme  par  saponi- 
fication. Je  n'ai  reussi  qu'incomplfetement,  k  cause  de  la  faible 
alcalinite  du  lait;  mais  j'ai  toujours  eu,  avec  le  serum  du  lait 
cuit,  plus  d'acide  phosphorique  qu'avec  le  serum  du  lait  cru, 
ainsi  que  le  montre  le  tableau  suivant : 

Acide  phosphorique  dos6  dans  le  s^rum 

(en  grammes) 
du  lait  cru 


I 

0,870 

II 

1,240 

III 

1,051 

IV 

1,106 

3  le  s^rum 
11  lait  cuit 

Acide  phosphorique 

dulait  cuit  pour  im 

d'acide  phosphorique 

du  ait  cru 

0,930 

1,07 

1,436 

1,16 

1,111 

1,06 

1,260 

1,14 

III.  La  caseine  que  I'on  precipite  par  la  presure  n'est  pas 
la  seule  mati^re  albuminoide  que  Ton  puisse  extraire  du  lait; 
quand  on  chauffe  le  serum  qui  s'egoutte  de  I'empresurage,  on 
obtient  une  matifere  albuminoide  qui  semble,  d'apres  les  resul- 
tats  que  M.  L.  Ammann  et  moi  avons  fait  connaitre  (loc.  cit.) 
un  melange  de  caseine  et  d'albumine.     Le  coagulum  renferme  du 


206         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


phosphore,  qui,  compt4  em  PsOb,  reprfeente  de  4,86  k  6,17%, 
et  du  calcium,  qui,  compt6  en  CaO,  represents  de  5,71  k  7,52%. 
II  est  done  plus  riche  en  elements  min^raux  que  la  cas^ine  prove- 
nant  directement  de  I'empr^surage.  J'ai  4puis6  ^galement  ce 
coagulum  par  I'acide  ac^tique  ^tendu;  mais  il  est  rest^,  comme 
dans  le  cas  precedent,  du  phosphore  non  dissous: 

PoTJR  Cent  de  Cas^ine  Suppos^e  SJiche: 


PjOe 

Cao 

ce  quii 

Phosphate 
de  Cfhaux 

repr^senterait: 
Chaux  en  excSs, 

enlev^e  par 
I'acide  acStique 

1.  Epuisement 

2.  fipuisement 

3.  fipuisement 
R^sidu 

3,92 
1,27 
0,29 
0,73 

5,43 
1,84 
0,30 
0,00 

8,55 
2,75 
0,60 

0,80 
0,36 
0,00 

au  lieu  de 

6,21 
6,17 

7,57 
7,52 

11,90 

1,16 

Je  n'ai  pu  appliquer  k  ce  coagulum  epuis6  par  I'acide  ac6tique 
etendu  la  m^thode  que  j'ai  d^crite  plus  haut  pour  en  extraire  le 
phosphore  r^siduaire  k  I'^tat  d'acide  phosphorique,  parceque  la 
matifere,  qui  avait  €t6  coagul^e  par  la  chaleur  ne  se  redissolvait 
qu'incompl^tement  dans  un  lait  de  chaux. 

IV.  J'ai  voulu  substituer  k  I'acide  ac^tique  6tendu  pour  la 
dissolution  du  phosphate  de  chaux  et  de  la  chaux  en  excfes  dans 
la  cas^ine  d'empr^surage,  le  citrate  d'ammoniaque  ammoniacal. 
Ce  r6actif  a  laiss6  dans  le  r6sidu  insoluble,  une  quantity  de  phos- 
phore inf^rieure  k  celle  que  I'acide  ac^tique  a  laiss^e;  mais  il  con- 
vient  de  remarquer  que  I'on  agit  en  milieu  alcalin,  et  que  I'alcali 
est  capable  de  saponifier  une  partie  de  I'acide  phosphorique, 
comme  le  fait  la  chaux: 


xn 

;]                    Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 

207 

Pour  100  db  Cas^ine  Support  SJiche: 

ce  qui  repr63ente: 

Chaux  en  exote, 

Pho8phat( 
deChaux 

;    enlev^e  par 

PiO. 

CaO 

I'acide  ac6tique 

I" 

fipuisement 

1,26 

2,40 

2,75 

0,91 

2* 

Spuisement 

0,36 

0,72 

0,80 

0,28 

3' 

fipuisement 

0,33 

0,23 

0,70 

0,00 

4* 

fipuisement 

0,21 

■    0,10 

0,45 

II 

5* 

Epuisement 

0,13 

0,03 

0,15 

ft 

R^sidu 

0,85 

0,00 

II 

1) 

3,14  3,48  4,85  1,19 

au  lieu  de  3,85  3,80 

C'est  encore  cette  action  saponifiante  de  I'ammoniaque  qui 
permet  d'expliquer  le  fait  suivant :  Quand  on  cherche  k  pr^cipiter, 
en  pr&ence  de  cas6ine,  par  exemple  dans  du  lait  6cr6m6,  I'acide 
phosphorique  k  l'6tat  de  phosphate  ammoniaco-magn6sien,  on 
n'obtient,  au  bout  de  24  heures,  que  30%  environ  du  phosphore 
contenu  dans  la  cas6ine  ou  dans  le  lait;  la  cas^ine  g^ne  la  precipi- 
tation; mais  celle-ci  se  continue  lentement,  au  fur  et  k  mesure  que 
la  cas^ine  se  d6grade  en  produits  moins  visqueux  et  que  la  combi- 
naison  phosphorique  se  saponifie,  et  au  bout  de  six  mois  on  pent 
receuillir  jusqu'A.  81,9%  du  phosphore  total,  alors  que  50%  envi- 
ron 6tait,  dans  la  cas^ine  primitiye,  k  I'^tat  de  phosphate  de 
chaux. 

Ce  ph^nom^ne  semble  d6pendre,  non  de  la  quantity  de  cas4ine 
dissoute  dans  la  liqueur,  mais  du  rapport  de  I'acide  phosphorique 
dissous  k  la  cas^ine  dissoute;  car,  en  precipitant  une  m^me  li- 
queur, concentree  ou  6tendus  d'eau  et  d'ammoniaque,  de  fagon 
k  avoir  la  m^me  quantity  d'alcali,  j'ai  obtenu,  aprfe  le  m^me 
temps,  la  mdme  quantity  de  phosphate  ammoniaco-magndsien. 

Nous  conclurons  done  de  cette  etude  que  I'acide  phosphorique 
et  la  chaux  forment  trois  groupes  d' elements  mineraux:  de  la 
chaux  combinee  k  la  fonction  acide,  du  phosphate  de  chaux, 
probablement  tricalcique,  et  de  I'acide  phosphorique,  retenu  par 
la  molecule  proteique,  et  susceptible  d'en  etre  detachee  par 
hydrolise  ou  saponification. 

L'etude  du  soufre  contenu  dans  la  molecule  de  caseine  fera 
I'objet  d'une  etude  ulterieure. 


(Extrait) 

LA  QUESTION  DE  L'ACIDE  SULFUREUX 
DANS  LES  VINS  BLANCS 

Par  Philippe  Malvezin 
Professeur  aux  Laboratoires  Bourbouze 
Paris,  France 

L'auteur  frapp6  par  les  contradictions  qui  existent  entre  les 
rdsultats  des  recherches  sur  Taction  physiologique  de  I'acide 
sulfureux  contenus  dans  les  vins  blancs,  entreprises  k  Bordeaux 
par  une  commission  d'^tude  nommde  k  cet  effet,  et  les  conclusions 
du  rapport  pr6sent6  par  M.  le  Prof.  Gautrelet,  rapporteur,  a 
repris  Texamen  d6taill6  des  tableaux  d'exp^riences  et  a  pu  6tablir 
ainsi,  dans  sa  communication  en  reproduisant  des  tableaux  com- 
paratifs  formes  des  chiffres  pris  k  m^me  le  rapport  de  M.  Gautrelet; 
en  soulignant,  d'autre  part,  certains  passage  des  commentaires 
d'exp^riences,  que  les  conclusions  du  rapport  de  Bordeaux  ne 
sent  nullement  celles  qui  dicoulent  naturellement  des  expiriences 
dent  l'auteur  analyse  I'essence  au  cours  de  sa  communication. 

En  se  basant  sur  les  r^sultats  purement  exp^rimentaux  de  la 
commission  bordelaise,  l'auteur  en  arrive  k  conclure  que  les  ex- 
periences de  Wiley  semblent  bien  plut6t  confirmies  qu'infirm^es 
par  le  rapport,  et  il  6met  le  voeu  que  I' usage  de  I'acide  sulfureux 
dans  les  vins  soit  itroitement  riglemenU  en  attendant  qu'il  ait  eti 
iiabli  par  une  commission  internationale  de  chimistes  et  de  mi- 
decins,  quelles  sent  les  doses  de  cet  antiseptique  qui  peuvent  Ure 
toUries  par  tous  les  organismes  humains  et  pendant  une  longue 
durie  correspondant  d  une  absorbtion  habituelle  de  vin  sulfite. 
(Les  experiences  de  Bordeaux  sont  une  heureuse  initiative,  sans 
doute,  mais  incompletes,  ^court^es  et  oil  I'auto-sugestion  sem- 
ble  avoir  jou^  un  trop  grand  r61e.) 

(La  sant6  publique  et  le  commerce  francais  trouveront  I'un 
et  I'autre  leur  compte  k  ce  qu'il  ne  puisse  plus  fetre  ^mis  de  doute 
k  regard  de  nos  produits  nationaux.) 

14  209 


THE  INFLUENCE   OF   HYDROXYL   AND   CARBOXYL 

GROUPS  ON  THE  PHARMACOLOGICAL  ACTION 

OF  NITRIC  ESTERS 

By  C.  R.  Marshall,  M.  D. 
University  of  St.  Andrews,  Scotland 

As  a  pharmacological  group  the  nitric  esters  belong  to  the 
class  of  vaso-dilators.  Their  chief  action  is  exerted  on  unstriped 
muscle  fibre,  and  especially  on  that  of  the  blood  vessels.  Nearly 
all  the  nitric  esters  so  far  investigated  cause  a  fall  of  blood-pres- 
sure owing  to  dilatation  of  the  arterioles,  and  when  administered 
in  small  doses  this  is  almost  their  sole  effect.  This  action, 
consequently,  forms  a  convenient  test  for  determining  the  phar- 
macological activity  of  any  member  of  the  group,  and  it  has  been 
the  one  employed  in  this  investigation.  The  experiments  were 
made  on  anaesthetised  rabbits  and  cats.  The  blood-pressure 
was  taken  from  the  common  carotid  artery.  The  injections 
were  made  into  one  of  the  facial  veins  (rabbits)  or  into  the 
external  jugular  vein  (cats). 

The  substances  employed  in  the  investigation  were :  glycerol- 
dinitrate,  methyl  -  glycerol  -  dinitrate,  tetra-methyl  -  mannitol- 
dinitrate,  di-methyl-mannitol-tetranitrate,  mannitol-pentani- 
trate,  ducitol-pentanitrate,  and  the  nitric  esters  of  tartaric 
and  ehtyl-tartaric  acids,  of  citric  and  ethyl-citric  acids,  and  of 
lactic  and  ethyl-lactic  acids.  The  glycerol-dinitrate  was  pre- 
pared according  to  the  method  of  Will;'  the  mannitol-pentani- 
trate  and  dulcitol-pentanitrate  were  obtained  by  reducing  the 
corresponding  hexanitrates  by  means  of  pyridin;^  the  remainder 
were  made  by  nitrating  in  the  ordinary  way  the  corresponding 
alcohols,  acids  or  alkyl  compounds  by  means  of  a  mixture  of 
nitric  and  sulphuric  acids  kept  cool  by  a  freezing  mixture.'    As 

'Ber.  XXXXI  p.  1107  (1908). 

■Wigner,  Ber.  XXXVI  p.  794  (1903). 

'I  am  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  my  colleague  Professor  Irving  for  the 
methyl-glycerol,  Di-methyl-mannitol,  and  Tetra-methyl-mannitol  from  which 
fie  nitric  esters  were  made. 

211 


212         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

most  of  the  nitric  esters  are  but  slightly  soluble  in  water,  diluted 
alcohol  was  frequently  used  to  prepare  the  injections. 

The  presence  of  hydroxyl  or  methoxyl  groups  appears  to 
diminish  very  considerably  the  vaso-dilating  action  of  this 
group  of  substances.  Glycerol  dinitrate  and  methyl-glycerol 
dinitrate,  for  example,  are  much  less  powerful  than  nitrogly- 
cerine, and  the  loss  of  effect  with  increase  of  methoxyl  groups 
is  even  more  marked  in  the  compounds  of  mannitol.  Thus  in 
one  experiment  (exp.  I)  in  which  0.01  g.  glycerol  dinitrate  re- 
duced the  blood-pressure  from  81  Mm.  Hg.  to  52  Mm.  Hg., 
one-twentieth  this  dose  of  nitro-glycerin  caused  a  fall  from  80 
Mm.  Hg.  to  58  Mm.  Hg.;  and  in  another  experiment  (exp.  II) 
the  dose  of  tetramethyl-mannitol  dinitrate  causing  a  minimal 
effect — a  fall  of  2-3  Mm.  Hg.  was  found  to  be  0.002g.,  whereas 
a  similar  effect  was  produced  by  O.OOOSg.  of  dimethyl-mannitol 
tetranitrate.  This  dose  of  mannitol  pentanitrate,  although 
not  given  in  this  particular  experiment,  produces  a  decided  fall 
of  blood-pressure.  Obviously  the  effect  is  not  merely  due  to 
the  smaller  number  of  nitrate  groups  since  the  loss  of  activity  is 
much  greater  than  this  will  explain. 

When  compared  with  completely  nitrated  alcohols  containing 
the  same  number  of  nitrate  groups,  most  of  the  esters  containing 
a  hydroxyl  or  methoxyl  group  are  less  active.  The  exception 
occurs  in  the  case  of  the  glycerol  dinitrates  which  seem  to  be 
at  least  equal  in  activity  to  the  glycol  dinitric  esters  (glycol  dini- 
trate, propylene-glycol  dinitrate,  trimethylene-glycol  dinitrate) 
I  have  tried  (exp.  III).  Tetramethyl-mannitol  dinitrate,  how- 
ever, is  less  active  than  these,  and  dimethyl-mannitol  tetrani- 
trate is  much  less  active  than  erythritol  tetranitrate.  Mannitol 
pentanitrate  and  dulicitol  pentanitrate  are  also  less  active  than 
arabitol  pentanitrate  or  erythritol  tetranitrate  or  glycerol  trin- 
itrate (exp.  IV- VI). 

The  following  experiments  will  serve  to  illustrate  these  re- 
marks. To  economize  space  the  blood-pressure  before  the 
injection  and  the  lowest  blood-pressure  reached  after  the  injec- 
tion are  alone  given.  And  for  the  same  reason  in  most  cases 
only  a  portion  of  the  experiment  is  described.  The  series  of 
injections  given,  however,  is  consecutive,  the  injections  left  out 


zix] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


213 


being  for  the  most  part  repetitions  of  the  substances  mentioned 
in  different  series  or  in  different  doses. 


Exp.  I.     Rabbit. 

l.OCc.  1  per  cent.  Glycerol  Dinitrate 
0.5Cc.  0.1  per  cent.  Glycerol  Trinitrate 


Ether 

Fall  of  Blood   E'ressure 
from  81  to  52Mm.Hg. 
from  80  to  58Mm.Hg. 


Exp.  II.     Cat.     2860g.     Chloroform  then  ether 


ICc.  Km  Methyl-glycerol  Dinitrate 

Ic.  Koo  Tetramethyl-mannitol  Dini- 
trate (partly  suspended) 

iCc.  Moo  Tetramethyl-mannitol  Dini- 
trate (in  29%  alcohol;  partly  sus- 
pended) 

iCc.  Hood  Dimethyl-mannitol  Tetrani- 
trate  (in  12.5%  alcohol,  partly 
suspended) 

ICc.  Ko  Methyl-glycerol  Dinitrate  (in 
14%  alcohol,  partly  suspended) 

ICc.  Koo  Dimethyl-mannitol  Tetrani- 
trate  (in  75%  alcohol) 

ICe.  Koo  Glycol  Dinitrate 


Fall  of  Blood  Pressure 
from  158  to  116Mm.Hg. 

from  151  to  149Mm.Hg. 


from  150  to  128Mm.Hg. 

from  142  to  139Mm.Hg. 

from  137  to  72Mm.Hg. 

from  126  to  67Mm.Hg. 
from  130  to  lOlMm.Hg. 


Exp.  III.     Rabbit.     2000g.     Ether 

Fall  of  Blood  Pressure 
from  66  to  50Mm.Hg. 
from  62  to  50Mm.Hg. 

from  62  to  51Mm.Hg. 
from  65  to  50Mm.Hg. 
from  64  to  54Mm.Hg. 


ICc.  Koo  Propylene-glycol  Dinitrate 

ICc.  Koo  Glycol  Dinitrate 

ICc.  Koo  Trimethylene-glycol  Dinitrate 

(partly  suspended) 
ICc.  Koo  Glycerol  Dinitrate 
ICc.  Koo  Propylene-glycol  Dinitrate 


214         Original  Communications:  Eighth  Internationcd       [vol. 

Exp.  IV.     Cat.    2950g.     Ether 

Fall  of  Blood  Pressure 
ICc.  Koooo  Mannitol  Pentanitrate   (in 

20%  alcohol)  from  123  to  llTMm.Hg. 

ICc.  Koooo  Glycerol  Trinitrate  (in  20% 

alcohol)  from  120  to  97Mm.Hg. 

ICc.  Koooo  Erythritol  Tetranitrate  (in 

20%  alcohol)  from  120  to  105Mm.Hg. 

ICc.  Koooo  Mannitol  Pentanitrate  (in 

20%  alcohol)  from  116  to  llSMm.Hg. 

ICc.   KoMo   Arabitol   Pentanitrate    (in 

20%  alcohol)  from  112  to  lOlMm.Hg. 

Exp.  V.     Rabbit.     1450g.     Ether 

Fall  of  Blood   Pressure 
ICc.  Kooo  Dulcitol  Pentanitrate  (in  20% 

alcohol)  from  54  to  49Mm.Hg. 

ICc.  Kooo  Dulcitol  Hexanitrate  (in  30% 

alcohol)  from  49  to  35Mm.Hg. 

ICc.   Koooo   Arabitol   Pentanitrate    (in 

20%  alcohol)  from  43  to  32Mm.Hg. 

ICc.  Kooo  Dulcitol  Pentanitrate  (in '20% 

alcohol)  from  56  to  50Mm.Hg. 

ICc.   Kooo   Mannitol   Pentanitrate   (in 

20%  alcohol)  from  52  to  44Mm.Hg. 

ICc.  Koooo  Glycerol  Trinitrate  (in  20% 

alcohol)  from  48  to  34Mm.Hg. 

Exp.  VI.     Rabbit.    2250g.    Chloroform 

Fall  of  Blood  Pressure 
ICc.  Kooo  Mannitol  Pentanitrate  from  76  to  54Mm.Hg. 

ICc.  Koooo  Erythritol  Tetranitrate  from  76  to  56Mm.Hg. 

ICc.  Kooo  Glycerol  Trinitrate  from  77  to  49Mm.Hg. 

ICc.  Kooo  Mannitol  Pentanitrate  from  78  to  58Mm.Hg. 


xa]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  215 

The  influence  of  the  carboxyl  group  on  the  vaso-dilating  action 
of  nitric  esters  is  still  more  marked  than  that  of  the  hydroxyl 
group.  The  nitric  esters  of  tartaric,  citric,  and  lactic  acids, 
neutralised  with  sodium  bicarbonate,  produced,  when  injected 
intravenously,  no  fall  of  blood-pressure  whatever,  and  the  nitric 
esters  of  methyl-citric  and  methyl-lactic  acids  caused  a  fall  only 
after  the  lapse  of  several  minutes. 

Exp.  VII.     Rabbit.     1850g.     Ether 

Fall  of  Blood  Presaure 
2Cc.  Ko  Tartaric  Acid  Dinitrate  (neu- 
tralised) no  effect 
0.8Cc,  Koooo  Erythritol  Tetranitrate  from  80  to  47Mm.Hg. 

Exp.  VIII.    Rabbit.     1850g.    Chloroform 

Fall  of  Blood   E^essure 
ICc.  Koo  Ethyl-tartaric  Acid  Dinitrate 

(25%  alcohol)  no  effect. 

ICc.  Koo  Ethyl-citric  Acid  Nitrate  (10% 

alcohol)  no  fall  for  3  mins. 

then  gradual  fall  from 
98  to  72Mm.Hg.   at  8 
mins. 
ICc.    Km    Ethyl-lactic    Acid    Nitrate 

(25%  alcohol)  no  fall  for  3  mins. 

then  gradual  fall  from  87 
to    68Mm.Hg.     at     11 
mins. 
ICc.  Kooo  Mannito  Pentanitrate  from  76  to  53  Mm.Hg. 


