174 On the Action of the Ferment of Madder on Sugar. 



acid, 8 equivs. of carbonic acid, and 17 equivs. of hydrogen; or 

 into 1 equiv. of succinic acid, 2 equivs. of acetic acid, and 1 equiv.' 

 of hydrogen ; or into 2 equivs. of succinic acid, 1 equiv. of acetic 

 acid, and 2 equivs. of hydrogen ; or together with the elements 

 of 2 equivs. of water into 2 equivs. of succinic acid, | equiv. of 

 acetic acid, 2 equivs. of carbonic acid, and 8 equivs. of hydrogen, 

 as the following equations will show : — 



Succinic acid. 

 QXi^uQii =3C4H3 044-3H 



Ci«H»«0i* + 8H0= C'*H8 04+8C02 + 17H. 



C12H120J* = C4H804 + 2C4H404 + H 



Ci2Hi20i« =2C4H304+ C4H404 + 2H 



Ci2Hi20i2 + 2HO=2C4H3 04H-|C4H404 + 2CO«-f6H. 



Of these different modes of decomposition, I consider the last 

 as the most probable. At all events I prefer for the present 

 considering it as the true one, since it shows the possibility of 

 all the products of decomposition, except the alcohol, being 

 formed from one equivalent of sugar. It corresponds with the 

 mode of decomposition according to which Liebig supposes malic 

 acid to split up into succinic, acetic, and carbonic acids*. Taking 

 this for granted, the following relations will be found to subsist 

 between the products formed in the alcoholic, butyric acid, and 

 succinic acid fermentations of sugar. In all these processes, 

 1 equiv. of sugar splits up into one or more organic bodies, and 

 one or more inorganic ones. The quantities of carbonic acid 

 formed in the three processes are to one another respectively as 

 2:2: I, the quantities of hydrogen as : 2 : 3. In the organic 

 products formed in the three processes (adding together the ele- 

 ments of the succinic and acetic acids of the last process), the 

 numbers of equivalents of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, are to 

 one another as follows : — in the products of the alcoholic fer- 

 mentation the C : H as 2 : 3 ; in those of the butyric acid fermen- 

 tation, as 2 : 2 ; in those of the succinic acid fermentation, as 

 5:4; while the numbers of equivalents of oxygen and hydrogen 

 are to one another respectively as 1 : 3, 1 : 2, and 5 : 4. Passing 

 along the series from the products of the alcoholic to those of 

 the succinic acid fermentation, the number of equivalents of 

 hydrogen in the organic substances is found to be constantly on 

 the decrease, as compared with that of the equivalents of carbon 

 and oxygen, while the amount of hydrogen set at liberty increases 

 in the same ratio. 



That time may form an important element in all processes of 

 fermentation, and that the degree of rapidity with which such 



* Annalen der Pharmagie, ygl. Ixx. p. 363. 



