D. CHEMISTRY AND METALLURGY. 99 



ing at about 200 Centigrade, specific gravity equal to 0.901 ; 

 decomposed when heated above 300 Centigrade, and yielding 

 acrolein. The quantity of this oil found in one liter of the 

 yeast amounts to from 0.2 to 0.3 grams. It appears that this 

 oil is in most respects similar to the fatty matter found in 

 barley. 1 A, Dec. 8, 1871, 276. 



COMPOSITION OF THE ALBUMEN OF EGGS. 



The albumen of the white of egg has lately been shown to 

 consist of two distinct varieties, one having its maximum 

 point of coagulation at 63, the other at about 74. In addi- 

 tion to these there is still another substance, one known as Iac- 

 toprotein. According to Gautier, when albumen of egg is 

 treated with water at 150, it yields the following products, 

 which pass through a dialysis, besides insoluble matters: 1. 

 Substance having the properties of casein ; 2. A substance 

 analogous to hypoxanthine., 3. An albuminoid substance. 

 21 A, IX., July, 1871,577. 



CORN-COBS AS A SOURCE OF POTASH. 



The availability of corn-cobs as a source of supply for pot- 

 ash has been suggested. Analysis has shown that these con- 

 tain over 7^ parts in 1000 of carbonate of potash, or twice as 

 much as the best kind of wood. In consideration of the av- 

 erage production of corn in the United States, it is estimated 

 that nearly 52,000 tons of carbonate of potassa may be annu- 

 ally obtained from this source, to say nothing of a considera- 

 ble quantity of chloride of potassium. 



GALACTIXE. 



In a paper published in the Transactions of the Physical 

 Society of Geneva, M. Morin remarks that Mulder has shown 

 that there are three nitrogenous substances in the animal or- 

 ganism belonging to the proteine group, to which this serves 

 as the base namely, fibrine, albumen, and caseine ; the first 

 solid, and the two others liquid, but capable of being trans- 

 formed into solids. According to Mulder, also, there are two 

 nitrogenous substances in the animal organism in another 

 group (that of gelatine), namely, chondrine, contained in the 

 tendons, and gelatine, found in bone, or formed by the action 

 of heat and water upon the membranes. 