THE    PHARMACOLOGICAL   ACTION   OF   BROM- 
STRYCHNINES 

Bt  C.  R.  Marshall,  M.  D. 
Professor  0/  Materia  Medica,  University  of  St.  Andrews,  Scotland 

Three  brom-strychnines  have  been  described — two  mono- 
derivatives  and  one  di-derivative.  The  first  monobromstrych- 
nine,  C2iH2i02N2Br,  was  prepared  simultaneously  by  Shenstone' 
and  Bechurts"  and  was  obtained  by  the  action  of  equi-molecular 
proportions  of  bromine  and  strychnine  hydrochloride  (Shenstone) 
or  hydrobromide  (Bechurts)  in  aqueous  solution.  It  forms 
rhombic  crystals  melting  at  222°  C.  (Bechurts).  Later  Loebisch 
and  Schoop'  by  the  action  of  bromine  on  strychnine  in  strong  sul- 
phuric acid,  obtained  a  product  crystallising  in  needles  arranged 
in  rosettes  and  giving  different  colour  reactions  from  those  given 
by  the  monobromstrychnine  of  Shenstone  and  Bechurts.  This 
substance  they  regarded  as  a  new  monobromstrychnine  and 
termed  it  )S  monobromstrychnine  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
monobromstrychnine  previously  obtained.  Still  later  a  mono- 
bromstrychnine was  obtained  by  Martin^  in  colourless  needles 
melting  at  199°  C.  but  no  colour  reactions  of  this  substance  are 
given. 

Dibromstrychnine,  C2iH2o02N2Br2,  was  first  described  by 
Bechurts'  who  obtained  it,  along  with  monobromstrychnine  and 
apparently  some  perbromide,  by  the  action  of  four  atoms  of 
bromine  (as  bromine  water)  on  one  molecule  of  strychnine 
hydrobromide  in  aqueous  solution.  It  formed  rhombic  crystals, 
which  when  heated  to  230°  C.  decomposed  and  gave  off  red  brown 
fumes.  Its  solution  in  dilute  alcohol  when  warmed  on  the  water- 
bath  quickly  became  acid;  aldehyde  and  hydrobromic  acid  were 


'Joum.  Chem.  Soo.  XL VII  p.  139  (1885). 

»Ber.  XVIII  p.  1236  (1885). 

•Monateh.  £.  Chem.  VI  p.  855  (1885). 

•BuU.  Soc.  Chim.  de  Paris  (3)  XXXI  p.  386  (1904). 

•Ber.  XVIII  p.  1237  (1885). 


ai7 


218         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

given  off  and  monobromstrychnine  formed.  More  recently 
Bechurts^  has  described  this  reaction  of  two  equivalents  of  bro- 
mine on  strychnine  as  resulting  in  the  formation  of  monobrom- 
strychnine hydrobromide  and  bromstrychnine  dibromide.  An 
excess  of  bromine  produced  monobromstrychnine  tribromide.  A 
year  previous  to  this  Martin"  by  a  method  similar  to  that  used 
to  prepare  his  monobromstrychnine  obtained  what  he  describes 
as  adibromstrychnineas  small  colourless  crystals  melting  at  130- 
131°  C.  which  became  coloured  on  exposure  to  light.  More 
recently  Ciusa  and  Scagliarini,'  by  the  action  of  bromine  on 
strychnine  in  glacial  acetic  acid  have  obtained  what  they  regard 
as  strychnine  dibromide  which  is  said  to  exist  in  two  modifications, 
an  unstable  form  crystallising  from  alcohol  in  colourless  needles 
united  into  rosettes,  and  a  stable  form  obtained  by  repeated  re- 
crystallisations  or  better  by  fusion  of  the  first  form  and  differing 
from  it  in  melting  at  260°  C.  and  crystallising  in  large  mono- 
clinic  crystals.  Like  the  dibromstrychnine  of  Bechurts  it  proved 
to  be  easily  converted  into  monobromstrychnine. 

In  view  of  the  unsatisfactory  state  of  this  subject  it  may  be  of 
interest  to  publish  some  pharmacological  experiments  on  brom- 
inated  products  of  strychnine  made  ten  years  ago. 

Mono-Brom-Strychnines.  The  two  monobromstrychnines  were 
prepared  according  to  the  methods  of  Shenstone  and  of  Loebisch 
and  Schoop  respectively,  and,  for  purposes  of  pharmacological 
investigation,  were  converted  into  the  hydrobromides.  The 
bases  crystallised  in  different  forms  and  gave  somewhat  different 
colour  reactions.  Crystallised  from  hot  absolute  alcohol  the  « 
monobromstrychnine  separate  as  large  crystals,  the  /8  mono- 
bromstrychnine as  amorphous  globules.  The  latter,  however, 
readily  crystallised  from  hot  water  forming  long  prisms  for  the 
most  part  united  into  rosettes.  When  dissolved  in  concentrated 
sulphuric  acid  and  a  crystal  of  potassium  bichromate  was  added 
the  oc  variety  showed  a  very  transient  blue  coloiu"  passing  quickly 
through  green  to  a  light  brownish-yellow;  the  fi  variety  gave  a 


lArch.  d.  Pharmaz.  CCXLIII  p.  493  (1905). 

^BuH.  Soc.  Chim.  de  Paris  (3)  XXXI  p.  388  (1964). 

sAtti  del.  Accad.  dei  Lincei  (5)  XIX  p.  555  (1910). 


xixl  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  219 


more  permanent  and  deeper  blue  which  passed  through  purple  to 
a  light  red. 

Pharmacological.  The  bromstrychnine  isolated  by  Shenstone 
was  investigated  pharmacologically  by  Lauder  Brunton*  who, 
however,  merely  states  that  "  In  the  pithed  frog  it  causes  clonic 
convulsions,  which,  like  those  of  strychnine,  may  be  brought  on 
by  a  slight  touch,  jar,  or  external  irritation."  Unfortunately 
the  dose  given  is  not  mentioned.  Loebisch  and  Schoop'  after 
administering  0.0016g.  oc-monobromstrychnine  (Bechurts)  to  a 
frog,  observed  increased  sensitiveness  in  three  minutes,  tetanus 
in  five  minutes,  and  death  in  thirty  minutes.  After  the  same  dose 
of  /8-  monobromstrychnine  they  noticed  at  first  diminution  in 
reflex  excitability,  and  after  eight  minutes  fibrillary  twitchings  of 
the  muscles.  Tetanus  occurred  later  and  death  followed  thirty 
minutes  after  the  administration. 

My  experiments  show  that  both  monobromstrychnines  behave, 
pharmacologically,  like  a  weak  strychnine.  Of  the  two  the  /8 
compound  seemed  to  be  slightly  the  more  powerful;  it  induced 
convulsions  somewhat  earlier  than  the  «  compound,  but  in 
some  cases  these  early  convulsions  were  more  transient  than  those 
obtained  with  the  oc  variety.  I  have  not  observed  the  prelimi- 
nary diminution  in  reflex  excitability  described  by  Loebisch  and 
Schoop  with  the  fi  modification,  nor  do  any  of  my  experiments 
show,  as  their  experiment  does,  the  later  appearance  of  convul- 
sions in  the  /3  as  compared  with  the  oc  compound. 

The  following  table  gives  the  time  of  onset,  in  minutes  of  the 
first  convulsion  with  different  doses  (calculated  to  one  gramme 
body-weight  of  frog)  of  the  hydrobromide  in  Rana  temporaria. 

Dose  oc  -monobromstrychnine  B  -monobronoBtrychnine 

O.OOSMg.  p.  g.  30'  15' 

0.005Mg.  p.  g.  10' 

0.006Mg.  p.  g.  13' 

0.05Mg.  p.  g.  5'  3' 

Di-Brom-Strychnine{f)  This  substance  was  prepared  for  me  by 
my  friend  H.  A.  D.  Jowett,  D.Sc.  for  the  purposes  of  another  re- 

'Journ.  Chem.  Soo.  XLVII  p.  144  (1885). 
•Monatah.  f.  Chem.  VI  p.  861  (1885). 


220         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

search,  and  was  made  by  adding  bromine  to  strychnine  in  glacial 
acetic  acid,  decomposing  the  perbromide  with  ammonia,  and 
crystallising  the  precipitate  formed  from  alcohol.  The  small 
almost  colourless  crystals  have  remained  apparently  unchanged 
for  the  last  ten  years.  A  Carius  determination  showed  that  it 
contained  two  bromine  atoms,  and  one  of  these  was  found  to  be 
broken  off  by  dissolving  the  substance  in  nitric  acid  and  adding 
silver  nitrate  at  ordinary  temperatures  so  that  the  substance 
was  probably  monobromstrychnine  bromide.  Like  the  dibrom- 
strychnine  of  Bechurts  a  solution  in  diluted  alcohol  heated  on  the 
water-bath  acquired  an  acid  reaction;  but  the  change  to  mono- 
bromstrychnine must  have  been  relatively  slow  since  the  product, 
after  heating  for  half  an  hom-,  produced  a  pharmacological  effect 
more  closely  resembling  that  of  the  parent  substance  than  that  of 
monobromstrychnine.  The  substance  decomposed  on  heating 
and  consequently  had  no  definite  melting  point.  When  subjected 
to  the  ordinary  strychnine  reaction  it  gave  a  very  transient  purple 
passing  into  reddish-yellow. 

Pharmacological.  In  the  paper  already  cited,  Ciusa  and 
Scagliarini  state  that  they  have  studied  the  physiological  action 
of  monobromstrychnine  and  the  two  strychnine  dibromides  de- 
scribed by  them,  but  I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  description  of 
these  experiments.  And,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  the  pharmacologi- 
cal action  of  a  brominated  strychnine  containing  more  than  one 
atom  of  bromine  has  not  previously  been  described. 

The  substance  I  have  investigated  differs  markedly  from  the 
monobromstrychnines  in  pharmacological  action.  It  is  not  only 
much  less  toxic  but  it  produces,  in  frogs  at  least,  paralytic  symp- 
toms of  peripheral  origin.  In  rabbits  no  obvious  paralysis  was 
observed. 

When  O.OlMg.  per  gramme  body-weight  was  injected  into  the 
dorsal  lymph  sac  of  a  grass  frog  there  appeared  in  fifteen  to 
twenty  minutes,  slight  depression  and  the  animal  remained  on  its 
back  for  a  short  time  when  placed  in  that  position.  From  this 
state  of  lethargy  it  gradually  recovered  without  showing  any 
other  symptoms.  After  an  injection  of  0.025Mg.  per  gramme 
body-weight  the  animal  commenced  to  sink  on  to  the  table  in 
three  minutes  and  when  laid  on  the  back  was  unable  to  turn  over. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  221 

Gradual  recovery  from  this  state  of  paralysis  occurred  and  then 
the  animal  developed  a  condition  of  increased  excitability,  a 
slight  tetanic  convulsion  being  produced  by  hitting  the  table. 
This  condition  was  observed  in  one  case  on  the  following  day. 
Still  larger  doses  produce  more  obvious  convulsive  symptoms. 
After  an  injection  of  0.05  Mg.  per  gramme  body-weight  into  the 
dorsal  lymph  sac  the  animal  manifested  the  same  paralytic  symp- 
toms but  six  minutes  after  the  injection  slight  twitches  of  the 
limbs  were  observed  on  hitting  the  table  and  a  few  apparently 
independent  twitches  of  the  toes  occurred  fifteen  minutes  after 
the  administration.  Otherwise  the  animal  lay  as  if  paralyzed. 
Four  hours  after  the  injection  the  frog  had  almost  recovered,  slight 
increased  excitability  being  alone  present. 

To  determine  whether  the  paralytic  symptoms  were  of  central 
or  peripheral  origin  the  right  thigh  of  a  frog  was  ligatured  and 
an  injection  of  0.3Mg.  per  gramme  body-weight  made  into  the 
dorsal  lymph  sac.  Three  minutes  after  the  injection  the  animal 
commenced  to  sink  on  the  table.  Respiratory  movements  were 
still  present  but  failed  later.  Six  minutes  after  the  injection  the 
right  limb  become  tetanic  on  touching  any  part  of  the  body,  the 
left  limb  merely  gave  a  momentary  twitch  and  then  remained  lax. 
This  condition  continued,  except  that  on  repeated  stimulation 
the  left  limb  often  failed  to  twitch,  until  the  frog  was  pithed 
fifteen  minutes  after  the  injection.  The  irritability  of  the  cut 
sciatic  nerves  to  electrical  stimulation  (one  accumulator  cell) 
was  then  determined,  with  the  following  result. 

Left  sciatic.     Secondary  coil  24 — 5Cm. 

==  slight  contraction  of  toes. 
Left  sciatic.     Secondary  coil  OGm. 

=  marked  contraction  of  leg. 
Right  sciatic.     Secondary  coil  47Cm. 

==  decided  contraction  of  leg. 

Since  the  muscles  reacted  to  weak  stimulation  it  would  seem  from 
this  experiment  that  the  paralysis  is  due  to  depression  of  the 
nerve-endings. 


222         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

As  already  stated  no  symptoms  of  paralysis  were  observed  in 
rabbits.  After  injecting  subcutaneously  5Mg.  per  kg.  no  unequiv- 
ocal symptoms  occurred.  The  animal  became  quieter  after 
eight  minutes  and  there  was  a  slight  fall  in  the  frequency  of  the 
respirations  and  the  heart  beats.  Forty  minutes  after  the  first 
injection  a  second  injection  of  15Mg.  per  kg.  was  given.  This 
caused  slightly  increased  reflex  excitability  which  commenced 
eleven  minutes  after  the  injection  and  continued  for  about  forty 
minutes.  Twenty  minutes  after  the  administration  a  slight 
tetanic  attack  was  produced  by  hitting  the  table.  No  other  symp- 
toms were  noticed. 

The  pharmacological  evidence  would  seem  to  show  that,  what- 
ever the  constitution  of  this  supposed  dibromstrychnine  may  be, 
both  bromines  form  an  integral  part  of  the  molecule.  The 
difference  in  action  between  this  substance  and  the  monobrom- 
strychnine  hydrobromides  can  scarcely  be  explained  on  any 
other  grounds.  It  is  true  that  relatively  slight  modifications  of 
strychnine,  such  as  the  formation  of  strychnine  oxide  or  the  con- 
version to  isostrychnine,  would  produce  similar  effects,  but  such 
an  assumption  is  unnecessary  and  it  is  improbable  that  such  a 
change  in  the  strychnine  molecule  would  be  brought  about  by  the 
method  used  in  preparing  this  substance.  It  is  well  known  that 
various  strychnine  derivatives,  e.g.  methyl-strychnine,  are  pre- 
dominently  paralytic  in  action,  and  strychnine  itself,  in  large 
doses,  exerts  a  paralysing  influence  on  the  motor  nerve-endings 
of  frogs.  To  what  portion  of  the  strychnine  molecule,  if  indeed 
any,  this  paralysing  influence  is  due,  has  not  been  determined, 
but  it  is  of  interest  to  point  out  that  in  this  so-called  dibrom- 
strychnine, it  is  mainly  the  convulsant  action  of  strychnine  which 
has  been  lost  rather  than  a  new  action  which  has  been  acquired. 
In  other  words,  strychnine,  administered  in  the  doses  necessary 
in  the  case  of  the  di-brominated  compound,  exerts  a  depressant 
action  on  motor  nerve-endings. 

In  this  connection  it  is  also  of  interest  to  note  that  each  bromine 
atom  causes  a  imiform  fall  in  the  convulsant  power  of  the  sub- 
stance.    Thus  the  minimal  dose  per  gramme  body-weight  of 


XEc]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  223 

frog,  injected  into  the  dorsal  lymph  sac,  necessary  to  produce  the 
slightest  convulsive  symptoms  was  found  to  be,  for — 

strychnine  0.00035Mg. 

monobromstrychnine  0 .  OOBMg. 

dibromstrychnineC?)  0 .  025Mg. 

Summary.  The  two  monobromstrychnines  act  like  strychnine 
but  are  8-9  times  weaker. 

Dibromstrychnine(?),  although  it  also  possesses  a  convulsant 
action,  produces  in  frogs  mainly  paralysis  due  to  depression  of 
the  motor  nerve-endings. 


RELATIONS   DE  LA  PLANTE  AVEC  LES  ELEMENTS 

FERTILISANTS  DU  SOL:  LOI  DU  MINIMUM  ET 

LOI  DES  RAPPORTS  PHYSIOLOGIQUES 

Pah  P.  MAzfi 

Chefdu  service  de  chimie  agricole  d  I'Imtitut  Pasteur,  Paris,  France 

Le  rendement  d'une  culture  effectu^e  sur  un  milieu  nutritif 
naturel  ou  artificiel  se  rSgle,  dit-on,  sur  la  substance  alimentaire 
la  moins  abondante  par  rapport  aux  besoins  de  la  plante. 

VoilA  I'^nonc^  d'une  loi  connue  en  agriculture  sous  le  nom  de 
loi  du  minimum. 

Mes  recherches  sur  le  d^veloppements  du  mais  en  milieu  asepti- 
que  m'ont  permis  de  constater  que  cette  loi  est  ime  conception 
purement  speculative. 

Les  relations  d'un  v^g^tal  avec  son  substratum  nutritif  sont 
subordonn^es,  comme  je  vais  le  montrer,  k  des  conditions  multi- 
ples qui  ob^issent  k  une  loi  que  j'appellerai  la  loi  des  rapports 
physiologiques. 

Soit  par  example  le  milieu  suivant,  tableau  I, 

Phosphate  de  potassium  neutre    1 . 
Sulfate  de  magnesium  +  7  aq.     0.2 
Sulfate  ferreux  +  7  aq.  0.1 

Chlorure  de  manganese  +  4  aq.  0.05 

qui,  additionn6  de  1  p.  1000  de  nitrate  de  sodium  ou  d'un  sel 
azote  de  richesse  ^quivalente  en  azote,  constitue  une  solution 
nutritive  dans  laquelle  le  mals  accomplit  son  Evolution  complete 
jusqu'A  la  maturation  des  graines. 

On  y  fait  pousser  des  plantes  jusqu'S,  ce  qu'elles  aient  atteinb 
un  poids  en  moyen  de  10  gr.  A  partir  de  ce  moment  on  les  place 
dans  une  solution  incomplete  pourvue  d'un  seul  element  nutritif. 

La  plante  Adt  alors  sur  les  reserves  de  matiferes  min^rales  qu'elle 
a  empruntees  k  la  solution  m^re.  Dans  ces  reserves  les  divers 
elements  presentent  entre  eux  les  rapports  les  plus  favorables  au 
developpement  du  vegetal  lui-mfeme.     L'eiement  en  solution 

15  225 


Chlorure  de  zinc 

0.05 

Silicate  de  potassium 

0.05 

Carbonate  de  calcium 

2. 

Eau  distili^e 

1000. 

226         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

vient  troubler  ces  rapports;  les  chiffres  du  tableau  II  montrent 
jusqu'^  quel  point  son  influence  s'exerce  sur  revolution  de  la 
plante,  I'eau  distill^e  6tant  prise  comma  terme  de  comparaison. 
Les  poids  de  matiferes  sfeches  sont  determines  au  moment  oil  la 
plante  peut  etre  consideree  comma  morta. 

Tableau  II 


Nature  de  I'aliment 

a2ot€  de  la  solution 

mdre 

Substance  intro- 
duite  dans  la  solu- 
tion incompUte 
en  gr.  p.  1000. 

Poids  sec  de  la  plan- 
te caloul6  au  mo- 
ment de  rintroduc- 
tion  de  la  solution 
inoomplite  en  gr. 

1-  a 

III 

■3  & 
a  S 

-■a 
•11 

u    ax 

is 

is 

Nitrate  d'ammonium 

NosNHi-O.S 

13,976 

40,10 

26,224 

1,87 

49 

Nitrate  de  sodium 

NosNa-1 

7,947 

27,38 

19,433 

2,44 

48 

Sulfate  d'ammonium 

Soi(NH4)2-0,5 

9,751 

15,79 

6,039 

0,61 

40 

Chlorure  d'ammoni- 

um 

NH«Cl-0,5 

7,315 

13,36 

6,045 

0,82 

39 

Nitrate  de  sodiimi 

PoiHKjl 

12,002 

33,015 

21,013 

1,75 

60 

Nitrate  d'ammonium 

Eau  distil. 

10,084 

39,65 

29,566 

2,94 

47 

Las  substances  min^rales  nutritives  des  solutions  incompletes, 
bien  qu'offartes  k  das  concentrations  favorables  au  d^veloppe- 
ment  des  plantas,  c'est-^dire  k  des  concentrations  physio- 
logiquas,  arr^tent  revolution  du  vegetal  parce  que  las  rapports 
des  divers  elements  mineraux  de  la  plante  at  da  la  solution  ne 
repondent  plus  aux  exigences  de  la  nutrition  de  la  cellule  vivante. 
C'est  I'eau  distiliea,  oil  cas  rapports  ne  sont  pas  alteres,  qui  donne 
les  meilleurs  resultats  et  de  beaucoup. 


On  peut  proceder  d'una  autre  mani^re  pour  mettre  en  evidence 
les  influences  das  solutions  incompletes.  Au  lieu  d'operer  avec 
des  plantes  dejS,  bian  devaloppees,  on  utilise  das  plantes  qu'on  a 
fait  germar  dans  I'eau  distiliee. 

On  observe  alors  des  resultats  varies  parmi  lesquels  las  suivants 
seuls  nous  interassant, 

Tdutas  les  solutions  constituees  par  un  seul  element  nutritif 
qui  ne  renferme  ni  soufre  ni  far  provoquent  une  chlorose  plus  ou 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  227 

moins  intense  du  mais.  Les  plantes  placdes  dans  I'eau  distill^e 
conservent  leur  couleur  verte  pendant  toute  la  dur^e  de  I'ex- 
p^rience.  Le  nitrate  de  potassium  k  0.5  p.  1000  ddcolore  les 
feuilles  de  la  plantule  fornixes  aprSs  I'immersion  des  racines  dans 
la  solution  incomplete ;  on  pent  constater  que  lY16ment  soustrait 
k  la  plantule  par  voie  d'exosmose  est  le  fer;  une  solution  de 
nitrate  ferrique  ^  0  g.  2  p.  1000  fait  apparattre  la  chlorophylle  k 
I'endroit  oil  des  gouttelettes  d6pos4es  sur  le  limbe  des  feuilles 
abandonnent  aux  cellules  du  parenchyme  des  traces  de  fer. 

