to Professor Johnston, 367 



no existence ] On the contrary, it has now been proved to exist in 

 the most positive manner. I hope to institute a renewed investiga- 

 tion of this substance, in which I take an increasing interest. 



But you may ask what has become of its composition \ Is it as 

 stated by Laskowski ? This has been contradicted by Fleitmann. 

 Thus the two results were : — 



I was, therefore, according to this analysis of Fleitmann, not far 

 from the truth, when I stated the composition of protein containing 

 sulphur to be : — 



C 537 53-7 



H 70 7-1 



N 150 15-5 



You see that Laskowski's experimental analysis was an unsuccess- 

 ful one. But is Fleitmann's result correct ? I will shew you, in 

 my memoir, which I soon hope to publish, that his determination of 

 nitrogen has been too high. Protein, containing a quantity of hypo- 

 sulphurous acid, corresponding to 1'4 per cent, of sulphur, existing 

 in that of Fleitmann, ought to yield only 14*4 per cent, of nitrogen. 

 Now if you reduce this protein by deducting the sulphur as hypo- 

 sulphurous acid, you have : — 



Deducting the sulphur as 

 By analysis. hyposulphurous acid : — 



C 53-7 53-7 54-9 



H 7-0 7-0 7-1 



N 14-4 14-4 14-7 



O 23-5 22-9 23-3 



S 1-4 



100- 980 100- 



Again, albumen itself produced (Phys. Chem., p. 326) :*- 



Deducting the sulphur as i 



C = 76-44 C = 75-12 phuret of amid S, N H* 



C (54-48) 53-6 



H 7-0 



N 15-7 



O 22-3 



S 1-4 



1000 97-3 100-0 



♦ These references are to the Dutch edition of his Chemistry of Vepf table and 

 Animal Physiology ; but as I have not the Dutch edition at hand, I cannot easily 

 refer to the proper pages in the English edition. 



VOL. XLII. NO. LXXXIV. — APRIL 1847. 2 A 



