50 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



(2) Other Cell-contents (including Secretions). 



Blue Chlorophyll.* — M. Tsvett divides the constituents of ordinary- 

 chlorophyll into two classes, xanthophyllins and chlorophyllins ; the 

 former (carotin, erythrophyll, chrysophyll, &c.) including those which 

 absorb only short-period rays and are not fluorescent ; the latter being 

 characterised by their fluorescence, and by an absorption in the red. 

 He describes the method of obtaining blue chlorophyllin in the crys- 

 talline form ; it has nothing in common with the phyllocyanin of Fremy. 



Alleged Violet Chromatophores. f — K. Kroemer contests the accu- 

 racy of Tschirch's statement + of the occurrence of violet chromatophores 

 in the " berry " of the coffee. He maintains, on the other hand, that the 

 appearance observed by Tschirch is due to masses of violet crystals in 

 the central vacuole in the hypodermal and epidermal cells of the pericarp. 

 The micro-chemical reactions are given on which the author bases his 

 opinion. 



Myrosin in Plants. § — Th. Bokorny records the presence of myrosin 

 (chiefly in the seeds) in a number of plants belonging to the natural 

 orders Cruciferse, Leguminosee, and Umbelliferse. Several species belong- 

 ing to the Composite, and a number of others, gave negative results. 



Proteolytic Enzyme of Germinating Seeds. || — In the case of germi- 

 nating lentils, V. Harlay finds the proteolytic ferment to be, in the 

 substances to which it gives rise by digestion, analogous to animal 

 trypsin, and probably identical with that which occurs in germinating 

 barley. The same results were obtained with germinating seeds of 

 Ctratonia siliqua ; and the author regards it as probably a general law 

 that a ferment analogous to trypsin, and producing tyrosin as one of the 

 products of its digestion, is present in all germinating seeds. This is 

 the case also with rapidly growing plants like fungi ; while in adult 

 phanerogams where there is no rapid growth, the ferment present is 

 one analogous to animal pepsin, giving rise on digestion to a chromogen 

 which becomes green. 



New Enzyme.^T — O. Loew disputes the accuracy of the statement 

 that all enzymes have the property of decomposing hydrogen peroxide ; 

 he does, however, find in fresh tobacco leaves a ferment which possesses 

 this power. This enzyme, which he believes to be of very general 

 distribution in both plants and animals, he terms catalase. It occurs 

 either in a soluble form, /3-catalase, as an albumose ; or as a-catalase, in 

 an insoluble form as a compound of this albumose with a nucleoproteid. 

 That catalase belongs to the oxidising ferments is shown by its capacity 

 of oxidising hydrochinon into chinou. 



New Glucoside from Erysimum.** — Schlagdenhauffen and — Reeb 

 have detected, in the seeds of several species of Erysimum, especially 

 E. aureum, in addition to the poisonous alkaloid, a new glucoside, to 

 which they give the name erysimin. It is present in the form of a pale 



* Comptes Ren.lus, exxxi. (1900) pp. 842-4. 



t Bot. Centmlbl., lxxxiv. (1900) pp. 33-5. J Cf. this Journal, 1900, p. 342. 



§ Chem. Zeit., xxiv. (1900) pp. 771-2. See Journ. Chem. Soc, 1900, Abstr. ii. 

 p. 746. 



|| Comptes Rmdus, exxxi. (1900) pp. G23-5. Cf. this Journal, 1900. p. 599. 



•jf U.S. Deptmt. Agriculture, Bull. No. 3, 1900. See Bot. Centralbl., lxxxiv. 

 (19U0) p. 126. ** Comptes Rendus, exxxi. (1900) pp. 753-5. 