On  voit  ainsi  que  les  solutions  incompletes  agissent  sur  les 
plantes  sup6rieures  suivantes  des  proc6d6s  varies. 

Les  v6g6taux  inf^rieurs  se  pr^tent  tr^s  bien  aussi  k  ces  demon- 
strations. 

Comme  les  divers  elements  du  liquide  Raulin  pr6sentent  entre 
eux  des  rapports  physiologiques  trSs  favorables  au  d^veloppe- 
ment  de  I'aspergillus  niger,  c'est  ce  dernier  que  j'ai  utilise. 

J'ai  determine  d'abord  les  limites  de  concentration  que  I'asper- 
gillus pent  supporter,  en  le  cultivant  sur  des  solutions  Raulin 
de  concentration  |,  |,  1,  2,  4,  8,  16  dans  lesquelles  I'acidite  et  la 
teneur  en  sucres  restent  constantes  et  de  mSme  valeur  que  dans  1. 

Le  tableau  III  donne  les  r^sultats  comparatifs  de  ces  essais. 

Dur6e  des  cultures  k  30°  4  jours. 

Tableau  III 

Concentration  J  J  1  2  4  8        16 

PoidB  du  mycdlium  en  gr.         0  473   0.737    1.094    1.057   0.19600.842   0.872 

Prenons  maintenant  les  concentrations  extremes  |,  1  et  16,  et 
portons  dans  |  ou  1,  la  concentration  de  I'^l^ment  Azote  k  16,  en 
multipliant  le  nitrate  d'ammonium  par  le  coefficient  16.  Si  les 
renseignements  fournis  par  les  v^g^taux  sup6rieurs  se  confirment, 
les  milieux  |  +  16  Az.  et  1  -|-  16  Az.  donneront  un  poids  de 
mycelium  inf^rieur  k  celui  qu'on  r^coltera  sur  les  milieux  |,  1  et 
16,  le  Sucre  et  l'acidit6  restant  constants. 

Les  r^sultats  sont  consign^s  dans  le  tableau  IV. 


228 

Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Tableau  IV 

I. 

Duree  dea  cultures 
en  jours 

3 

3 

3 

Concentration 

J  +  16  Az. 
16 

Poids  du  mycelium 
en  grammes 

0.466 

0.217 

0.723 

II. 

4 
4 
4 

i  +  16  Az. 
16 

0.646 
0.481 
0.830 

III. 

3 
3 
3 

4  +  16  Az 
16 

0.475 
0.316 
0.991 

IV. 

3 
3 
3 

1 
1  +  16  Az. 
16 

0.758 
0.386 
0.972 

V. 

4 

4 
4 

1 
1  +  16  Az. 
16 

0.905 
0.495 
1.109 

Ces  r^sultats  sont,  comme  on  le  voit,  en  contradiction  avec  la 
hi  du  minimum  et  ob^issent  k  la  loi  des  rapports  physiologiques. 

Dans  la  pratique  agricole  I'emploi  irraisonn6  des  engrais  min- 
^reaux  solubles  peut  conduire  k  des  abaissements  de  rendement, 
si  Ton  ne  tient  pas  compte  de  ces  donn^es.  Je  pr^ciserai  d'ail- 
leurs,  bientdt,  les  regies  qui  doivent  prdsider  k  leur  incorporation 
k  la  terre. 


(Abstract) 

SOME   NEW   COMPOUNDS   OF   THE   CHOLINE   TYPE 

By  G.  a.  Menge 

(fTom  the  Hygienic  Laboratory,  U.  S.  Public  Health  and  Marine- 
Hospital  Service,  Washington,  D.  C.) 

This  paper  reviews  briefly  the  substance  of  parts  of  a  prelimi- 
nary paper  previously  published  under  the  same  title  and  reports 
upon  methods  and  procedure  involved  in  the  preparation  of  the 
following  new  compounds  and  upon  some  of  their  properties: 
the  acetyl-,  pheyl-acetyl-,  propionyl-,  benzoyl-,  vareryl-,  mono- 
bromisocapronyl-,  and  palmityl  derivatives  of  « -methylcholine 

/r(CH.), 

chloride  (Cl.N  and  their  platinum  and  gold  salts; 

\CH.  CH,  OH) 

CH, 
the  phenylacetyl  derivatives   of  /3 -methylcholine  ("iS-homo- 

^(CHO, 
choline" — (Cl.N  and  of  " y-homocholine  "chloride 

\CH,.  CHOH) 

/ 

CHa 

^(CH.). 
(Cl.N  )  and  their  platinum  and  gold  salts. 

CH,.  CH,.  CH,OH) 

/^  (CH.). 
The  synthesis  of  fl-dimethj'lcholine  chloride  (Cl.N 

\Ca.  COH) 
/\ 

CH.  ca 

/^(ca), 

and  of  )8./8-methylethylcholine  chloride  (Cl.N  ),also 

\CH3.COH) 

/\ 
CHj      CjHs 

229 


230  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

the  preparation  of  their  platinum  and  gold  salts,  were  described 
in  the  preliminary  paper.    Similar  development  of   /S.  yS-methyl- 

phenylcholine  chloride  (Cl.N  )    and   its  platinmn 

\CH2.  COH  ) 
/\ 

CHs        Cells 

and  gold  salts  is  here  reported.    The  work  will  be  continued. 


{From  the  Department  0/  Experimental  Therapeutics,    University 
of  Chicago.    S.  A.  Matthews,  Director.) 

THE  RELATION  OF  THE  HYPOPHYSIS  TO  GROWTH 
AND  THE  EFFECT  OF  FEEDING  ANTERIOR 
AND  POSTERIOR  LOBE 

Bt  Joseph  L.  Miller,  M.  D. 
Dean  D.  Lewis,  M.  D. 

Chicago 

As  observed  by  the  clinician,  there  are  two  clinical  entities 
both  disturbances  of  growth,  ascribed  to  disturbed  functioning  of 
the  hypophysis.  One  is  acromegaly  with  over  growth  of  bone,  the 
other  Frohlich's  Symdrome  with  delayed  development  adiposity 
and  genital  atrophy.  When  the  former  occurs  in  early  life  gigan- 
tism results,  when  it  first  appears  after  maturity,  enlargement 
of  only  certain  portions  of  the  bony  skeleton  is  observed.  The 
other  type,  when  the  disturbance  appears  in  early  life,  causes 
delayed  skeletal  development,  with  adiposity  and  failure  of  sexual 
development,  when  it  appears  after  maturity,  adiposity  and 
sexual  atrophy. 

Pierre  Marie  in  1886  first  called  specific  notice  to  the  relation 
between  acromegaly  and  the  hypophysis,  although  Carl  von  Lan- 
ger  in  1872,  in  an  anatomical  study  of  giants,  referred  to  a  certain 
type  with  enlarged  sella  turcica.  The  observations  of  Marie 
have  been  confirmed  until  at  the  present  time,  it  is  generally 
conceded  that  acromegaly  is  due  to  a  disturbance  of  the  hypophy- 
sis, and  according  to  Sternberg  40  per  cent,  of  the  pathologic 
giants  have  enlargement  of  the  hypophysis.  Regarding  the  exact 
nature  of  the  disturbance  in  the  hypophysis  in  acromegaly,  there 
is  still  considerable  difference  of  opinion.  The  weight  of  evidence, 
however,  favors  the  view  that  it  is  due  to  hypersecretion  of  the 
anterior  lobe.  The  pathologic  condition  most  frequently  associ- 
ated with  acromegaly  is  an  adenomatous  development  of  the 

231 


232         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

anterior  lobe  with  increase  in  the  specific  secretory  cells.  In 
some  instances  where  enlargement  of  the  anterior  lobe  is  lacking, 
increase  in  the  specific  secretory  cells  may  still  be  demonstrated, 
and  in  addition  hyperplasia  of  the  pharyngeal  hypophysis  should 
be  considered.  There  is  reported  in  the  literature,  malignant 
tumors  of  the  hypophysis  with  acromegaly.  Lewis,  who  has 
reviewed  these  cases,  believed  that  in  the  majority  and  possibly 
all  of  these  the  tumor  was  an  adenoma.  Although,  it  is  too  early 
to  state  positively  that  acromegaly  is  due  to  hypersecretion  from 
the  anterior  lobe,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  weight  of  evidence 
supports  this  view. 

The  condition  of  underdevelopment,  adiposity,  and  genital 
atrophy,  first  described  by  Frohlich  and  referred  to  as  the  Froh- 
lich  syndrome,  all  admit  is  associated  with  disturbances  at  the 
base  of  the  brain,  more  especially  tumors,  and  has  been  referred 
to  as  cerebral  adiposity.  Whether  in  all  of  these  cases  the 
hypophysis  is  involved,  either  directly  or  indirectly  by  either 
increased  intercranial  or  intercerebral  pressure,  has  not  been 
determined.  On  account  of  its  position  the  hypophysis  is  espe- 
cially liable  to  injury  from  internal  hydrocephalus  and  it  is  quite 
possible  that  any  cerebral  disturbance  causing  increased  pressure 
in  the  vehtricle  may  compress  and  disturb  the  hypophysis.  There 
is  one  case  on  record,  where  a  bullet  wound  of  the  hypophysis, 
was  followed  by  adiposity  (Madelung).  Adiposity  may  be  assoc- 
iated with  acromegaly,  according  to  Crenzfeld  in  1.6%  of  cases. 
In  five  of  the  recorded  cases  of  adiposis  dolorosa  with  autopsy, 
the  hypophysis  has  been  abnormal  (Lyon).  Cases  are  also  on 
record  where  removal  of  the  hypophyseal  tumor  is  followed  by 
disappearance  of  the  adiposity  (Von  Eiselberg). 

Assuming  that  adiposity  may  arise  from  disturbances  of  the 
hypophysis,  it  is  still  to  be  determined  what  portion  of  the  gland 
is  responsible  for  these  changes.  Fisher  believes  it  is  due  to 
hyposecretion  of  the  posterior  lobe,  and  in  addition  to  certain 
theoretical  considerations  presents  some  autopsy  findings,  where 
as  the  result  of  pressure,  the  posterior  lobe  was  flattened  and  had 
undergone  brown  atrophy.  It  can  be  readily  conceived,  however, 
that  any  pressure  involving  the  posterior  lobe  must  also  compress 
the  anterior  portions.    In  all  of  Fisher's  evidence  there  is  little 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  233 

that  is  actually  convincing,  that  the  posterior  lobe  plays  a  role. 
A  more  tenable  view  is  that  hyposecretion  of  the  anterior  lobe  is 
responsible  for  the  adiposity.  ZoUner  in  a  case  of  this  type  found 
a  carcinoma  of  the  anterior  lobe.  In  the  five  cases  of  adiposis 
dolorosa,  referred  to,  with  hypophyseal  involvement,  two  showed 
round  cell  infiltration  of  the  anterior  lobe  (Price),  one  with  glioma 
evidently  of  the  posterior  lobe  (Burr),  one  marked  increase  in  size 
of  the  anterior  lobe  from  connective  tissue  hyperplasia  and  alveo- 
lar sarcoma  (Guillain),  and  finally  Dercum's  case  with  carcinoma 
involving  both  anterior  and  posterior  lobes.  Although  few  de- 
ductions may  be  drawn  from  the  above  evidence,  on  the  whole  it 
favors  disturbance  of  the  anterior  lobe.  Most  convincing,  how- 
ever, is  the  experimental  evidence.  In  dogs,  removal  of  the  pos- 
terior lobe  is  not  followed  by  any  serious  consequence,  the  animal 
recovers  and  later  fails  to  show  any  anomalies  of  growth, 
Paulesco,  Gushing,  Ascola.  Where  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
anterior  lobe  of  a  young  dog  is  removed,  and  the  animal  recovers 
from  the  effect  of  the  operation,  he  later  develops  the  Frohlich 
syndrome  of  delayed  development,  adiposity  and  failure  of  sexual 
development,  Aschner,  Gushing,  Gasselli,  Ascola.  This  evidence 
is  most  suggestive  and  points  strongly  toward  hyposecretion  of  the 
anterior  lobe  as  the  cause  of  the  adiposity  and  sexual  atrophy. 
The  question  may  properly  be  raised  whether  the  adiposity  is  due 
directly  to  the  lessened  secretion  of  the  anterior  lobe  or  is  second- 
ary to  the  genital  atrophy  as  Tandler  and  Grosz  have  shown 
that  castration  in  dogs  leads  to  increased  deposits  of  fat  and  this 
phenomena  is  observed  in  women  after  removal  of  the  ovaries. 
It  might  be  argued  that  it  would  be  exceedingly  difiicult  on  the 
basis  of  hyposecretion  of  the  anterior  lobe  to  explain  the  occa- 
sional presen(?e  of  adiposity  in  acromegaly.  Such  adiposity  is  very 
infrequent  according  to  Creutzfeld  in  1.7%  of  cases,  while 
hypoplasia  and  gential  atrophy  were  noted  in  36.4%  of  the  cases. 
The  greater  frequency  of  the  sexual  disturbance  would  lead  us  to 
suspect  that  it  and  the  adiposity  were  due  to  separate  factors. 
Here,  again,  the  possibility  of  the  adiposity  being  secondary 
to  the  genital  atrophy  must  be  considered  its  inconstant  associa- 
tions being  due  to  the  varying  degrees  of  sexual  hypoplasia  in  the 
various  cases.    To  those,  who  believe  that  the  adiposity  is  due  to 


234:         Original  Communications :  Eighth  International       [vol. 

the  hyposecretion  of  the  posterior  lobe,  its  presence  in  acromegaly 
is  explained  by  pressure  of  the  enlarged  anterior  lobe  upon  the 
posterior  lobe. 

Summarizing  it  may  be  said  that  acromegaly  is  probably  due  to 
increased  activity  of  the  anterior  lobe.  Adiposity,  if  due  directly 
to  disturbances  of  the  hypophysis,  is  most  probably  due  to 
hyposecretion  of  the  anterior  lobe. 

Metabolism  is  acromegaly.  The  metabolism  in  acromegaly  has 
now  been  studied  in  a  dozen  or  more  cases.  Retention  of  nitro- 
gen is  very  frequent,  often  reaching  considerable  amounts.  In 
some  of  these  cases  calcium  and  phosphorous  metabolism  are 
unchanged,  in  others  retention  of  both  have  been  reported.  Seven 
cases  from  five  different  observes  all  show  a  retention  of  nitrogen, 
five  of  phosphorous,  and  five  of  calcium.  Oberndorffer  has 
recently  reported  two  cases  and  reviewed  the  literature  on  this 
subject.  He  was  unable  to  detect  any  variation  from  the  normal 
in  his  two  cases,  and  questions  whether  the  results  of  others  are 
really  conclusive  on  account  of  the  great  variation  in  elimination 
of  normal  individuals.  Before  the  work  on  this  phase  of  subject 
can  be  accepted,  more  extensive  studies  should  be  carried  out. 

Metabolism  in  animals  after  the  administration  of  hypophysis. 
Thompson  and  Johnson  fed  dogs  upon  the  entire  dried  gland  of 
horse,  calf  and  sheep  hypophysis  and  found  that  they  lost  in 
weight  and  excreted  an  excessive  amount  of  N  and  P  (Ca  and 
Mg.  not  determined).  They  also  reported  more  marked  results 
when  glands  of  young  animals  were  used;  Malcomb  gave  dogs 
2-3  gms.  daily  of  dried  anterior  lobe,  for  a  period  of  five  days,  a 
total  of  15  gms.  the  animal  showed  slight  retention  of  N.  and 
slightly  increased  output  of  P2O6  and  Ca;  after  giving  posterior 
lobe  (10  gm.)  slight  increased  output  of  P2O5  and  marked  increased 
output  of  Ca.  When  he  gave  fresh  entire  glands  25  gms.  daily, 
there  was  scarcely  any  change  in  the  Ca  or  Mg.  output.  Fran- 
chini  injected  rabbits,  intravenously,  daily,  with  an  amount 
of  extract  equivalent  to  one  entire  hypophysis,  this  was  followed 
by  greater  elimination  of  Ca  Mg  and  PaOs  in  both  urine  and  feces. 
The  loss  in  P2O6  being  less  marked  than  that  of  Ca  or  Mg.  The 
animals  lost  in  weight  and  finally  died.  The  X-ray  failed  to  show 
any  change  in  the  bony  skeleton.    Some  of  the  animals  tolerated 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  235 

the  injection  well — others  showed  marked  dyspnea  vomiting  and 
diarrhea.  Franchini  conclusion  that  hyperpituirtrism  leads  to 
loss  in  weight  and  failure  of  development  is  scarcely  justified  on 
account  of  the  severe  reaction  following  the  intravenous  injection. 
Oswald  gave  dogs  2-3  gms.  daily  of  dried  hypophyseal  extract 
obtained  from  Merck  (portion  of  gland  not  specified)  and  was 
unable  to  detect  any  change  in  N  or  PjOb  elimination. 

Benedict  and  Romans  working  with  hypophysectomized  dogs 
and  determining  carbon  dioxide  production  as  an  index  of  total 
metabolism,  found  it  markedly  reduced.  The  results  of  these 
various  findings  are  so  at  variation,  that  they  throw  little  light 
on  the  disturbance  of  metabolism  following  administration  of 
dried  hypophysis  and  may  be  practically  omitted  as  furnishing 
definite  evidence. 

Feeding  Experiments.  Comparatively  few  satisfactory  feeding 
experiments  have  been  reported.  In  some,  no  attempt  has  been 
made  to  separate  the  anterior  from  the  posterior  lobe.  Others 
have  administered  the  extract  subcutaneously  or  intravenously, 
Cerletti,  Franchini,  Delille,  Caselli.  When  given  in  this  way  it 
frequently  gives  rise  to  such  marked  constitutional  disturbances, 
as  vomiting  and  diarrhea,  with  finally  intestinal  ulceration,  that 
it  is  impossible  to  draw  any  conclusion  regarding  the  actual  effect 
of  the  hypophyseal  extract.  After  this  method  of  administration, 
Cerletti  and  Franchini  report  loss  in  weight  and  delayed  bone 
development.  The  entire  hypophysis  was  used  and  the  animals 
treated  for  only  a  few  days.  Caselli  injected  young  dogs  and 
rabbits  with  the  glycerin  extract  and  did  not  notice  any  effect  on 
growth.  Delille  injected  extracts  of  the  entire  hypophysis  into  4 
rabbits  for  a  period  of  14  months  and  reported  increased  deposits 
of  fat. 

Only  two  references  have  been  obtained  of  feeding  experiments, 
where  the  animals  received  preparations  of  the  hypophysis  by 
mouth  for  a  considerable  period  of  time. 

Sandri  fed  rats  on  hypophysis  exclusively  for  a  period  of  two 
months,  the  controls  receiving  an  exclusive  meat  diet.  While  this 
is  an  unsuitable  diet,  Sandri  reports  that  the  animals  thrived. 
He  found  that  those  fed  on  the  anterior  lobe  showed  greater  gain 
in  weight  than  the  controls;  when  we  consult  the  actual  figures, 


236         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

we  find  that  these  differences  are  so  slight  that  they  can  scarcely 
be  considered  as  significant.  The  controls  during  the  two  months 
gained  on  an  average  10  gms.,  those  fed  on  the  posterior  lobe  7 
gms.,  those  fed  on  the  anterior  lobe  12  gms.  Variation  of  this 
extent  may  occur  in  any  group  of  feeding  experiments  continued 
over  a  period  of  three  months. 

Schaefer  has  conducted  the  most  satisfactory  feeding  experi- 
ments, using,  however,  only  the  anterior  lobe.  Four  young  rats 
were  fed  small  amounts  of  the  dried  anterior  lobe,  mixed  with 
bread  and  milk.  The  controls  received  powdered  testicle  or  ovary 
with  bread  and  milk.  The  amount  consvmied  by  each  group  of  ani- 
mals was  accurately  determined.  The  feeding  experiment  was  con- 
tinued for  about  three  months.  At  the  beginning,  the  average 
weight  of  the  group  fed  on  hypophysis  was  44.25  gms.  and  that  of 
the  controls  exactly  the  same.  At  the  end  of  the  feeding,  the 
average  weight  of  those  fed  on  hypophysis  was  160  gms.  and  of 
the  controls  131  gms.  During  the  first  six  weeks  of  the  feeding, 
there  was  little  difference  between  the  two  groups,  during  the  last 
six  weeks  those  fed  on  hypophysis  made,  the  more  rapid  gain. 
These  results  would  appear  to  be  conclusive,  but  they  are  not 
suflicient  in  number,  to  eliminate  error. 

