322 abstracts: chemistry 



wheat seedlings. Mineral nutrient solutions with phosphate, potash, 

 and nitrate in varying proportions were used, and to these were added 

 50 parts per million of the compound tested. The neutralized nucleic 

 acid as well as its nitrogenous decomposition products, hypoxanthine 

 and xanthine, had a beneficial action on the plants, promoting growth 

 and decreasing the nitrate absorption. The plants appear to be able 

 to utilize these compounds directly in their metabolism and require 

 under these circumstances less nitrate for maximum growth. 



M. X. Sullivan. 



AGRICULTURAL" CHEMISTRY.— Nucleic acids in soils. E. C. 

 Shorey. Science 35: 390. 1912. 

 Nucleic acids have been obtained from soils by extraction with dilute 

 sodium hydroxide, neutralizing and concentrating under reduced pres-- 

 sure, acidifying with acetic acid and addition of several volumes of alco- 

 hol as a light colored amorphous body which on hydrolysis gave pentose 

 sugars, purine bases, pyrimidine compounds, levulinic acid and phos- 

 phoric acid. Xanthine and hypoxanthine were identified among the 

 purine bases and cytosine among the pyramidine compounds. 



M. X. Sullivan. 



AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY.— Examination of soils for organic 

 constituents, especially dihydroxystearic acid. 0. SchrEiner and 

 E. C. Lathrop, Bulletin 80, Bureau of Soils. Journal American 

 Chemical Society 33: 1412-17. 1911. 

 This investigation covers a partial survey of the nature of organic 

 matter in the soils of the United States. Soils from eighteen different 

 states, and of widely different origin, topography, texture, climate, 

 drainage, and cropping, varying from soils of the highest productivity 

 to soils incapable of producing profitable crops were examined for differ- 

 ent soil constituents. In the soils, pentsans, pentose, sugar, histidine, 

 cytosine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, and dihydroxystearic acid were fre- 

 quently encountered. Arginine, agroceric acid, lignoceric acid a-mono- 

 hydroxystearic acid, agrosterol, phytosterol, and hentriacontane were 

 only ocassionally found. The frequent occurrence of dihydroxystearic 

 acid is of special interest and significance because of its known harmful 

 action on plants One-third of all the soils examined contained this 

 compound, virgin soils as well as soils long under cultivation; soils con- 

 tinually cropped as well as soils under permanent sod; soils from the 

 Atlantic coast, the Pacific coast and the Gulf states. It is likely to be 



