KozLOWSKi : Primary Synthesis of Proteids 39 



the preceding tests, showing that in this case amides and carbohy- 

 drates are produced from proteids. In the experiments of Uhrich, 

 Schultz and Umlauf with seeds of lupine the result was that the 

 plants cultivated in darkness contained i8.22^> more of asparagin 

 and 12.31^ more of other amides and organic nitrogen com- 

 pounds, while only 5.33^0 more of carbohydrates in form of glucose 

 and cellulose than seeds ; on the other hand they contained 30.07^ 

 less of proteids. The comparatively slight increase of carbohy- 

 drates is explained by their loss from respiration, the general loss 



being 18.30^ of dry substance. 



All these facts prove without doubt that amides can be pro- 

 duced in plants from proteids, and can, together with carbohy- 

 drates, be used in their reconstruction ; they do not of course prove 

 that we can consider amides as the predecessors of proteids when 

 formed from inorganic substances, and the difficulty of the inves- 

 tigation in this line is based upon the fact that amides are always 

 found in growing plants as the form in which proteids are trans- 

 ported either to the young growing parts (as buds, flowers, fruits) 

 or to places where they are deposited as reserve food for the 

 next year (roots, bulbs, etc.). 



In order to answer this question A. Emmerlingf undertook a 

 long series of investigations, consisting of the quantitative determi- 

 nation of different compounds of nitrogen in different parts of 

 plants and in various stages of their growth. These investigations 

 led him to the belief that amides are products, preceding the 

 formation of proteids from inorganic substances in plants. 



Before this series w^as completed (1887) other pieces of work 

 appeared which tend to show the same results. 



Kellner was the first who tried to ascertain that proteids are 

 formed from amides. He compared the amount of amides in 

 plants supplied with pure water and those supplied with a solution 

 of potassic nitrate. I His results were criticised by E. Schultze 

 chiefly on the ground that we cannot consider amides as products 



* Lanclwirtsch. Jahrbucher, 5 : (1876). The loss of dry substance is at the expense 

 of fat (5.61%) and dextrhie-hke carbohydrates (lo.027o), besides some other not fully 

 explained substances. 



f Landw. Versnchsstationen, 24: 153 and foil. (1880). 



J Landwirtschaftliche Jahrbucher, 8 : Suppl. 243. iS79- 



* 



^ Landw. Jahrbucher, 9 : (iSSo). 