In  undertaking  this  investigation,  it  was  decided  to  carry 
through  several  series  of  animals  with  controls.  Young  white 
rats  were  selected.  Each  rat  was  placed  in  an  individual  cage, 
ground  cracker  was  pressed  into  tablets,  each  of  the  same  weight. 
It  was  then  determined  how  much  of  this  food  each  rat  would 
consume  daily.  Although  there  were  some  individual  differences, 
it  was  possible  to  determine  with  reasonable  accuracy,  the  daily 
ration.  Having  determined  this  point.  Cracker  tablets  of  the 
requisite  weight  were  made,  and  to  each  was  added  a  weighed 
amount  of  the  hypophysis,  or  in  case  of  the  control  meat,  and 
each  animal  received  the  same  amount  daily.  Occasionally  for 
a  few  days,  a  rat  might  not  eat  this  whole  tablet,  if  so  a  note 
was  made  of  this  fact.  However,  the  ration  was  so  arranged  that 
with  rare  exception,  it  was  consumed  daily;  and  no  doubt  some  of 
the  animals  would  have  eaten  more,  but  the  fact  that  they 
gained  in  weight  and  appeared  on  the  whole  healthy  would 
indicate  that  they  were  properly  fed.    By  this  method,  each  rat 


XQC] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


237 


received  and  consumed  the  same  amount  of  food  daily,  contain- 
ing the  same  amount  of  substance  to  be  tested.  The  animals 
were  weighed  each  week. 

The  ox  hypophysis  were  obtained  perfectly  fresh  from  Armour 
and  Co.  The  anterior  and  posterior  lobes  were  separated; 
chopped  up  fine  and  dried  in  a  blower  at  a  temperature  of  approxi- 
mately 100°  F.  The  dried  glands  were  then  powdered  and  a 
weighed  ampunt  added  to  the  powdered  cracker  and  pressed  into 
a  tablet.  Three  series  were  fed  in  this  way  for  about  three 
months  each;  at  the  end  of  the  time,  the  rats  were  killed  and  X- 
rays  taken  to  detect  any  changes  in  the  bony  skeleton.  The  first 
series  consisted  of  9  rats.  Three  received,  daily,  .2  gm.  of  dried 
anterior  lobe,  three  the  same  amount  of  posterior  lobe  and  three 
controls  the  same  amount  of  meat.  The  feeding  was  continued 
for  79  days.  The  second  series  consisted  of  8  rats;  four  received 
.4  gms.  anterior  lobe  and  the  other  four  as  controls  received  the 
same  amount  of  dried  meat.  This  group  were  fed  for  90  days. 
The  third  series  of  nine  yoimg  rats  were  divided  into  three 
groups;  one  group  received  .3  gm.  daily  of  beef,  another  the  same 

Table  I — Series  I 


o  . 

|«  g 

.-1 

.3 

■%  „ 

II 

1" 

Food  daily 

III 

9  Ji 

|i 

gms. 

gms. 

gms. 

3 

Dried  Beef                .2  gm. 

52.2 

91.8 

38.6 

78  days 

3 

Dried  Anterior  lobe  .  2  gm. 

54.2 

92.3 

37.9 

78  days 

3 

Dried  Posterior  lobe  .2  gm. 

58.1 

102.6 

44.5 

78  days 

Series  II 

4 

Dried  Beef                .4gm. 

58. 

95.2 

37.2 

90  days 

4 

Dried  Anterior  lobe  .  4  gm. 

66.6 

107.3 

40.7 

90  days 

1 
Series  III 

3 

Dried  beef                 .3gm. 

131.6 

144.3 

12.6 

67  days 

3 

Dried  Posterior  lobe  .  3  gm. 

115.3 

121.5 

6.2 

67  days 

3 

Dried  Thymus          .  3  gm. 

118.6 

135.3 

16.7 

67  days 

238         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

amount  of  posterior  lobe,  and  the  other  the  same  amount  of 
dried  thymus.  This  series  was  kept  under  observation  for  67 
days.  By  repeating  the  experiment  in  this  manner,  it  was  thought 
that  some  sources  of  error  might  be  eliminated. 

It  is  interesting  to  note;  that  animals  consuming  the  same 
amount  of  food  daily  and  apparently  enjoying  equally  good 
health,  should  show  such  marked  variation  of  gain  in  weight. 
The  minimum  gain  in  weight  of  the  controls  in  Series  I  was  30.6 
gms.,  the  maximum  44.4  gms.  In  series  II  the  minimiun  gain  in 
weight  of  the  control  rats  was  32  gms.,  the  maximum  38.5  gms. 
In  series  III,  where  the  rats  were  f  grown  and,  therefore,  not  so 
suitable  for  the  test  in  both  the  control  and  those  fed  on  pos- 
terior, one  of  the  animals  lost  5  gms. 

As  will  be  seen  by  the  table  in  the  first  series,  the  controls  and 
those  fed  upon  the  anterior  lobe  showed  practically  the  same  gain 
in  weight.  Those  fed  upon  the  posterior,  gained  on  an  average 
of  6  gms.  each  more  than  the  controls.  When  we  consider  the 
individual  animals,  one  of  those  fed  on  the  posterior  lobe  gained 
less  than  one  of  the  controls,  the  other  two  gained  more  than  the 
controls  and  each  animal  fed  on  the  posterior  lobe  gained  more 
than  those  receiving  the  anterior  lobe.  In  series  III,  however, 
the  animals  receiving  the  posterior  lobe  gained  less  than  the  con- 
trols and  much  less  than  those  animals  receiving  thymus.  In 
series  I,  animals  receiving  anterior  lobe  gained  slightly  less  than 
the  controls,  while  in  series  II,  they  gained  somewhat  more 
than  the  controls.  The  X-ray  pictures  of  all  these  animals  failed 
to  reveal  any  variations  in  the  bony  skeleton. 

Only  one  conclusion  can  be  drawn  from  these  feeding  experi- 
ments, viz.,  that  at  least  in  this  series  of  tests  neither  anterior 
nor  posterior  lobes  had  any  effect  on  the  weight  or  growth  of  the 
animal.  The  experiment  was  conducted  in  such  a  manner  that 
serious  causes  of  error  were  excluded.  The  amounts  administered 
were  sufficient  to  give  results,  as  it  would  be  equivalent  to  230 
gms.  daily  to  the  average  man — on  the  other  hand,  it  was  not 
sufficiently  large  to  have  a  deleterious  effect,  as  the  animals  so 
fed  gained  the  same  in  weight  as  the  controls.  Doubling  the  dose 
of  anterior  lobe  did  not  modify  results.  It  must  be  admitted, 
however,  that  this  does  not  prove  that  disturbed  secretion  of  the 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  239 

hypophysis  may  not  modify  growth.  In  the  feeding  experiment, 
the  digestive  fluids  may  destroy  the  active  substances  responsible 
for  these  changes.  Again  feeding  preparations  by  mouth  can 
scarcely  be  considered  as  analagous,  to  the  continuous  secretion 
occuring  in  actual  life. 

Summarizing  the  entire  field  of  the  role  of  the  hypophysis  in 
the  growth  of  the  individual.  In  acromegaly  where  there  exists 
abnormal  development  of  certain  portions  of  the  body  especially 
in  their  bony  structures,  there  is  apparently  hypersecretion  of  the 
anterior  lobe.  In  the  Frohlich  syndrome  of  adiposity  and  failure 
of  sexual  development,  it  is  thought  by  many  that  there  is 
lessened  function  of  the  posterior  lobe.  Experimental  evidence 
suggests  hyposecretion  of  the  anterior  lobe.  Regarding  studies 
in  metabolism  in  patients  with  acromegaly,  there  is  again  nothing 
conclusive,  and  more  work  must  be  carried  out  upon  this  subject 
before  it  can  be  accepted  that  there  is  a  lessened  katabolism  than 
in  the  normal  individual. 

Turning  to  the  results  of  partial  removal  of  the  hjTJophysis 
in  animals,  only  one  point,  having  a  direct  bearing  upon  this  sub- 
ject, seems  to  have  been  determined,  viz:  that  partial  removal  of 
the  anterior  lobe,  when  performed  upon  young  animals,  modifies 
growth  and  sexual  development  in  such  a  manner  as  to  resemble 
very  closely  Frohlich  syndrome.  Removal  of  the  posterior  lobe, 
apparently,  has  no  effect  upon  growth.  This  is  a  distinct  con- 
tradiction to  those  who  believe  lessened  function  of  the  posterior 
lobe  is  responsible  for  the  Frohlich  syndrome.  Feeding  experi- 
ments, on  animals,  fail  to  furnish  any  definite  eAridence  that  the 
administration  of  either  the  anterior  or  posterior  lobe  has  any 
effect  on  growth. 


ObemdOrffer  (E).  Ueber  den  Stoffweoksel  bei  Akromegalie.  Zeit.  f.  Klin. 
Med.  1908  LXV-6. 

Aschner,  B.  Demonstration  von  Hunden  nach  Ex  stirpators  der  Hypophyse. 
MOnch.  Med.  Woch.    1909  LVI  2668. 

Cagnetto  G.  Neuer  Beitrage  zum  Studium  der  Akromegalie  mit  besonderer 
Berucksichtigen  der  Frage  nach  dem  Zussaummenhang  der  Akromegalie  mit 
Hypophsengesohulsten.    Virch  Arch.    1907  CLXXVI  197. 

Erdheim  u.  Stimime.  Adenome  der  Hypophyse.  Zieglers  Beitrage  z.  path. 
Anat.    1909  XLVI  114. 


240         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Franchini,  G.  Die  Funktion  der  Hypophyse  und  die  Wirkungen  der 
Injektion  ihres  Extraktes  bei  Tieren.    Berlin  Klin.  Woch.  1910  XLVII  613. 

Lewis,  D.  D.  Hyperplasia  of  the  Chromophile  cells  of  the  Hypophysis  as 
the  cause  of  Acromegaly  with  report  of  a  case.  Bull,  of  the  Johns-Hopkins 
Hospital  1905  XVI.    157. 

Gyillain  and  Alquier.  Etude  Anatomo  Patho'oguque  L'un  cas  de  Maladie 
de  Dercimi.    Arch,  de  Med.  exper.  et  d'anat.  path.  1906  XVIII  680. 

Oswald,  A.,  Chemie  and  Physiol  des  Kropfe  Virch.  Archives  1909  CLXIX 
444. 

Schafer,  E.  A.  Croonian  lecture,  the  functions  of  the  pituitary  body.  Proc. 
Roy.  Soc.  Lond.,  1909  LXXI  442. 

Marburg,  0.  Die  Adipositas  Cerebrahs.  Ein  Beitrage  zur  Kenntnis  der 
Pathologic  der  Zirbeldriise.  Deutsche  Zeitschr.  f.  Nervenheilkunde.  1909 
XXXVI  114. 

Paulesco.    L'hypophysectomie  Jour,  de  MM.  Int.  1907  XI  152. 

Eiselberg,  Von  un  V.  Frankl  Hochwart  Hypophysis  operation  bei  Degen- 
eration Adipos  eogenitalis.  Wein.  Klin.  Woch.    1908  XXI  1115. 

Tandler  W.  Grozz  TJntersuchungen  an  Skobzen  Wien.  Klin.  Woqh.  1908 
XXI  277. 

Fischer,  B.  Hypophysis,  AkromegaUe  und  Fettsucht.  Wiesbaden.  J.  F. 
Bergmann.    1910. 

Creutzfeld,  H.  G.  Drei.  Fall  von  Tumor  Hjrpophyseos  ohne  Akromegalie 
Jahrb.  d.  Hamburg.    Stattskranken  anstalten.    1909  XIII  351. 

Frohlich,  A.  Ein  Fall  von  Tumor  der  Hypophysis  cerebri  ohne  AkromegaUe 
Wien.  Klin.  Rundschau.    1901  XV  883. 

Benedict  &  Homans.  Metabohsm  in  Hypophysectomized  dogs.  J.  Med. 
Research  1912.    XXV  409. 

Malcomb.  The  Influence  of  Pituitary  substance  on  Metabolism.  Jour. 
Physiol.  Lond.    1909  XXX  270. 

Thompson  &  Johnson.  Note  on  Effect  of  Pituitary  Feeding,  Jour.  Physiol. 
Lond.    1905  XXXIII  189. 

DeUUe,  A.  S.    Hypophyses.    Paris  1909. 

Dercum  and  McCarthy.  Autopsy  in  a  case  of  Adiposis  Dolorosa.  Amer. 
Jour.  Med.  Sci.  1902  CXXIV  994. 

Sandri,  0.  Contributa  All'anatomie  ed  alia  fisiolgia  del  I'ipofise.  Riv.  di 
patol.  ner.,  Firenze,  1908  VIII  518. 

Gemelli,  A.    Sur  la  fonction  de  I'hypophyse  Arch,  ital  de  biol. 

Turin,  1908-9  L  157. 

Madelung,  O.  Tiber  Verletzungen  der  Hypophysis  Arch,  of  klin.  Chirurgie 
1904.    LXXIII1066. 

Ascoli  u  Segnani  Die  Folgen  der  Exstirpation  der  Hypophyse.  Munich. 
Med.  Woch.  1912.    LIX  519. 

Moradzenski.  Stoffwechsel  bei  Akromegaly  Zeit.  f.  Klin.  Med.  1901  XLIII 
336. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  241 

Lyon,  I.  P.  Adiposis  and  Lipomatosis  Arch.  Int.  Med.  1910,  VI  28.  Caselli 
Rio.  sper.  di  Frenial  1900  XXVI  120. 

Crowe,  Gushing  and  Homans.  Experimental  Hypophysectomy.  Bull. 
Johnfl-Hopkins  Hosp.    1910  XXI  127. 

ZoUner  (F)  Ein  FaU  von  Tumor  der  Schadelbasis  ausgehend  von  der 
Hypophyse  Arch.  f.  Psychiat.  Berl.,  1908  XLIV  815. 

Price.  Adiposis  Dolorosa.  A.  Clinical  and  Pathological  Study  with  the 
Report  of  Two  cases  with  Necropsy.    Am.  Jour.  Sci.  CXXXVII  705. 

Burr.  A  case  of  Adiposis  Dolorosa,  with  Necropsy,  Jour.  Nerv.  and  Ment. 
Dis.  1900  XXVII  519. 


16 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  CHEMICAL  CONSTITUTION 

OF  CERTAIN  ORGANIC  HYDROXYL  AND  AMINIC 

DERIVATIVES  ON  THEIR  GERMICIDAL  POWER 

By  Prof.  Gilbert  T.  Morgan  and  E.  Ashley  Cooper 

Beit  Memorial  Research  Fellow.     Royal  CoUege  of  Science  for 

Ireland,  Dublin 

The  method  employed  in  estimating  the  germicidal  powers 
of  various  organic  substances  was  that  devised  by  Martin  and 
Chick  (Journ.  of  Hygiene,  1908,  8,  No.  5.  Nov.  p.  654) ;  it  consisted 
in  making  a  comparison  of  the  concentrations  of  the  substance 
and  of  pure  phenol  required  to  kill  an  equal  number  of  organisms 
of  the  same  species  in  a  constant  volume  of  the  disinfectant  solu- 
tion (5  cc)  during  a  constant  period  of  time  (15  minutes)  and  at  a 
constant  temperature  (20°  C). 

All  test-iubes,  pipettes  and  flasks  were  first  sterilized  and  differ- 
ent amounts  of  a  standard  solution  of  the  substance  under  exam- 
ination were  introduced  into  a  series  of  test-tubes,  and  sterilized 
water  was  then  added  so  as  to  make  up  each  volume  to  5  cc.  so 
that  the  tubes  contained  a  constant  volume  of  solutions  contain- 
mg  different  concentrations  of  the  substances.  A  series  of  phenol 
solutions  was  similarly  prepared  and  the  two  sets  of  tubes  were 
immersed  in  a  thermostat  at  20°.  When  the  tubes  had  attained 
this  temperature  five  drops  were  added  to  the  first  dilution  from 
a  standard  capillary  pipette  (1  drop  =  0.02cc)  of  a  24  hours' 
culture  of  'the  organism,  obtained  by  inoculating  6  cc.  of  broth 
with  a  standard  loopful  of  agar  culture. 

The  inocul&tion  of  the  disinfectant  solutions  proceeded  at 
one  minute  intervals  and  at  the  15th  minute  two  tubes  contain- 
ing 10  cc.  of  glucose  broth  were  each  inoculated  with  twoloopfuls 
of  the  contents  of  the  first  tube  taken  out  by  means  of  a  standard 
platinum  loop  (a  loopful  of  broth  weighing  about  0.004  gram). 
The  other  tubes  of  the  reacting  solutions  were  also  subcultured 
at  one  minute  intervals  so  that  in  each  case  the  disinfectant  acted 
for  15  minutes. 


244         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  subculture  tubes  were  inoculated  at  37°  for  96  hours 
and  then  examined  when  the  presence  or  absence  of  growth  was 
referred  to  the  corresponding  dilution.  The  average  of  the  low- 
est concentration  of  the  substance  which  killed  and  the  highest 
concentration  which  failed  to  kill  was  compared  with  the  corres- 
ponding mean  phenol  concentration  and  the  latter  divided  by  the 
former  gave  the  carbolic  acid  co-efficient  of  the  substance. 

The  organisms  used  throughout  the  work  were  Staphylococcus 
pyogenes  aureus  and  Bacillus  typhosus.  The  broth  was  made 
according  to  the  following  recipe:  Brand's  meat  juice  10  cc,  salt 
5  grams,  peptone  10  grams,  glucose  10  grams  in  1  litre  of  tap 
water.  The  reaction  of  the  broth  was  kept  constant  being  -j-  6 
to  -h  7  to  phenolphthalein  (Eyre's  notation). 

The  important  difference  between  this  method  of  standard- 
izing disinfectants  and  the  Rideal- Walker  method  was  the  selec- 
tion in  the  former  of  a  constant  reacting  time  for  the  germicides, 
namely  15  minutes. 

I.    Compounds  Containing  Hydroxyl  Groups 

1.     The  aliphatic  alcohols. 

Jalan  de  la  Croix  (Archlv.  f.  exp.  Pathol.  1881,  p.  175)  found 
that  a  1  in  21  aqueous  solution  of  ethyl  alcohol  prevented  the 
growth  of  bacteria  in  broth,  but  22  p.c.  solutions  were  required 
to  kill  them.  Stronger  solutions  of  alcohol  (83  p.c.)  were  neces- 
sary to  kill  spores. 

Koch  {Mittheil.  a.  d.  K.  Gesundh.  1881,  Vol.  1)  found  that 
anthrax  spores  were  not  killed  by  immersion  for  110  days  in  abso- 
lute alcohol  and  in  its  33  p.c.  and  50  p.c.  dilutions.  A  1  p.c.  solu- 
tion impeded  and  an  8  p.c.  solution  completely  arrested  the 
development  of  anthrax  spores. 

Fowler  {Journal  of  the  Royal  Army  Medical  Corps.  1907, 
July,  "  Some  disinfectant  values ")  found  that  ethyl  alcohol 
possesses  a  carbolic  acid  coefficient  of  only  0.03  when  tested  on 
B.  typhosus. 

There  is  evidence,  therefore,  that  alcohol  possesses  feeble 
germicidal    properties.      Nevertheless   it    h^s   sometimes   been 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  245 

employed  for  antiseptic  purposes  in  surgery,  but  its  chief  value 
is  as  a  vehicle  for  the  application  of  other  therapeutic  substances. 
All  the  following  alcohols,  with  the  exception  of  amyl  alcohol 
are  freely  miscible  with  water.  The  carbolic  acid  coefficients  of 
these  compounds  were  determined  on  Staphylococcus  py.  aureiis 
in  the  absence  of  organic  matter. 

Alcohol 


Methyl  alcohol 
Ethyl  alcohol 

Ethyl    alcohol    (with   B.    ty- 
phosus) 
Propyl  alcohol 
iso-Propyl  alcohol 
n-Butyl  alcohol 
Trimethylcarbinol 
(80-Amyl  alcohol  (a  saturated  (^%)  solution  at  20°  failed  to  kill  in 
15  minutes). 

The  germicidal  powers  of  the  foregoing  alcohols  are  consider- 
ably less  than  that  of  phenol  so  that  the  action  of  the  latter  must 
be  largely  determined  by  its  benzene  nucleus.  The  equality  in 
germicidal  powers  of  methyl  and  ethyl  alcohols  is  an  exception 
to  the  general  tendency  for  this  action  to  increase  as  the  homolo- 
gous series  is  ascended.  This  abnormality  in  the  case  of  methyl 
alcohol  corresponds  with  the  anomalies  observed  in  regard  to  its 
chemical  and  physical  properties. 

A  comparison  of  the  results  obtained  with  n-butyl  alcohol  and 
trimethylcarbinol  shows  that  the  primary  alcohol  is  much  super- 
ior to  the  isomeric  tertiary  alcohol  in  germicidal  power. 

Normal  propyl  alcohol  also  exceeds  its  isomeride,  isopropyl 
alcohol  in  germicidal  power. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  the  foregoing  series  of  alcohols  those 
members  having  the  higher  specific  gravity,  heat  of  combustion 
and  boiling  point  have  the  greater  germicidal  power.    The  phe- 


Ck)ncentration  required  to 
kill  in  15  minutes 
(parts  per  1,000) 
Alcohol           Phenol 

Carbolic  acii 
coefficients 

350                 9.0 

0.025 

350                9.5 

0.027 

325                8.5 

0.026 

140                9.0 

0.064 

210                8.5 

0.040 

41               9.5 

0.250 

190              10.5 

0.055 

246         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

nomenon  of  germicidal  action  may  be  determined  by  those  con- 
stitutive influences  which  determine  the  physical  and  chemical 
properties  of  substances. 

2.     The  Phenols  and  Theik  Homologubs  and  Debivatives 

Alcohol  is  sometimes  employed  for  dissolving  the  phenols  so 
as  to  obtain  them  in  a  form  suitable  for  disinfecting  and  antiseptic 
purposes.  For  example,  there  are  two  non-ofl5cial  preparations  of 
thymol  containing  ethyl  alcohol,  liquor  antisepticus,  and  liquor 
thymol.  Kronig  and  Paul  {Zeitsch.  fur.  Hygiene  1897,  25,  2, 
p.  1.)  showed  that  alcohol  decreased  considerably  the  germicidal 
action  of  phenol  on  anthrax  spores  and  a  solution  of  phenol  in 
absolute  alcohol  had  very  little  germicidal  power.  This  inhibit- 
ing effect  is  probably  due  to  the  greater  solubility  of  phenol  in 
alcohol,  which  alters  the  distribution  of  this  germicide  between 
water  and  the'  bacterial  proteins  with  the  result  that  the  spores 
absorb  considerably  less  of  the  phenol. 

In  practice  the  destruction  of  non-sporing  pathogenic  organ- 
isms is  generally  the  object  in  view,  and  it  is  important  to  know 
what  effect  alcohol  has  on  the  germicidal  action  of  phenols  on 
such  organisms.  Non-sporing  microorganisms  are  more  sensi- 
tive to  the  germicidal  action  of  alcohol  than  are  spores,  and  it  was' 
accordingly  of  interest  to  ascertain  how  far  the  contribution  of 
alcohol  towards  the  bactericidal  action  of  the  phenols  counter- 
balanced the  inhibiting  influence  of  alcohol  on  the  partition 
coeflScient. 

In  investigating  the  effect  of  known  percentages  of  alcohol  on 
the  germicidal  action  of  phenol  the  experiments  were  carried  out 
in  the  manner  already  described,  except  that  the  various  dilu- 
tions of  phenol  were  made  up  with  sufficient  alcohol  to  bring  the 
percentage  of  this  solvent  to  the  desired  extent.  The  large  error 
involved  in  the  bacteriological  test  obviated  any  necessity  for  a 
correction  for  the  contraction  in  volume  produced  by  mixing 
water  and  alcohol. 

The  following  table  gives  the  concentrations  of  phenol  required 
to  kill  a  constant  number  of  B.  typhosus  or  Staphylococci  in  15 
minutes  at  20°  in  the  presence  of  various  concentrations  of  alcohol. 


xix] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


247 


Dudnfeotont  Organiam 


Phenol      in 
1000  parts  B.  typhosus 
of  solvent 

Phenol  in 
1000  parts 
of  solvent    Staphylococcus 


Percentage  of  Alcohol 


0  5          10          15        20             30 

water 

8.5  8.5      7.0        6.5  4.75           1.4 

mean    of  mean    of  mean   of  mean   of 

4  expts.  2  expts.  3  expts.   3  expts. 


9.5 


7.5 


The  action  of  the  alcohol  on  the  above  non-sporing  organisms 
was  sufficiently  appreciable  to  overcome  within  15  minutes  its 
depreciating  effect  on  the  action  of  the  phenol,  so  that  the  pres- 
ence of  this  solvent  led  to  an  apparent  increase  in  the  germicidal 
efficacy  of  the  phenol,  a  0.15  p.  c.  solution  of  phenol  in  30 
p.c.  alcohol  doing  the  same  amount  of  disinfection  as  a  0.85  per 
cent,  aqueous  solution.  The  changes  produced  by  alcohol  on  the 
germicidal  efficiency  of  resorcinol  and  thymol  were  next  investi- 
gated. 


Organism.     B. 

Typhosus 

In  Water 

In  30  p.o 

.  Alcohol 

Dlnnfectant 

Concentra- 
tion KillinE 
in  15  mins. 
at  20° 

Carbolic  Acid 
Coefficient 

Concentra- 
tion Killing 
in  16  mine, 
at  20° 

Carbolic  Acid 
Coefficient 

Phenol  in  1000  parts  sol- 

vent 

8.5 

1 

1.1 

7.7 

Resorcinol  in  1000  parts  sol- 

vent 

28.0 

0.3 

5.0 

0.22 

Phenol  in  1000  parts  solvent 

7.5 

1 

1.3 

5.6 

Thymol  in  1000  parts  sol- 

vent 

0.325 

23 

0.18 

7.2 

Although  30  p.c.  alcohol  increases  considerably  the  apparent 
germicidal  effect  of  resorcinol  and  thymol  on  B.  typhosus,  yet 
as  the  increase  is  less  marked  than  in  the  case  of  phenol,  the  car- 


248  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

bolic  acid  coefficients  of  these  two  substances  were  reduced  by 
the  presence  of  alcohol  of  this  concentration.  Although  the  use 
of  alcohol  cannot  be  recommended  for  solutions  of  phenols 
required  to  destroy  pathogenic  sporing  organisms  yet  this  sol- 
vent may  be  employed  with  advantage  in  the  disinfection  of  non- 
sporing  organisms,  particularly  as  the  phenols  are  less  caustic  in 
alcoholic  than  in  aqueous  solution. 

As  alcohol  affects  the  germicidal  powers  of  different  substances 
to  a  varying  extent,  different  conclusions  may  be  reached  with 
regard  to  their  efficacy,  depending  on  the  medium  employed  in 
the  process  of  disinfection,  and  these  irregxilar  variations  should 
be  borne  in  mind  in  considering  the  possible  relationship  between 
chemical  constitution  and  germicidal  power. 

Influence  of  Okientation  on  the  Gebmicidal  Action  of  the 
dihydkoxybenzenes 


Organism — B.  Typhosus.    Temperature  20° 


Dihydroxybenzene 


Resorcinol 

Catechol 

Quinol 


Concentration  of 

substance  required 

to  kiU  in  IS 

minutes 

i/lOCO 

26.0 

17.0 

7.5 


Concentration  of 

phenol  required 

to  kill  in  15 

minutes 

x/lOOO 

7.50 

8.25 
8.50 


Carbolic 
Acid 

Coefficient 

0.29 
0.48 
1.1 


The  minimum  effect  is  produced  by  the  meta-isomeride  and 
the  maximum  by  the  para-compound,  the  ortho-derivative  giving 
an  intermediate  value  of  the  carbolic  coefficient.  It  is  of  interest 
to  note  that  the  two  isomerides  containing  hydroxyl  groups  in 
sympathetic  positions  (ortho  and  para)  exert  a  greater  germi- 
cidal action  than  resorcinol  in  which  these  groups  are  in  the 
apathetic  meta-position  with  respect  to  each  other. 


The  Nitrophenols 

The  only  nitrophenols  which  appear  to  have  been  previously 
employed  as  germicides  are  picric  acid  (2:4:6 — trinitrophenol) 
and  the  potassium  salt  of  dinitro-o-cresol  [C6H2(No2)2(CH3)  OK.] 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  249 

Jalan  de  la  Croix  {Arch.  f.  expt.  Pathol.  Jan.  27,  1881)  found 
that  1  in  1000  aqueous  solutions  of  picric  acid  killed  bacteria  in 
infusions  of  egg-white.  Cheron  (J.  de  Therapeut,  Gvbler.  1880,  p. 
121)  used  a  saturated  solution  of  this  compound  for  purposes  of 
disinfection  in  hospitals.  Koch  (I.e.)  found  that  1  in  10,000  dilu- 
tions of  picric  acid  impeded  the  development  of  anthrax  spores, 
but  that  1  in  20,000  dilutions  were  not  sufficient  to  arrest  growth. 

Potassium  diunitro-o-cresoxide  has  been  employed  chiefly  as 
an  insecticide  and  a  fungicide. 

The  nitrated  derivatives  of  phenol  are  not  very  soluble  in  cold 
water  but  solution  was  facilitated  by  gentle  warming. 

Organism.    Staphylococcus  py.  aur.  Temperature  20° 


Substance 

CoDoentration  of 

Concentration  of 

CaiboUc 

substance  killing 

phenol  killing 

acid 

in  15  minutes 

in  15  minutes 

coefficient 

i/lOOO 

x/lOOO 

p-Nitrophenol 

4.6 

10.5 

2.3 

Potassium  p-nitrophenoxide   20 . 0 

10.5 

0.52 

m-Nitrophenol 

2.7 

9.5 

3.5 

Picric  acid 

1.4 

10.5 

7.5 

Picric  acid  with  B.  Typhosus     1 . 0 

8.5 

8.5 

Potassium  p.nitrophenoxide  contained  2  H2O  of  crystalliza- 
tion, and  allowing  for  this  the  carbolic  acid  coefficient  of  dry  salt, 
N02.  Ce  H4.  0  K  =  0.52  X  2^%77  =  0.62. 

The  successive  introduction  of  nitro-groups  into  the  phenol 
molecule  produces  a  progressive  increase  in  the  germicidal 
power  of  the  substance  but  the  practical  application  of  these 
nitro-compounds  is  hindered  by  their  poisonous  and  staining 
properties.  In  this  series  the  meta-isomeride  is  a  more  powerful 
germicide  than  the  para-compound.  The  alkali  salt  is  far  less 
efficacious  than  the  free  nitro-derivative,  this  influence  of  salt 
formation  will  be  plainly  noticeable  in  the  following  series  of 
aromatic  hydroxycarboxylic  acids. 

The  following  table  gives  a  comparison  of  the  carbolic  acid 
coefficients  of  the  nitrophenols  and  cresols,  the  organism  employed 
being  Staphylococcus. 


250         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Nitrophenols 

Coefficient 

Creaols 

Coefficient 

1  :2 

• 

1  :2 

2.1 

1  :3 

3.5 

1  :3 

2.0 

1  :4 

2.3 

1  :4 

2.4 

Although  p-cresol  and  p-nitrophenol  have  practically  the  same 
bactericidal  power,  Tw-nitrophenol  is  considerably  more  active 
than  m-cresol. 

Saturated  solutions  of  o-nitrophenol  (0.3  p.c.)  and  of  2  :  4- 
dinitrophenol  (0.1  p.c.)  failed  under  the  prescribed  experimental 
conditions  to  kill  Staphylococcus  py.  awr.' in  15  minutes. 

COUMARIN,  THE  CoUMABIC  AciDS  AND  ThEIR  AlKALI  SaLTS 

The  three  coumaric  acids  (hydroxycinnamic  acids)  combine 
in  their  molecular  structure  the  chemical  constitutions  of  cin- 
namic  and  salicylic  acids  and  have  accordingly  been  suggested 
as  substitutes  for  the  latter  acids  in  the  therapeutic  application 
of  these  substances.  (British  Medical  Journal,  1905,  i.  1143). 
The  acids  have  been  employed  for  this  purpose  in  the  form  of 
their  sodium  salts,  which  are  freely  soluble  in  water.  The  salt 
of  the  ortho-acid  appeared  to  be  more  physiologically  active  than 
that  of  the  para-acid  whereas  the  salt  of  the  meta-acid,  exerted 
a  more  powerful  action  thain  either  of  these  substances. 

Coumarin  is  so  sparingly  soluble  in  cold  water  that  it  was  for 
the  purpose  of  the  test,  converted  into  its  soluble  sodium  salt; 
in  these  circumstances  it  dissolves  in  aqueous  sodium  hydroxide, 
forming  sodium  coumarinate,  the  m-isomeride  of  sodium 
o-coumarate  which  has  the  iraws-configuration. 

Organism:    B.  Typhosus  (24  hours'  culture) 

Substance  Concentration  of  Concentration  Carbolic 

Bubetance  of  phenol  acid 

killing  in  10  killing  in  10  coefficient 

minutes  minutes 

Sodium  o-coumarate  1  in  10  1  in  105         0 .  095 

Sodium  o-coumarinate  1  in  10  failed  to 

kill  in  10  min- 
utes 

Sodium  p-coumarate    1  in  10  failed  to 

kill  in  10  min- 
utes 


xuc] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


251 


The  results  show  that  the  germicidal  action  of  these  sodium 
salts  is  very  feeble,  the  ortho-coumarate  being  the  most  active. 
This  feeble  action  of  soluble  alkali  derivatives  of  aromatic  phe- 
nolic compounds  is  noticeable  in  the  foregoing  case  of  potassium 
p-nitrophenoxide. 

o-Coumaric  acid  and  coumarin  are  freely  soluble  in  30  p.c. 
alcohol  and  their  germicidal  action  was  compared  with  that  of 
phenol  in  the  same  medium. 


Substance 


OrganUm 


Concentration     Conoentration       CarboUo 


of  .Bubatance        of  phenol  re- 


lequired  to 

kUl in  10 

minutes 


acid 
co- 
efficient 


0-Coumaric  acid 
o-Coumaric  acid 
Coumarin 


B.  coli.  1  in  500 

B.  typhosus.    1  in  500 
B.  typhosus.    1  in  550 


quired  to 

kill  in  10 

minutes 

lin620  0.80 
1  in  680  0.73 
1  in  620       0.56 


The  Dihydboxynaphthalenbs 

Although  B-naphthol  and  certain  of  its  sulphonic  acids  have 
found  employment  as  germicides  the  effect  of  the  dihydric 
naphthols  on  pathogenic  organisms  has  not  hitherto  been  examined. 

1  : 5-Dihydroxynaphthalene  is  so  sparingly  soluble  in  water 
that  its  action  could  not  be  ascertained  in  aqueous  solution. 
Two  of  the  3  isomerides  having  both  their  hydroxyl  groups  in 
B-positions,  namely  2  : 3-dihydroxynaphthalene  (m.p.  161°)  and 
2  : 7-dihydroxynaphthalene  (m.p.  190°)  were  taken  for  the  test, 
these  compounds  being  sufficiently  soluble  in  cold  water,  and,  as 
in  the  foregoing  experiments,  the  carbolic  acid  coefficient  was 
determined  in  the  absence  of  added  organic  matter,  B.  typhosus 
being  taken  as  the  test  organism. 


Dihydrozy- 
naphthalene 


co:: 
"°(xr 


Conoentration  of 

the  substance 

killing  in  16 

minutes 


Concentration  of 

phenol  killing  in 

15  minutea 


1.9  in  1000         8.5  in  1000 


2.8  in  1000         8.0  in  1000 


Carbolic 

acid 
coefficient 


4.4 


2.8 


252         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  isomeride  containing  the  hydroxyl  groups  in  contiguous 
positions  is  the  more  active,  and  both  compounds  are  greatly 
superior  to  phenol  in  bactericidal  power. 

The  dihydroxynaphthalenes  have  not  hitherto  been  suggested 
for  germicidal  purposes,  and  although  the  cost  of  preparing  the 
2  : 3-isomeride  would  militate  against  its  employment  in  this 
direction  yet  the  2  :  7-isomeride  has  been  prepared  economically 
on  a  manufacturing  scale  as  an  intermediate  product  in  the  for- 
mation of  organic  coloring  matters.  Naphthalene  is  sulphon- 
ated  with  5-6  parts  of  concentrated  sulphuric  acid  for  4  hours 
at  140°;  the  resulting  naphthalenedisulphonic  acid  is  converted 
successively  into  its  calcium  and  sodium  salts.  The  latter  is 
fused  with  2  parts  of  sodium  hydroxide  and  0.5  part  of  water,  the 
melt  is  acidified  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  and,  after  expelling 
the  sulphur  dioxide  by  means  of  wet  steam,  the  solution  is  cooled 
when  2  :  7-dihydroxynaphthalene  separates  in  almost  colorless 
crystals  and  is  purified  by  further  crystallization  from  hot  water. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  two  dihydroxynaphthalenes  exam- 
ined above  greatly  exceed  the  three  dihydroxybenzenes  in  their 
germicidal  action. 

II.    The  Organic  Amines 
1.    Aliphatic  Amines 

Koch  (i.e.)  found  that  5  p.c.  solutions  of  trimethylamine  in 
water  did  not  kill  anthrax  spores  in  12  days. 

The  mixture  of  aliphatic  amines  from  the  interaction  of  her- 
ring-brine and  lime  has  been  used  for  the  sterilization  of  sewage, 
for  which  purpose  Klein  stated  that  it  was  very  efficient.  It  con- 
sists largely  of  trimethylamine  and  under  the  name  of  "  Aminol  " 
has  been  introduced  as  a  general  disinfectant. 

The  aliphatic  amines  used  were  all  freely  soluble  in  cold  water. 
Their  germicidal  powers  determined  with  B.  Typhosus  are  given 
below. 

Concentration  of 
Amine  amine  killing 

in  15  minutee 

Ethylamine  7.09  in  1000 

Ethylene-diamine      Between  2  p.c. 

and  30  p.c. 
iso-Amylamine  3  in  1000 

n-Heptylamine  0.35  in  1000 


Concentration  of 

Csrbolio 

phenol  killing 

coefficient 

in  15  minutes 

9  in  1000 

1.27 

8.5  in  1000  Between.03&.4 

8.5  in  1000 

2.8 

8.5  in  1000 

24.3 

xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  253 

The  aliphatic  amines  therefore  possess  considerable  germicidal 
power  which  increases  with  the  size  of  the  alkyl  group  in  the 
amine  molecule  and  which,  when  n-heptylamine  is  reached, 
attains  a  very  high  value. 

The  apparently  high  germicidal  power  was  found  not  to  be 
due  to  the  inhibitory  effect  of  the  traces  of  amine  carried  over 
into  the  sub-culture  tubes,  as  when  the  contents  of  the  broth- 
tubes  were  sub-cultured  into  a  second  series  of  tubes  in  which  the 
concentration  of  the  amine  did  not  exceed  in  any  experiment 
.00000025  p.c,  the  carbolic  coefficient  was  not  affected. 

Ethylenediamine  is  much  feebler  than  ethylamine  in  germici- 
dal power. 

The  germicidal  powers  of  the  fatty  amines  are  compared  in 
the  following  table  with  those  of  the  corresponding  alcohols: 

Organism.    B.  Typhosus 

Amine  Coefficient  Alcohol  Coefficient 

Ethylamine  1.27  Ethyl  alcohol  0.026 

180-Amylamine  2.80  iso- Amyl  alcohol     Under  1.7 

The  aliphatic  amines  are  therefore  considerably  superior  in 
germicidal  power  to  the  corresponding  alcohols. 

2.     Aromatic  Amines 

Angus  Smith  {Disinfectants,  Edinburgh,  1869)  examined  the 
germicidal  power  of  aniline  and  regarded  it  as  a  disinfectant  of 
moderate  efficiency. 

Fischer  {Mittheil  a.d.  K.  Gesundt.  Vol.  II)  has  found  that  a  solu- 
tion of  aniline  in  water  disinfected  tubercular  sputa  in  24  hours. 

Many  of  the  aniline  dyes  have  been  shown  to  possess  inhibitory 
and  germicidal  powers.  Stilling  {Lancet,  1890,  Vol.  XI.  p.  965) 
showed  that  dilutions  of  1  in  500  to  1  in  1000  of  the  methyl- 
violets  prevented  the  growth  of  moulds  on  bread  and  2  in  1000 
dilutions  prevented  the  souring  of  milk. 

Prioux  {Internat.  J.  of  Microscopy,  and  Nat.  Science,  Vol.  Ill, 
part  18)  showed  that  1  in  500  to  1  in  2000  dilutions  of  the  methyl 
violets  arrested  the  growths  of  5.  typhosus  audB.  coli. 


254         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Fowler  (I.e.)  determined  the  germicidal  power  of  methylene- 
blue  on  B.  typhosus  and  found  that  it  possessed  a  carbolic  acid 
coefficient  of  1.5. 

Pyridme  has  been  used  mixed  with  oil  of  peppermint  in  the 
treatment  of  diphtheria  and  the  injection  of  its  aqueous  solutions 
has  been  beneficial  in  gonorrhoea  (Helbeig,  Mod.  Mat.  Med.  p.  65). 
Blyth  showed  that  Staphylococcus  py.  aur.  was  killed  by  1  p.c. 
solutions  of  pyridine  and  its  homologues  derived  from  bone-oil. 

May  found  that  magenta  base  (consisting  largely  of  rosaniline) 
exceeds  phenol  in  germicidal  power  and  is  moreover  less  toxic 
and  more  readily  diffusible  (J.  Amer.  Medical  Association,  1912, 
8  (16)  April  20th). 

With  the  exception  of  pyridine,  the  aromatic  amines  used  were 
not  freely  soluble  in  water  but  solution  was  accelerated  by  gentle 
warming. 


Organism.    B. 

Typhosus 

Substanc* 

Concentration  of 

substance  killing  in 

15  minutes 

Concentration  of 

phenol  killing  in 

15  minutes 

Carbolic  Acid 
CoefBcient 

Aniline 

15  in  1000 

8.5  in  1000 

0.57 

o-Toluidine 

7.5  in  1000 

7.5  in  1000 

1.00 

m-Toluidine 

6.5  in  1000 

8.5  in  1000 

1.30 

p-Toluidine 

6.0  in  1000 

7.5  in  1000 

1.25" 

Pyridine 

48  in  1000 

8.5  in  1000 

0.18 

ac-Tetrahydro-B- 

■nap- 

thylamine 

1.6  in  1000 

8.5  in  1000 

5.3 

o-Phenylenediamine 

a  saturated  solution  (2 

p.c.)  failed  to  kill 

in 

15  minutes  under  0 .  42 

TO-Phenylenediamine    a  4  p.c.  solution  failed  to  kill  in  15  minutes    under  0. 2 
p-Phenylenediamine     a  saturated  solution  (3  p.c.)  failed  to  kill  in 

15  minutes  under  0.3 

Tolylene-1 :4-diamine    a  4  p.c.  solution  failed  to  kill  in  15  minutes    under  0 . 2 

The  germicidal  power  of  aniline  is  therefore  considerably  less 
than  that  of  phenol.  The  toluidines  exceed  aniline  in  germicidal 
power,  indicating  that  the  introduction  of  a  methyl  group  into 
the  benzene  nucleus  of  aniline  increases  bactericidal  action.  The 
relative  positions  of  the  amine — and  methyl — groups  has  some 
effect  on  germicidal  power,  which  is  greatest  when  the  groups  are 
in  the  meta-  or  para-position  to  one  another. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  255 

Of  all  the  monacidic  amines  examined,  whether  aliphatic  or 
aromatic,  pyridine  is  the  feeblest  in  germicidal  action. 

The  results  obtained  with  aniline  and  phenylenediamines  and 
with  the  toluidines  and  tolylene — 2.4-diamine  show  that  the 
entrance  of  a  second  amino-group  into  the  benzene  nuclei  of 
aniline  and  the  toluidines  leads  to  considerable  decrease  in  germi- 
cidal power.  The  aliphatic  diamine,  ethylene-diamine,  is  also 
weaker  than  ethylamine  in  bactericidal  power. 

In  the  following  table  the  germicidal  efficiencies  of  the  tolui- 
dines and  cresols  are  compared. 

Organism.    B.  Typhosus 


Toluidinu 

,         Carbolio  Coefficieat 

Creaola 

Cubolic  ooeffioient 

Ortho. 

1.00 

Ortho. 

2J 

Meta. 

1.30 

Meta. 

2.6 

Para. 

1.25 

Para. 

2.6 

The  cresols  are  therefore  consistently  superior  to  the  toluidines 
in  germicidal  power. 

In  the  following  table  the  germicidal  powers  of  the  dihydroxy- 
benzenes  and  diaminobenzenes  are  compared. 

Obganism.    B.  Typhosus 

Aminei  Coeffloiont  Phenols  CoeffloMnt 

0-phenylenediamine   Under  0.42   Catechol  (1  :  2)  0.48 

TO-phenylenediamine  Under  0.2     Resorcinol(l  :  3)         0.29 
p-phenylenediamine  Under  0.3     Quinol  (1:4)  1.1 

The  dihydroxybenzenes  are  therefore  superior  to  the  diamino- 
benzenes in  germicidal  power. 

The  superiority  in  germicidal  efficiency  of  phenol  to  aniline, 
of  the  cresols  to  the  toluidines  and  of  the  dihydroxybenzenes  to 
the  diaminobenzenes  indicates  that  the  substitution  of  the  amino- 
group  for  the  hydroxy-group  in  the  benzene  nucleus  is  accom- 
panied by  a  decrease  in  germicidal  power.  In  the  aliphatic  series, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  substitution  of  an  amino-group  for  the 
hydroxy-group  leads  to  a  great  rise  in  germicidal  efficiency. 


256  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

The  germicidal  powers  of  the  aliphatic  and  aromatic  amines 
are  compared  below. 


Organism. 

B. 

Typhosus 

Amine 

Carbolic  Coefficient 

Ethylamine 

1.27 

isoAmylamine 

2.8 

7i-Heptylamine 

24.3 

ac-Tetrahydro-/8.naphthylamine 

5.3 

Aniline 

0.57 

0-,  m-,  &  6-Toluidines 

1.00; 

1.30;  1.25 

Pyridine 

0.18 

It  is  seen  that  ethylamine  exceeds  aniline  and  is  approximately 
equivalent  to  the  toluidines  in  germicidal  power  whilst  isoamyla- 
mine  and  n-heptylamine  surpass  very  considerably  the  aromatic 
amines  in  efficiency.  High  germicidal  power  in  the  amines  thus 
seems  to  be  produced  not  by  the  presence  of  groups  of  an  acidic 
nature  such  as  phenyl  and  tolyl  but  by  the  presence  of  alkyl 
groups  on  which  the  strong  basic  properties  of  the  aliphatic  amines 
largely  depend. 

It  is  possible  that  the  fatty  amines  owe  their  high  germicidal 
efficiency  in  aqueous  solution  partially  to  the  presence  of  hydroxyl 
ions  liberated  through  ionisation  of  the  alkylammonium  hydrox- 
ides which  are  formed  by  the  combination  of  the  amines  with 
water — 

CaHs-  NH2  +  H2O  =  CjHb-  NHs-  oh 

+  - 

CjHs-  NHs-  OH  =  CzHb-  NH3  +  OH 

From  this  point  of  view,  however,  the  feeble  germicidal 
action  of  the  strong  base,  ethylenediamine  is  certainly  excep- 
tional. 

ac. — Tetrahydro-^-naphthylamine  has  a  high  carbolic  acid 
coefficient  which  is  noteworthy  in  connection  with  the  chemical 
relationships  of  this  amine.  Its  amino-group  is  attached  to  a 
fully  hydrogenized  ring;  the  substance  is  a  strong  base,  non- 
diazotisable,  absorbing  carbon  dioxide  from  the  air  and  soluble 
in  water.    The  high  germicidal  power  of  the  base  is  also  of  interest 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  257 

when  considered  in  conjunction  with  the  powerful  fever-inducing 
action  of  this  substance  on  the  higher  animals.  The  replacement 
of  hydrogen  in  ammonia  by  radicles  of  an  acidic  nature  such  as 
phenyl  or  tolyl,  gives  rise  to  substances  of  feeble  germicidal  action. 
Other  acidic  groups  such  as  succinyl  have  a  similar  effect.  A 
2  p.c.  solution  of  succinimide  failed  to  kill  B.  typhosus  in  15  min- 
utes, thus  indicating  a  carbolic  acid  coefficient  of  less  than  0.4. 

The  Effect  of  Age  on  the  Gebmicidal  Power  of 
Aromatic  Amines 

Most  of  the  aromatic  amines  gradually  become  highly  colored 
on  exposure  and  the  following  comparison  has  been  made  of  the 
germicidal  powers  of  aniline  and  o-toluidine  in  the  colored  and 
colorless  (redistilled)  condition. 

Organism.    B.  Typhosus 

Carbolic  ooeffioient 
Amine  Coloilesa  Coloied 

Aniline  0.57  0.69 

o-Toluidine  1.00  1.20 

The  effect  of  exposure  is  therefore  to  increase  slightly  the 
germicidal  powers  of  these  amines. 

This  fact  is  of  interest  in  relation  to  the  work  of  Thalhimer  and 
Palmer  (Journal  of  Infectious  diseases,  Vol.  IX,  1911,  p.  172)  who 
have  recently  shown  that  phenol  which  had  become  colored 
either  by  age  or  by  exposure  to  sunlight  also  possesses  a  higher 
germicidal  power  than  fresh  colorless  phenol. 

The  authors  desire  to  express  their  thanks  to  Dr.  C.  J.  Martin, 
F.R.S.,  for  laboratory  facilities  given  at  the  Lister  Institute  an^ 
to  the  Government  Grant  Committee  of  the  Royal  Society  for  a 
Grant  which  has  partly  defrayed  the  cost  of  the  chemicals 
employed  in  this  investigation. 


17 


DOSAGE  ET  MOYEN  DE  CARACTERISER  DE  PETITES 

QUANTITES  D'ALCOOL  METHYLIQUE  DANS 

LE   SANG   ET   LES   TISSUS 

Par  Maurice  Niclottx 
Paris,  France 

L'alcool  m6thylique  qui  ne  pr^sentait  jusqu'i^i  au  point  de  vue 
pharmacologique  qu'un  int^rSt  des  plus  restreints  se  trouve 
aujourd'hui  k  I'ordre  du  jour  du  fait  de  la  r^cente  "  6pid6mie 
de  Berlin  (Janvier  1912)." 

Sans  entrer  dans  le  detail  d'exp^riences  que  je  poursuis  en  colla- 
boration avec  M.  Placet  sur  la  toxicity  compar^e  de  l'alcool 
mfithylique  et  de  l'alcool  ^thylique  et  sur  I'^limination  de  ces 
deuxalcools,  j'indiquerai  19!  bri^vement  comment  il  est  possible  de 
doser  et  de  caract^riser  de  petites  quantit^s  d'alcool  m^thylique 
dans  le  sang  et  les  tissus. 

/"  Dosage  dans  le  sang  et  les  tissus.  Le  sang  ou  les  tissus  sont 
additionn^s  de  6  ^  8  fois  leur  poids  d'une  solution  satur^e  d'acide 
picrique,  les  tissus  coupes  et  r^duits  en  menus  morceaux  au  sein 
de  la  dissolution  picrique.  On  distille  dans  I'appareil  de  Schloe- 
sing-Aubin.  En  raison  de  la  presence  de  I'acide  picrique  il  n'y 
a  pas  production  de  mousse  g^nante  et  lorsqu'en  a  recueilli  le  % 
de  volume  total  mis  k  distiller  l'alcool  se  trouve  enti^rement  r6uni 
dans  le  distillat.  Pour  I'y  doser  il  suflBt  d'employer  la  m^thode 
de  dosage  par  le  bichromate  de  potasse  que  j'ai  publi6e  il  y  a 
seize  ann^es,  et  dont  maints  auteurs  ont  reconnu  la  simplicity 
et  I'exactitude.  Elle  s'applique  en  effet  parfaitement  au  dosage 
de  l'alcool  m^thylique.  En  employant  une  solution  de  bichro- 
mate k  19gr.  par  litre  cette  solution  est  telle  que  Ice.  corres- 
ponde  k  5cc.  d'une  solution  k  0,5  pour  1000  d'alcool  m^thylique. 

77°  ProcMS  pour  caradiriser  l'alcool  methylique.  Dans  le  dis- 
tillat qui  provient  de  la  distillation  du  sang  ou  des  tissus,  on 
effectue  en  vase  clos  I'oxydation  de  l'alcool  methylique  que  Ton 
veut  caract6riser  par  le  bichromate  de  potasse  et  on  recueille  et 

2€9 


260         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

dose  I'acide  carbonique  produit.  Dans  ces  conditions  on  possSde 
tons  les  616nients  pour  determiner  avec  exactitude  le  rapport  ^ : 
CO2  6tant  mesur^  comme  il  vient  d'etre  dit,  O2  se  d^duisant  avec 
la  plus  grande  facility  de  la  quantity  de  bichromate  employ^  pour 
arriver  au  terme  de  I'oxydation.  Or  le  rapport  ^  est  spdcifique, 
il  est  6gal  k  0,915  pour  I'alcool  m6thylique.  Si  le  chiffre  obtenu 
exp6rimentalement  pour  la  determination  du  rapport  ^  co- 
incide avec  0,915  aux  erreurs  d'exp6rience  prfes,  on  pent  aflSrmer 
que  I'on  se  trouve  bien  en  presence  d'alcool  methylique  et  de 
cet  alcool  seul. 


IL  CALCIO  E  IL  MAGNESIO  DEL  CERVELLO  IN  DI- 
VERSE CONDIZIONI  FISIOLOGICHE  E  FARMACO- 

LOGICHE 

Prop.  Ivo  Novi 

University  of  Bologna,  Bologna,  Italy 
Sommario. 

1  =  II  Calcio  nel  cervello  del  cane  oscilla  da  gr.  0,0143  a 

0,031;  il  Magnesio  da  0,0143  a  0,0167  per  cento  di  sos- 
tanza  fresca. 

2  =  L'eti  ha  una  grande  influenza  sul  contenuto  di  Calcio 

nel  cervello.  Nei  cani  la  quantity  massima  si  ha  nel  feto 
e  nel  neonato,  la  minima  prima  del  divezzamento  e 
nell'etA  avanzata  si  ritorna  alia  quantity,  inziale.  Cosi 
avviene  nell'uomo.  Nelle  cavie  invece  il  Calcio  6  in  quan- 
tity, minima  nei  feti,  si  raddoppia  quasi  pochi  giorni  dopo 
la  nascita,  continua  a  crescere  per  un  mese  e  si  mantiene 
costante  fino  all'etd,  adulta  per  accrescer  si  infine  nella 
vecchiaia,  nella  quale  diviene  anche  il  decuplo. 

3  =  Introduzioni  di  NaCl  nello  stomaco,  sotto  cute,  nella  ve 

ne,  nelle  carotidi  in  soluzioni  isotoniche  ed  ipertoniche 
sottraggono  fino  al  50%  del  Calcio  al  cervello. 

4  =  II  Magnesio  si  mantiene  sempre  costante  nel  cervello  in 

tutte  le  et^  e  in  tutte  le  condizioni  sperimentali  accennate. 

5  =  Consiglio  le  cure  clorurate  nell'arteriosclerosi  prima  delle 

lesioni  renali,  e  le  diete  declorurate  nell'osteo  malacia 
e  rachitismo. 


201 


LA  IMPORTANZA  FISIOLOGICA  DEL  MANGANESE 
NELL'ORGANISMO  ANIMALE 

Prof.  Guido  M.  Piccinini 

University  of  Bologna,  Bologna,  Italy 

SOMMABIO 

1.  II  Mn  somministrato  agli  animali,  produce  non  solamente 
un  aumento  del  Ferro  nel  sangue,  come  gli  altri  agenti  emato- 
geni,  ma  anche  un  aumento  del  Ferro  della  riserva  minerale 
(fegato  e  mil  za).  Tra  Ferro  e  Manganese,  nei  rapporti  dell'- 
assimilazione  del  Ferro,  esiste  la  legge  del  minimo. 

2.  II  Mn  colloidale  produce  un  aumento  dell'ossigeno  mobile 
del  sangue  e  ve  lo  mantiene  per  lungo  tempo. 

3.  II  Mn  colloidale  attenua  la  virulenza  della  tossina  dif- 
terica. 

4.  II  Mn  non  deve  piii  essere  considerato  come  un  componente 
accidentale  dell'organismo,  ma  bensi  come  un  elemento  costante 
del  corpo  animale  perch6  dotato  di  due  azioni  importantissime : 
la  prima;  come  elemento  costitutivo  cellulare,  la  seconda,  come 
elemento  at  tivatore  delle  ossidazioni. 

5.  Forse  esistono  nel  corpo  umano  delle  ossidasi  manganiche, 
cio6  dei  fermenti  solubili  con  lo  scheletro  metallico  dato  dal 
Manganese. 

6.  Nelle  cure  ricostituenti  dovrebbe  essere  sempre  regola  fi 
siologica  la  somministrazione  associata  di  Fe  e  di  Mn. 


263 


(Abstract) 

THE  ENZYME  ACTIVITIES  INVOLVED  IN  CERTAIN 
PLANT  DISEASES 

By  Howard  S.  Reed 
Virginia  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Blacksburg,  Va.,  U.S.A. 

The  present  work  deals  with  the  processes  involved  in  the 
decay  of  apples  by  certain  fungi,  principally  the  bitter  rot  of 
apples,  caused  by  Glomerella  rufomaculana. 

Previous  work  has  shown  that  several  fungi  and  phytopatho- 
genic  bacteria  produce  cytolytic  enzymes  which  break  down  the 
cell  walls  of  their  host  plants  and  bring  disorganization  of  the 
tissues.  In  some  cases  a  thermostable  toxin  has  been  found.  In 
the  case  studied  by  de  Bary  this  substance  was  shown  to  be  oxalic 
acid. 

Glomerella  rufomaculans  is  a  fungus  which  causes  a  character- 
istic decay  of  apples.  It  causes  the  pulp  to  turn  brown  and  lose 
its  tissue  organization.  After  several  weeks  the  tissues  shrivel, 
becoming  changed  into  a  hard  persistent  mass  which  may  resist 
further  disorganizing  agents  for  some  time. 

The  author  has  shown  that  when  decayed  apple  pulp  is 
mashed  and  extracted  with  water  under  aseptic  conditions, 
enzymes  may  be  demonstrated  in  the  extract.  Oxidizing  and 
reducing  exzymes  have  been  shown  to  exist  in  such  extracts.  By 
the  addition  of  an  excess  of  alcohol  to  the  extracts  it  was  pos- 
sible to  obtain  a  precipitate  containing  amylase,  invertase, 
erepsin,  and  amidase. 

More  active  enzymes  were  obtained  by  cultivating  the  fimgus 
upon  sterile  nutrient  solutions  and  making  an  acetone-ether 
preparation  from  the  mycelium  thus  obtained. 

Amylase  was  formed  by  the  fungus  when  cultivated  upon  any 
solution,  but  its  production  was  stronger  when  starch  was  the 
only  carbohydrate  furnished  for  the  nutrition  of  the  fungus. 

265 


266         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International 'i  $  [vol. 

The  extracellular  amylase  was  weaker  than  the  intracellular 
form.  A  small  amount  of  acid  favors  the  action  of  the  amylase, 
while  alkali  slightly  retarded.  Invertase  was  present  in  all  prep- 
arations both  as  an  extracellular  and  as  an  intracellular  emzyme. 
Cytase  is  probably  not  abundant  in  the  apples  affected  with 
bitter  rot  but  it  was  formed  when  the  fungus  was  cultivated  upon 
celluose.  Inulase  was  present  but  weak.  Zymase  was  not 
present. 

In  every  case  an  intracellular  enulsin  was  formed  which  acted 
upon  arbutin,  amygdahn,  and  salicin.  No  extracellular  emulsin 
was  found. 

A  lipase  capable  of  hydrolysing  ethyl  acetate  and  ethyl  buty- 
rate  was  found.  Hydrolysis  appeared  to  be  greater  in  the  case 
of  ethyl  acetate. 

Three  enzymes  capable  of  acting  upon  proteins  or  their  cleav- 
age products  were  found.  Protease  was  identified  by  its  action 
upon  fibrin  and  a  commercial  protein.  Erepsin  was  identified 
by  its  ability  to  form  tryptophane  from  peptone  and  casein. 
Amidase  was  identified  by  the  formation  of  ammonia  from  alanin 
and  asparagin. 

An  enzyme  splitting  hippuric  acid  into  glycocoll  and  benzoic 
acid  was  demonstrated  in  the  enzyme  powder. 

The  thermal  death  point  of  the  emulsin  lay  between  55°  and 
65°  C.  The  death  point  of  invertase  and  erepsin  lay  between 
70°  and  75°  C. 

The  enzymes  here  demonstrated  are  such  as  have  the  ability 
to  break  down  certain  important  constituents  of  the  tissues  upon 
which  the  fungus  grows. 


SUR   LA  NUTRITION  MINfiRALE  DU  BACILLE 
TUBERCULEUX 

Par  B.  Sauton 
Paris,  France 

Les  divers  milieux  proposes  pour  la  culture  du  bacille  tuber- 
culeux  contiennent  tous  de  la  glycdrine  et  un  acide  amid6.  lis 
different  profond^ment  par  leur  composition  min^rale:  le  chlore, 
le  sodium,  le  calcium,  le  magnesium,  le  fer,  le  mangnfese,  le  zinc, 
etc.  ne  figurent  pas  dans  toutes  les  formules. 

Je  me  suis  propose  de  determiner  les  616ments  utiles  pour  la 
culture  du  bacille  de  Koch  et  je  resume  dans  le  present  travail  les 
premiers  r^sultats  obtenus. 

Le  bacille  tuberculeux  est  cultiv6  sur  un  liquide  nutritif  con- 
stitu6  de  produits  tr&s  purs.  Apr^s  20  jours  k  I'^tuve  k  38°  on 
p6se  le  poids  de  r6colte  obtenu  comparativement  sur  le  milieu 
complet  et  sur  le  m^me  milieu  d6pourvu  de  I'^l^ment,  dont  on 
veut  etudier  I'influence. 

J'6tudie  done  uniquement  I'influence  des  elements  sur  le  poids 
de  r^colte  obtenu,  en  laissant  de  cot6  I'^tude  de  leur  action  sur  la 
virulence  du  microbe  et  sur  la  production  de  la  tuberculine. 

Les  produits  employes  sont  soumis  k  plusieurs  cristallisations 
successives.  La  glycerine  est  purifi^e  par  distillation  sous  pression 
r^duite.  Les  divers  constituants  du  milieu  sont  dissous  dans  de 
I'eau  soigneusement  distill6e.  Le  liquide,  neutralist  par  I'am- 
moniaque,  est  r^parti  par  portions  de  100  cc  entre  des  matras  de 
250  cc,  puis  st6rilis6  k  120°. 

La  formule  du  milieu  nutritif  est  la  suivante: 

Asparagine      4  gr.  0/00    Phosphate  de  potassium        0.5  0/00 
Glycerine  60  0/00    Sulfate  de  magnesium  0.5  0/00 

Acide  citrique       2  0/00    Citrate  de  fer  ammoniacal    0.05  0/00 

Ce  milieu,  parfaitement  limpide,  est  ensemenc6  aprfis  neutralisa- 
tion et  sterilisation  par  ime  portion  de  voile  provenant  d'une 

207 


268         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International      [vol. 

pr6c6dente  culture  ag6e  de  8  jours.  Le  germe  employ^  est  un 
bacille  d'origine  bovine  (BB,  LA,  ou  LP  de  I'lnstitut  Pasteur). 

Apr6s  20  jours  de  culture,  on  sterilise  I'autoclave  k  120°.  On 
filtre  sur  filtre  car6,  on  lave,  on  dessSche,  on  pSse  la  r^colte. 

Le  poids  de  r^colte  obtenu  varie  de  0  gr.  9  k  1.25  par  cc.  de 
liquide.  Dans  les  mSmes  conditions,  la  r^colte  sur  bouillon 
glyc6rin6  est  de  0.6  environ.  EUe  est  de  0.35  environ  sur  le  milieu 
artificiel  de  Proskauer  et  Beck.  Ce  dernier  milieu  n'est  favorable 
qn'k  la  condition  de  renfermer  k  I'^tat  d'impuret^  le  fer,  qui  ne 
figure  pas  dans  sa  composition  et  qui  est  des  616ments  nutritifs 
importants  pom*  la  culture  du  bacille  tuberculeux. 

Dans  le  milieu  nutritif ,  utilise  dans  le  present  travail,  le  citrate 
d'ammoniaque  n'intervient  que  pour  empScher  la  precipitation 
des  phosphates.  L'utilit6  des  autres  ^l^ments  ressort  des  r^sultats 
suivants: 

Poids  sec  apr&s  20  jours 

Liquide  complet  1.15 

sans  soufre  0.12 

sans  phosphore  pas  de  culture 

sans  magnesium  0.03 

sans  potassium  pas  de  culture 

sans  fer  0.35 

Le  potassium  ne  pent  pas  6tre  remplac^  par  le  sodium,  le 
lithium,  le  caesium,  ni  le  rubidium.  Avec  ce  dernier  m6tal,  on 
obtient  pourtant  un  d^but  de  culture  soit  que  le  rubidium  puisse 
Mre  utilise  comme  aliment  de  mis^re,  soit  qu'il  agisse  par  le 
potassium  qui  I'accompagne  k  I'^tat  d'impuret^. 

De  m^me  le  fer  ne  peut  pas  ^tre  remplac^  par  le  mangnSse. 
Les  614ments  les  plus  voisins  au  point  de  vue  chimique  sont  done 
nettement  distincts  au  point  de  vue  biologique. 

Au  cours  de  ces  premiers  essais,  il  n'y  a  jamais  eu  augmentation 
du  poids  de  r^colte  par  addition  de  chlore,  de  calcium,  de  mangn- 
6se,  ou  de  zinc  au  milieu  de  culture. 

Pour  ^udier  I'influence  du  calcium,  on  substituait,  aux  matras 
de  verre  si  facilement  attaquables  par  les  r^actifs,  des  capsules  de 
porcelaine.  Le  calcium  n'Stait  d^celable  dans  aucun  des  produits 
employes.    L'addition  de  divers  sels  de  cet  616ment  au  milieu  de 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  269 

culture  ne  s'est  jamais  traduite  par  une  augmentation  du  poids 
de  r^colte  obtenu. 

L'absence  de  zinc  dans  le  milieu  nutritif  a  &t€  constat^e  d'une 
part  par  les  rdactifs  chimiques  et,  d'autre  part  en  utilisant  la 
sensibility  bien  connue  de  I'A.  niger  pour  cet  416ment.  Dans  ce 
but,  le  milieu  non  neutralist  par  I'ammoniaque  6tait  additionn4 
de  Sucre,  puis  divis6  en  deux  portions;  dans  I'une  de  ces  portions 
on  ajoutait  0.04%  de  sulfate  de  zinc.  On  ensemen^ait  ces  liquides 
par  des  spores  d'A.  niger.  La  difference  tr6s  notable  du  poids  des 
r6coltes  indiquait  nettement  l'absence  de  zinc  dans  le  milieu 
nutritif.  L'addition  de  cet  616ment  au  liquide  qui  en  ^tait 
d6pourvu  ne  s'est  jamais  traduite  par  une  augmentation  du  poids 
de  r^colte  du  bacille  tuberculeux. 

Ndanmoins,  certains  elements  pouvant  agir  k  des  doses  infini- 
tdsimales  je  ne  considfire  pas  comme  d^finitifs  les  r6sultats  obtenus 
en  ce  qui  concerne  les  substances  dont  une  premiere  6tude  n'a 
pas  d^montr^  Futility,  et  je  me  propose  de  continuer  ces  recherches. 


SUBCUTANEOUS    ABSORPTION    OF    THYMOL    FROM 

OILS 

By  W.  H.  Schultz  and  Athbrton  Seidell 

Hygienic  Laboratory,   U.  S.  Public  Health  and  Marine-  Hospital 
Service,  Washington,  D.  C. 

While  determining  the  toxicity  of  thymol  dissolved  in  various 
media  it  was  observed  that  the  number  of  milligrams  necessary  to 
cause  death  varied  greatly  with  the  solvent  used.  Furthermore 
there  appeared  to  be  a  relation  between  the  solubility  in  a  given 
medium  and  the  rate  with  which  the  toxic  symptoms  developed. 
A  series  of  experiments  was  therefore  planned  with  the  object  of 
ascertaining  why,  for  instance,  thymol  is  more  toxic  when  dis- 
solved in  liquid  petrolatum  than  it  is  when  dissolved  in  olive  oil. 
The  necessary  solubility  and  distribution  data  for  comparison 
with  the  results  of  the  present  experiments  upon  the  subcutaneous 
absorption  of  dissolved  thymol  are  presented  in  detail  in  another 
paper  from  this  laboratory.  (Section  VIII  b.  Pharmaceutical 
Chemistry.) 

When  properly  injected  a  solution  of  thymol  in  oil  is  retained 
in  pocket-like  enclosures,  the  walls  of  which  for  most  practical 
purposes  serve  as  an  animal  membrane  through  which  the  thymol 
must  pass.  When  pure  olive  oil  or  pure  liquid  petrolatum  is 
injected  alone  so  as  to  be  enclosed  in  one  or  several  of  these 
pockets  it  is  absorbed  very  slowly,  especially  the  liquid  petrolatum. 
At  the  end  of  90  hours  as  much  as  80  to  90  per  cent,  of  the  olive 
oil  can  be  recovered  and  liquid  petrolatum  itself  remains  for  many 
days  as  a  mass  underneath  the  skin  of  mice,  for  the  most  part 
where  first  injected.  If,  however,  oil  containing  thymol  is  in- 
jected and  subsequently  withdrawn  and  analysed  the  amoimt  of 
thymol  recovered  decreases  gradually  with  the  increasing  interval 
between  injection  and  collection.  Furthermore  the  amoimt  of 
thsrmol  recovered  will  also  vary  with  the  solvent  used,  being  less 
for  petrolatum  than  for  olive  oil,  hence  it  seemed  likely  that  the 

271 


272         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

retention  of  the  thymol  by  oily  solvents  is  proportional  to  its 
solubility  in  the  oil  tested.  The  determination  of  the  thymol  in 
the  recovered  samples  of  injected  oil  was  made  by  steam  distilla- 
tion and  titration  of  the  distillates  by  the  recently  described 
bromine-hydrobromic  acid  methold.^ 

The  plan  of  the  experiments  was  as  follows.  Four  sets  of  mice, 
a,  b,  c,  d,  which  had  been  raised  upon  the  same  diet,  and  under 
the  same  conditions,  were  injected  subcutaneously  in  the  dorsal 
region.  At  first  care  was  taken  to  have  the  individuals  of  each 
group  weigh  the  same  to  within  a  gram,  but  later  it  was  found 
that  a  variation  of  several  grams  did  not  materially  alter  the 
results,  the  main  factors  seemed  to  be  the  time  element,  the  kind 
of  pocket  formed  and  especially  the  region  in  which  the  oil  pocket 
was  located.  Each  mouse  received  one  cubic  centimeter  of  the 
oil  solution.  Each  cubic  centimeter  of  solution  injected  con- 
tained for  sets  a,  b,  and  c,  respectively,  20,  40  and  60  milligrams 
of  thymol  in  olive  oil,  while  set  d  was  injected  with  liquid 
petrolatum  containing  20  milligrams  of  thymol  per  cc.  of  solu- 
tion. 

At  varying  intervals  of  time  after  the  injection  a  mouse  was 
chloroformed,  the  oil  pocket  carefully  exposed  by  an  incision  into 
the  skin  and  the  unabsorbed  oil  drawn  into  an  all-glass  syringe, 
graduated  in  tenths  of  a  cubic  centimeter.  The  oil  thus  obtained 
was  estimated  to  one-hundredths  of  a  cubic  centimeter  and  the 
sample  carefully  transferred  with  the  acid  of  about  one  half  a  cubic 
centimeter  of  carbon  tetrachloride  to  a  distilling  flask  arranged  for 
steam  distillation,  about  200  cc.  of  water  were  added  and  the 
aqueous  solution  distilled  with  a  current  of  steam  into  three  250 
cc.  glass  stoppered  bottles.  The  first,  second  and  third  distillates 
collected  in  this  way  were  each  titrated  separately,  thus  assuring 
complete  removal  of  the  thymol.  The  quantities  of  thymol 
recovered  by  this  method  were  in  all  cases  somewhat  greater  than 
used  in  the  experiment.  This  constant  error  is  probably  due  to 
small  amounts  of  volatile  constituents  of  the  oil  which  react  with 
the  bromine  used  for  the  titration  in  a  manner  somewhat  similar 
to  thymol.    Since  the  quantity  of  oil  was  kept  constant,  a  correc- 

'Seidell,  Am.  Chem.  Jour.  47,  520,  1912. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  273 

tion  of  the  apparent  excess  of  thymol  is  not  necessary  and  the 
conclusions  drawn  from  the  experiments  are  not  affected  by  this 
constant  error. 

The  experimental  data  as  summarized  in  Tables  1,  2  and  3  have 
been  plotted  on  Cross-section  paper  and  average  curves  con- 
structed (Fig.  1).  The  points  corresponding  to  the  different  sets 
of  mice  are  shown  differently  and  indicate,  for  all  except  the 
liquid  petrolatum  experiments,  that  the  individual  variations 
are  much  greater  than  the  differences  between  the  adjoining 
curves.  In  spite  of  this,  however,  the  general  directions  of  the 
three  olive  oil  curves  probably  indicate  in  a  general  way  the  rate 
of  absorption  of  thymol  from  this  oil. 

Analysis  of  the  data  lead  to  the  following 


274         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 


Table  No.  I.    Absorption  of  Thymol  from  Olive  Oil. 
Subcutaneous  Injection  in  Mice 


Thymol   Solution 


20   Mgs.   per   1    cc.    Olive   Oil. 
injected  =  1  cc. 


Amount 


Mouse 


No.   Wt.  in  Gms. 


Time 
Hrs. 


cc.  Oil  Re- 
covered 


Gma. 
Thymol 
Found 


Gma.  Thymol 
per  cc.  Re- 
covered Oil 


Mg. 
Thymol 

Ab- 
sorbed 


Blank 
Blank 
Blank 
Blank 


96 

94 

103 

93 

98 

95 

97 

104 

123 

99 

124 

105 


100 
106 


—  1  cc.  Olive 
-  1  cc.  Olive 

—  1  cc.  Olive 

1 

1  cc.  Pure  Olive 
Oil 
23 
18 
24 
18 
27 
25 
23 
24 
25 
18 
32 
29 


23 
23 


Oil  Sol. 
Oil  Sol. 
Oil  Sol. 
cc.  Pure 


3  hrs. 

0.78 

1 

4 

0.74 

1 
2 

0.89 

li 

0.9 

2 

0.79 

3} 

0.93 

4 

0.92 

5 

0.9 

6 

0.77 

13i 

0.5 

17 

0.76 

19i 

0.72 

22| 

0.91 

24 

0.60 

46 

0.90 

47 

0.78 

7li 

0.74 

of  Thymol 
of  Thymol 
of  Thymol 
Olive  Oil 

0.0026 
0.0176 
0.0194 
0.0192 
0.0144 
0.0178 
0.0180 
0.0178 
0.0111 
0.0090 
0.0111 
0.0086 
0.0156 
0.0036 
0.0080 
0.0047 
0.0033 


0.0261 
0.0242 
0.0247 
0.0020 

0.0033 

0.0238 

0.0218 

0.0213 

0.0183 

0.0191 

0.0196 

0.0198 

0.01446 

0.0180 

0.0142 

0.0119 

0.0172 

0.0059 

0.0096 

0.0061 

0.0045 


1.2 

3.2 

3.7 

6.7 

5.9 

5.4 

5.2 

10.5 

7.0 

10.8 

13.1 

7.8 

19.1 

15.4 

18.9 

20.5 


xix] 


Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry 


275 


Table  No.  2.    Absorption  of  Thymol  from  Olive  Oil. 
Mice — Subcutaneus  Injection 

Thymol   Solution  =  40   Mgs.   per   1   cc.   Olive   Oil.     Amoimt 

injected  =  Ice. 


Mouse 

Time 
Bra. 

00.  Oil 
Recovered 

Gm. 
Thymol 
Found 

Gm.  Thymol 
per  cc.  Re- 
covered Oil 

Mg. 
Thymol 

Ab- 
sorbed 

No.        Wt.  in  Cms! 

Blank  1 

cc.  Olive 

Oil  So 

ution 

0.0450 

134 

24 

h 

0.92 

0.0409 

0.0444 

0.6 

133 

25 

i 

0.92 

0.0391 

0.0425 

2.5 

130 

31 

1 

0.88 

0.0347 

0.0395 

5.5 

112 

31 

1 

0.81 

0.0307 

0.0375 

7.5 

135 

25 

2 

0.83 

0.0368 

0.0443 

0.7 

131 

25 

2 

0.94 

0.0385 

0.0409 

4.1 

125 

24 

2i 

0.84 

0.0344 

0.0410 

4.0 

115 

31 

4i 

0.90 

0.0359 

0.0400 

5.0 

127 

29 

4i 

0.91 

0.0325 

0.0357 

9.3 

136 

31 

6 

0.90 

0.0290 

0.0322 

12.8 

121 

26 

12 

0.72 

0.0245 

0.0340 

11.0 

111 

— 

17i 

0.80 

0.0195 

0.0241 

20.9 

114 

21 

20^ 

0.72 

0.0199 

0.0276 

17.4 

126 

21 

94i 

0.82 

0.0065 

0.0079 

37.1 

Thymol   Solution  =  60   Mgs.   per   1   cc. 
injected  =  1  cc. 


Olive   Oil.     Amount 


Blank  1. 

cc.  Olive  Oil  So 

ution 

0.0641 

. 

113 

32 

f 

0.91 

0.0553 

0.0607 

3.3 

109 

24 

2i 

0.85 

0.0459 

0.0541 

10.0 

110 

24 

5 

0.82 

0.0438 

0.0534 

10.6 

276         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Table  No.  3.   Absorption  of  Thymol  from  Liquid  Petrolatum. 
Mice — Subcutaneous  Injection 

Amount 


Thymol  Solution 


20  Mgs.  per  1  cc.  Petrolatum, 
injected  =  Ice. 


Mouse 

Time 
Hra. 

CO.  OU 
Recovered 

Gm. 
Thymol 
Found 

Gm.  Thymol 
per  1  cc.  Re- 
covered Oil 

Mgs. 
Thymol 

No.        Wt.  in  Gms. 

Ab- 
sorbed 

Blank  1 

cc.  Petrolatum  Solution 

0.0239 



117 

25 

h 

0.72 

0.0154 

0.0215 

2.5 

118 

28 

1 

0.94 

0.0182 

0.0194 

4.6 

119 

26 

2^ 

0.905 

0.0144 

0.0159 

8.1 

120 

26 

5 

0.91 

0.0113 

0.0124 

11.6 

128 

30 

Hi 

0.92 

0.0069 

0.0075 

16.5 

129 

29 

12 

0.85 

0.0051 

0.0060 

18.0 

122 

25 

24 

0.95 

0.0043 

0.0046 

19.4 

116 

27 

40 

0.95 

0.0016 

0.0017 

22.3 

Conclusions:  (1)  The  rate  of  absorption  is  greatest  during 
the  first  hour  following  subcutaneous  injection.  The  rate  of 
absorption  per  unit  of  time  gradually  diminishes  so  that  the  curve 
is  roughly  parabolic.  For  one  reason  or  another  some  mice 
absorb  slowly  whereas  others  absorb  rapidly.  Indeed  if  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  experiments  be  performed  it  is  possible  to  plot 
curves  of  the  rate  of  absorption,  one  of  which  will  represent  the 
rapid  type  and  the  other  the  slow  type  of  absorption.  This 
variation  is  independent  of  season,  of  diet  or  of  environment, 
it  seems  to  be  due  to  an  inherent  difference  in  the  mouse  itself 
and  is  probably  congenital.  It  is  illustrated  by  the  sets  of  high 
and  low  points  plotted  in  connection  with  both  curves  o  and  x 
of  Fig.  1.  The  curves  representing  the  rapid  and  slow  types  of 
absorption  each  show  minor  deviations  above  or  below  a  mean 
rate  of  absorption.  These  deviations,  however,  are  mainly 
accounted  for  by  the  character  of  the  injection  pocket,  its  posi- 
tion underneath  the  skin  and  certain  other  factors  of  technique. 
Curves  o,  x,  and  D,  therefore,  represent  the  mean  values  for  olive 
oil  containing,  respectively,  20,  40  and  60  milligrams  of  thymol 
per  cubic  centimeter  of  solution. 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  277 

(2)  The  rate  of  absorption  of  thymol  injected  subcutaneously 
is  decidedly  influenced  by  the  amount  of  thymol  contained  in 
one  cubic  centimeter  of  olive  oil.  When  mice  are  injected  with 
olive  oil  containing  20  milligrams  of  thymol  per  cubic  centimeter 
of  solution  a  curve  like  a  Fig.  1  is  obtained.  If  a  40  milligram 
solution  be  employed  a  curve  slightly  steeper  and  on  a  higher 
level  is  obtained  whereas  with  a  60  milligram  solution  the  curve 
is  still  steeper.  The  higher  doses,  however,  are  so  toxic  that  con- 
siderable influence  is  apt  to  be  exerted  by  the  absorbed  drug 
acting  as  a  general  depressant.  Not  only  are  the  cells  of  the 
membranous  injection  pocket  affected  by  the  thymol,  but  the 
current  of  circulating  body  fluids  is  greatly  retarded  so  that  those 
mice  which  very  early  show  marked  signs  of  depression  may  after 
a  long  interval,  five  to  fifteen  hours,  yield  oil  that  contains  con- 
siderable thymol,  showing  that  absorption  had  been  retarded 
because  of  the  various  physiological  factors  mentioned. 

Absorption  of  thymol  from  liquid  petrolatum  containing  20  milli- 
grams of  thymol  per  cubic  centimeter  of  solution  is  of  unusual 
interest.  (1)  The  absence  of  individual  variations  from  the 
observed  rate  of  absorption  is  noteworthy.  (2)  This  mineral  oil 
is  very  slowly  absorbed  from  underneath  the  skin  of  white  mice; 
it  is  apparently  but  slightly  acted  upon  by  the  body  fluids  or 
enzymes.  (3)  Liquid  petrolatum  dissolves  at  37°  C.  only  0.39 
as  much  thymol  as  does  olive  oil  at  the  same  temperature.  A 
solution  of  liquid  petrolatum  containing  20  milligrams  of  thymol 
per  cubic  centimeter  is  therefore  more  nearly  saturated  with 
thymol  than  is  olive  oil  of  the  same  concentration,  hence  diffusion 
ought  to  be  more  rapid  from  the  Uquid  petrolatum  solution. 
Actual  experiment  demonstrates  the  correctness  of  this  assump- 
tion. Within  certain  limits,  therefore,  when  equal  volumes  of 
different  inert  oils  contain  equal  amounts  of  thymol  the  rate  of 
subcutaneous  absorption  is  proportional  to  the  relative  satura- 
tion of  the  solvent  with  thymol. 

Conclusions 
1.     Thymol  when  dissolved  in  oil  and  injected  underneath  the 
skin  of  white  mice  is  absorbed  from  the  oil  much  more  quickly 
than  the  oil  itself  is  absorbed,  the  rate  of  thymol  absorption 
increasing  with  the  concentration  of  thymol  in  a  given  oil. 


278  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

2.  The  rate  of  absportion  from  oils  varies  with  the  oil  used 
and  with  the  partition  coefficient  between  thymol  in  oil  and  water. 
Within  certain  limits,  when  equal  volumes  of  the  solution  of 
thymol  in  different  inert  oils  contain  equal  amounts  of  thymol  the 
rate  of  subcutaneous  absorption  is  proportional  to  the  relative 
saturation  of  the  solvent  with  thymol. 

3.  Thymol  is  absorbed  more  rapidly  at  the  beginning  of  the 
experiment  than  it  is  some  hours  later.  This  change  in  rate  is 
probably  due  to  a  diluting  of  the  injected  solution,  to  local  action 
of  the  thymol,  and  to  the  general  action  that  it  has  upon  the 
cardiac  and  respiratory  apparatus. 


—  Thymol  ziBso/tBUf. 


THE  DETERMINATION  OF  THYMOL  IN  DOG  FECES 

By  W.  H.  Schultz  and  Athebton  Seidell 

Hygienic  Laboratory,   U.  S.  Public  Health  and  Marine- Hospital 
Service,  Washington,  D.  C. 

It  has  frequently  been  observed  during  the  examination  of 
feces  for  hook-worm  eggs  that  samples  from  patients  having 
received  large  doses  of  thymol  may  show  undoubted  evidence  of 
the  presence  of  this  drug  in  an  unaltered  state.  Since  it  has  long 
been  known  that  thymol  is  eliminated  through  the  urine  in  com- 
bination with  glycuronic  and  other  acids/  it  appeared  of 
interest  to  ascertain  what  proportion  comes  through  the  alimen- 
tary tract  unchanged.  A  satisfactory  quantitative  method  for 
the  determination  of  thymol  having  been  devised  by  one  of  us' 
it  was  decided  to  attempt  to  apply  this  method  to  the  determina- 
tion of  thymol  in  dog  feces. 

On  account  of  the  requirements  of  the  method,  that  the  thymol 
solution  be  neutral  and  contain  no  substance  which  is  acted  upon 
by  bromine,  it  was  decided  to  take  advantage  of  the  volatility  of 
thymol  with  steam  in  order  to  separate  it  from  the  fecal  material. 
Experiments  were  therefore  made  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
the  proper  conditions  for  the  steam  distillation  of  the  samples  of 
feces  in  order  that  the  least  possible  amount  of  interfering  sub- 
stance would  be  obtained  in  the  distillate.  It  was  found  that 
distillation  from  an  acidified  mixture  gave  an  acid  distillate  and 
from  an  alkaline  medium  a  more  or  less  strongly  alkaline  one. 
A  double  steam  distillation  from  first  an  acid  and  then  an  alkaline 
mixture  was  then  adopted  and,  as  might  be  expected,  gave  a 
practically  neutral  distillate;  blank  determinations  showed  that 
the  alkaline  medium  which  was  used,  viz.  magnesium  oxide  sus- 
pended in  water,  did  not  retain  an  appreciable  quantity  of 
thymol.  When,  however,  determinations  were  made  upon  mix- 
tures of  feces  and  known  amoimts  of  thymol,  high  results  were 

'Blum,  Z.  physioI.  Chem.,  16,  514-24.    1892. 
>SeidelI,  Am.  Chem.  Jour.,  47,  520.    1912. 

S81 


282         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

invariably  obtained.  After  many  experiments  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  cause  of  the  trouble  was  the  hydrogen  sulphide  which 
passed  readily  through  the  second  distilling  flask  containing  the 
magnesium  oxide  in  suspension.  In  attempting  to  retain  this 
hydrogen  sulphide  it  was  found  that  the  addition  of  lead  nitrate 
was  quite  effective,  but  if  used  in  the  first  distilling  flask  con- 
taining the  acid  mixture  the  thymol  was  also  held  back  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent.  When  used  in  the  second  distilling  flask 
with  the  aqueous  suspension  of  magnesium  oxide  it  exerted  no 
influence  whatever  upon  the  thymol  and  completely  retained  the 
hydrogen  sulphide. 

There  are,  of  course,  in  feces  very  small  amounts  of  certain 
phenols  and  phenol-like  compounds,  for  instance,  indol,  skatol, 
etc.,  which  might  be  expected  to  yield  bromine  substitution 
products  very  much  as  thymol.  Blank  determinations  run  with 
feces  show,  however,  that  although  a  certain  amoimt  of  hydro- 
bromic  acid  is  formed  when  these  distillates  are  treated  with 
bromine  vapor,  the  necessary  correction  is  small. 

The  details  of  the  method  which  our  experiments  have  finally 
led  us  to  adopt  are  as  follows:  The  apparatus  consists  of  an 
ordinary  steam  generator  made  from  an  empty  ether  can,  and 
two  500  cc.  distilling  flasks  connected  in  series  for  steam  distillation. 
The  distillate  from  the  second  flask  passes  into  a  condenser  and  is 
received  directly  into  the  250  cc.  glass  stoppered  bottle  in  which 
the  titration  is  to  be  made.  Three  of  these  bottles  should  be 
provided  to  collect  the  first,  second  and  third  distillates,  each  of 
which  should  come  over  in  about  20  to  30  minutes  and  measure 
about  150  cc.  A  convenient  amount  of  feces  to  use  is  about  20 
grams  and,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  table,  the  amount  of 
thymol  should  be  approximately  0.2  gram  in  order  that  a  suitable 
amoimt  of  the  standard  thiosulphate  be  required  for  the  titration. 
In  all  of  the  determinations  shown  in  Table  No.  1  the  thymol  was 
added  in  the  form  of  1.0  per  cent,  solution  made  by  dissolving  it 
with  gentle  warming  in  just  a  little  more  than  the  calculated 
amount  of  normal  sodiimi  hydroxide  to  form  the  sodium  salt  of 
thymol  and  diluting  with  the  necessary  amount  of  water.  The  feces 
were  in  some  cases  the  hard  white  lumps  and  in  others  darker  and 
softer  masses.    In  each  case  the  first  flask  contained  in  addition 


xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  283 

to  the  feces  and  thymol  about  100  cc.  of  water  and  3  cc.  of 
phosphoric  acid  solution,  made  by  diluting  the  ordinary  85  per 
cent.  H8PO4  syrup  with  an  equal  volume  of  water.  The  second 
distillation  flask  in  all  cases  contained  approximately  five  grams 
of  magnesium  oxide  suspended  in  about  100  cc.  of  aqueous  1.0 
per  cent.  Pb(N08)2  solution.  The  distillate  was  immediately 
treated  with  about  1  cc.  of  CCU,  and  then  the  bromine  vapor  was 
poured  in,  a  little  at  a  time,  with  alternate  shaking  and  addition 
of  bromine  until  the  mixture  retained  a  distinct  red  brown  color. 
It  was  then  allowed  to  stand  in  a  dark  place  about  one-half  hour 
five  cc.  of  CS2  and  5  cc.  of  20  per  cent.  KI  solution  were  added 
and  the  bottle  well  Shaken,  standard  thiosulphate  solution  was 
run  in  until  the  pink  color  of  the  iodine  in  the  CS2  layer  was  just 
discharged,  an  additional  amount  of  KI  solution  was  added  and 
if  no  further  liberation  of  iodine  occurred  the  reading  on  the 
burette  was  taken.  Five  cc.  of  2  per  cent.  KIO3  solution  were 
then  added  and  after  thorough  shaking  the  titration  with  thio- 
sulphate was  continued  until  the  iodine  color  was  just  discharged 
for  the  second  time.  The  completion  of  the  reaction  may  be 
tested  by  a  further  addition  of  KI  and  KIOs  solutions.  The 
difference  between  the  first  (which  should  be  from  about  5  to  15 
cc.  0.1  n  thiosulphate)  and  second  reading  corresponds  to  the 
hydrobromic  acid  formed  by  the  action  of  the  bromine  on  the 
thymol.  The  calculation  is  made  on  the  basis  of  two  molecules 
of  HBr  per  one  of  thymol;  1  cc.  0.1  n  thiosulphate  is,  there- 
fore, equal  to  0.0075056  gram  thymol. 


284         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

Table  No.  1.     Showing  the  Results  of  the  Determination  of 
Thymol  when  Mixed  with  Dog  Feces  in  Various  Proportions. 

Composition  of  Sample  Distillates  Gtm.  Thymol 

Gms.  Feces  Gm.  Thymol        Obtained  Recovered 

No.     Volume 


0.06S 
0.115 

0.444 

0.027 

0.224 

0.186 
0.182 

0.380 
0.399 


Although  the  results  shown  in  Table  1  are  not  entirely  as  satis- 
factory as  could  be  desired,  further  work  upon  the  improvement 
of  the  method  was  not  done  since  preliminary  experiments  upon 
the  feces  of  dogs  to  which  small  doses  of  thymol  had  been  given 
showed  that  only  insignificant  amounts  of  thymol  were  present. 


— 

0.2 

1st 

150 

0.194 

2? 

0.2 

1st 

150 

0.192 

20 

0.05 

1st 

120 

0.051  \ 
0.012  / 

2nd 

120 

1st 

130 

0.096  1 

20 

0.1 

2nd 

110' 

0.010  1- 

3rd 

150 

0.009  J 

1st 

120 

0.343  1 

20 

0.5 

2nd 

110 

0.076  \ 

3rd 

110 

0.025  J 

1st 

110 

0.0143  1 

80 

0 

2nd 

140 

0.0089  \ 

3rd 

120 

0.0036  J 

1st 

125 

0.153  1 

SO 

0.2 

2nd 

140 

0.047  \ 

3rd 

150 

0.024  J 

10 

0.2 

1st 

160 

0.169  \ 

2nd 

145 

0.017  / 

5 

0.2 

1st 

90 

0.178  \ 

2nd 

120 

0.014  / 

1st 

100 

0.311  i 

0.40 

2nd 

110 

0.057  } 

3rd 

100 

0.012  J 

1st 

100 

0.380 1 

— 

0.40 

2nd 

125 

0.015  \ 

3rd 

140 

0.004  J 

xix]  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  285 

Protocols  of  Experiments 

1.    Dog  No.  6,  Wt.  6.95  kilograms,  amount  of  thymol  given  - 
1.0  gram. 

Samples  of  Feces  Apparent         Correction     Thymol 

Time  Amt.       Gas.  Thymol         per  45  Recov- 

Gms.         in  sample         Gms.  Feces       ered 

Before  adminis- 
tration of 
thymol  66.0  0.028 

6  I  hrs.  after 
administration 
of  thymol  45.0  0.100  —0.022  -  0.078 

24  hrs.  after 
administration 
of  thymol  40  0.029  —0.022  =  0.007 


0.085 


The  correction  per  45  gms.  feces  is  obtained  from  the  blank 
determination  made  upon  the  feces  obtained  before  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  thymol.  Since  the  total  amount  of  administered 
thymol  was  1.0  gram,  it  is  apparent  that  not  more  than  8.5  per 
cent,  of  it  came  through  the  alimentary  tract  unchanged. 

2.  A  second  experiment  with  Dog  No.  6  was  made  four  days 
later.  The  amount  of  thymol  given  was  0.5  gram.  The  total 
feces  was  collected  in  several  portions  during  the  first  25  hours 
after  administration  of  the  thymol  and  amounted  to  49  grams. 
The  apparent  thymol  recovered  from  this  quantity  was  0.046 
gram  and  this  figure  corrected  for  the  blank  determination  as 
shown  in  the  previous  experiment  is  0.046  -  0.22=  0.024  gram 
thymol  recovered  from  0.5  gram  administered  or  approximately 

5  per  cent. 

3.  Dog  No.  26  was  given  0.5  gram  thymol  at  10  o'clock  A.  M. 
but  vomited  4  -  5  hours  afterwards.  The  combmed  vomit  was 
distilled  and  found  to  contam  approximately  0.05  gram  thymol. 
The  administered  thymol  as  corrected  for  this  amount  is  there- 
fore 0.45  gram. 


286         Original  Communicdtions:  Eighth  International 

[vol. 

Samples  of  feces 

Apparent 

Correction 

Thymol 

Time 

Amt. 

Gm.  Thymol 

per  45 

Recov- 

Gms. 

in  sample 

Gm.  Feces 

ered 

3  hrs.  after  ad- 

ministration of 

thymol 

15 

0.012 

0.007 

0.005 

23  hrs.  after  ad- 

ministration of 

thymol 

44 

0.040 

0.022 

0.018 

0.023 


From  these  results  it  is  seen  that  about  5  per  cent,  of  the  thymol 
came  through  the  alimentary  tract. 

Although  these  experiments  are  not  as  numerous  as  desirable 
they  show  conclusively  that  when  small  doses  of  thymol  are 
given  only  insignificant  amounts  are  eliminated  unchanged  with 
the  feces. 

Preliminary  experiments  with  the  urine  from  dogs  which  had 
received  thymol  showed  that  all  of  the  drug  excreted  in  this 
manner  is  in  firm  combination,  probably  with  glycuronic  acid. 
Such  urines  were  found  to  yield  no  appreciable  amount  of  thymol 
from  neutral  solution,  by  steam  distillation,  but  did  so  when  con- 
siderable free  acid  was  used  in  the  distilling  flask.  Quantitative 
results,  however,  have  so  far  not  been  obtained  since  the  dis- 
tillation method  has  not  been  developed  to  the  extent  of  elimi- 
nating certain  interfering  substances  that  are  distilled  with 
thymol.  These  experiments  are  still  in  progress  and  it  is  hoped 
to  improve  the  technique  so  that  it  will  be  possible  to  account 
for  nearly  all  of  the  ingested  thymol. 


SUR  LA  RfiSISTANCE  DE  LA  PEROXYDASE  A  L'AM- 

MONIAQUE  ET  SUR  SON  ACTIVATION  PAR 

CONTACT  AVEC  L'ALCALI 

Par  M.  J.  Wolff 
Paris 

J'ai  constats  dans  les  jeunes  pousses  d'orge  I'existence  d'une 
peroxydase  tr6s  active  et  particuliferement  r^sistante  ^  Taction  de 
la  chaleur,  attendu  qu'elle  n'est  d^truite  qu'aprfes  plusieurs 
minutes  d'^buUition.  Comme  les  autres  peroxydases  connues, 
celle  des  pousses  d'orge  est  d^truite  presque  instantan^ment  par  de 
faibles  doses  d'acide  sulfurique  et  phosphorique,*  et  r^siste,  sans 
6tre  sensiblement  affaiblie,  k  des  doses  ^quivalentes  de  bases 
alcalines. 

J'ai  6tudi6  cette  action  des  alcalis  et  j'ai  vu  que  si  des  doses 
un  peu  massives  de  sonde  sont  capables  de  d^truire  la  peroxydase 
au  bout  de  quelques  heures,  des  quantit^s  6quimol6culaires 
d'ammoniaque  n'attaquent  I'enzyme  qu'avec  une  extreme  len- 
teur. 

Exbmple:  Je  mets  en  contact  d'une  part  1  cc.  de  maceration 
diastasique  avec  3  cc.  de  sonde  normale;  d'autre  part  1  cc.  de 
la  mfime  maceration  avec  3  cc.  d'ammoniaque  normal.  Je  con- 
state alors  qu'au  bout  de  8  3, 10  heures  I'enzyme  a  6t€  compl6te- 
ment  d6truit  par  la  sonde.  La  peroxydase  qui  a  6t6  laiss^e  en 
contact  avec  I'ammoniaque  conserve  ses  propriety  pendant  8 
k  10  jours.  Au  bout  de  ce  temps  elle  est  affaiblie,  mais  nullement 
detruite. 

Ce  fait  inattendu  m'a  sugg^r^  Tid^e  d'^tudier  k  I'aide  d'exp6ri- 
ences  plus  d^licates  ce  qui  se  passe  lorsqu'on  laisse  en  contact  la 
peroxydase  avec  I'ammoniaque,  et  de  suivre  les  modifications  qui 
peuvent  survenir  au  cours  de  cette  action. 

Pour  etudier  les  diff^rentes  phases  du  ph^nomfene,  je  me  suis 
servi  comme  r^actif  du  gayacol  en  presence  d'eau  oxyg^n^e  et 

'II  n'est  pas  indifferent  de  remarquer  que  la  peroxydase  r^iste  mieux  &  de 
faibles  doses  d'acide  phosphorique  qu'i  de  faibles  doses  d'acide  sulfurique. 

287 


288         Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

j'ai  toujours  ex6cutd  la  reaction  dans  un  milieu  renfermant  un 
faible  exc6s  de  phosphate  acide  de  potassium,  en  prenant  comma 
mesure  I'intensit^  de  la  coloration  produite  et  la  rapidity  de  son 
apparition.  C'est  ainsi  que  j'ai  pu  observer  un  ralentissement 
considerable  de  la  reaction  tout  k  fait  au  d^but  de  Texp^rience, 
par  comparaison  avec  un  t^moin  sans  alcali;  puis  par  des  pr^l^ve- 
ments  op6r6s  d'heure  en  heure  sur  le  m6me  melange  de  peroxydase 
et  d'ammoniaque,  j'ai  vu  I'activit^  augmenter  de  plus  en  plus  k 
mesure  que  le  contact  se  prolongeait.  La  marche  du  ph^nomdne 
montre  que  I'activit^  perdue  au  d^but  est  regagn^e,  puis  con- 
sid^rablement  d6pass6e. 

Les  diverses  phases  du  ph^nom^ne  peuvent  se  r^sumer  ainsi: 

1".  Au  moment  oil  la  peroxydase  entre  en  contact  avec 
I'ammoniaque,  il  y  a  une  perte  considerable  de  I'activite  primitive. 

2°.  A  mesure  que  le  temps  de  contact  s'accrott,  I'activite 
s'accrott. 

3°.  Au  bout  de  4  ^  5  heures,  cette  activity,  a  repris  sa  valeur 
primitive. 

4°.  A  partir  de  ce  moment,  I'intensite  de  la  reaction  produite 
continue  k  s'accroltre  et  I'activite  atteint  son  maximum  vera 
la  14*  heure;  cette  activity  repr^sente  environ  le  double  de 
I'activite  primitive  de  la  peroxydase. 

5°.  L'activite  de  la  peroxydase  reste  ensuite  sensiblement 
constante  pendant  quelques  heures,  puis  elle  d^crott  lentement. 

6°.  Au  bout  de  1 1  j  ours,  I'activite  est  de  nouveau  trhs  affaiblie, 
et  elle  est  comparable  k  ce  qu'elle  6tait  k  son  d^but,  au  moment 
du  premier  contact  (en  1). 

On  pent  essayer,  au  moyen  de  ces  donn^es,  de  representor 
grossi^rement  le  ph^nomfene  d' activation  par  une"  courbe.  Si  on 
adopte  pour  0  I'instant  precis  oil  I'activation  commence,  et  si 
Ton  porte  les  temps  de  contact  en  abscisses  et  les  activations  en 
ordonn^es,  ce  que  Ton  pent  faire  si  Ton  observe  que  I'activite 
maxima  est  le  double  de  I'activite  primitive  ou  normale,  on  aura 
le  trace  suivant: 


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290  Original  Communications:  Eighth  International       [vol. 

On  voit  par  la  forme  de  la  courbe  que  la  march  e  du  ph6iio- 
m^ne  se  rapproche  beaucoup  de  ce  que  Ton  observe  habituelle- 
ment  dans  les  actions  diastasiques.  La  diminution  lente  de 
I'activit^  est  le  r^sultat  de  la  destruction  progressive  de  la  per- 
oxydase. 

II  est  bon  de  faire  remarquer  que  le  contact  de  1  cc.  de  per- 
oxydase  avec  une  solution  decinormale  de  sonde  pent  donner  lieu 
k  des  ph^nom^nes  analogues,  mais  la  destruction  de  I'enzyme 
^tant  beaucoup  plus  rapide  avec  la  solution  decinormale  de  sonde 
qu'avec  la  solution  normale  d'ammoniaque,  on  ne  les  observe  que 
sous  une  forme  tr^s  att6nu6e.  Avec  les  acides  sulfurique  et 
phosphorique,  m^me  tres  ^tendus,  ces  ph^nomenes  d' activation 
ne  se  produisentpas;  tout  au  moins  je  n'ai  pu  les  observer. 

Dans  les  experiences  que  je  viens  de  d^crire,  je  me  suis  servi 
comme  r^actif  du  gayacol.  Lorsqu'on  s'adresse  k  d'autres  r^actifs 
tels  que  le  pyrogallol  ou  I'hydroquinone,  le  ph^nom^ne  ne  se  passe 
pas  tout  k  fait  de  la  m^me  fa5on;  en  effet,  on  observe  une  activor 
tion  immediate  de  la  peroxydase,  lorsqu'en  presence  de  celle-ci 
et  d'un  exc6s  de  phosphate  acide,  on  introduit  dans  le  milieu  une 
petite  quantity  de  soude  ou  d'ammoniaque.  Un  contact  plus  ou 
moins  prolong^  de  I'enzyme  avec  I'ammoniaque  n'a  pas  pour 
effet  d'augmenter  I'intensit^  de  la  reaction  comme  cela  a  lieu  dans 
le  cas  du  gayacol.  Je  n'ai  pu  jusqu'ici  m'expliquer  ces  differences. 
Toutefois,  je  crois  utile  d'attirer  I'attention  sur  leur  importance. 
On  se  rend  compte,  en  effet,  par  cet  exemple,  que  la  substance 
qui  subit  Taction  de  I'enzyme  est  aussi  sensible  aux  influences  du 
milieu  que  I'enzyme  lui-m6me. 

Enfin,  il  se  d^gage  de  toutes  ces  experiences  que  les  bases  alcal- 
ines,  soit  qu'elles  agissent  k  I'etat  libre,  soit  k  I'etat  combine, 
sont  un  des  facteurs  principaux  des  phenomdnes  d' activation 
analyses  dans  ce  travail. 


GENERAL  INDEX 

TO  THE  TWENTY-FOUR  VOLUMES  OF 

ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS 

Volume 

Section 

1 

I. 

Analytical  Chemifltry. 

2 

II 

Inorganic  Chemistry. 

3 

Ilia 

Metallurgy  and  Mining. 

4 

Illb 

Explosives. 

5 

IIIo 

Silicate  Industries. 

6 

IV 

Organic  Chemistry. 

7 

IVa 

Coal  Tar  Colors  and  Dyestuffs. 

8 

Va 

Industry  and  Chemistry  of  Sugar. 

9 

Vb 

India  Rubber  and  other  Plastics. 

10 

Vc 

Fuels  and  Asphalt. 

11 

Vd 

Fats,  Fatty  Oils  and  Soaps. 

12 

Ve 

Paints,  Drying  Oils  and  Varnishes. 

13 

Via 

Starch,  Cellulose  and  Paper. 

14 

VIb 

Fermentation. 

15 

VII 

Agricultural  Chemistry. 

16 

Villa  Hygiene. 

17 

Vlllb  Pharmaceutical  Chemistry,                               ' 

18 

VIIIc 

!  Bromatology. 

19 

Vllld  Biochemistry  including  Pharmacology. 

20 

IX 

Photochemistry. 

21 

Xa 

Electrochemistry. 

22 

Xb 

Physical  Chemistry. 

23 

XIa 

Law  and  Legislation  Affecting  Chemical 
Industry. 

24 

Xlb 

Political  Economy  and   Conservation    of 
Natural  Resources. 

— *V  9 


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