Spirazines 29 



The percentages of carbon and nitrogen in our 

 theoretical formula are slightly higher than those 

 obtained experimentally, whereas the percentages 

 of hydrogen and oxygen are slightly lower. The 

 low percentage of hydrogen can be accounted for 

 on the theory that the individual particles of 

 albumin are very small so that many additional 

 hydrogen atoms or hydroxyl groups would be 

 required to occupy those valencies which, in our 

 continuous three-dimensional hypothetical struc- 

 ture would be used for connecting different por- 

 tions thereof to one another. If, for example, we 

 assume that there is a break in one of the hydro- 

 carbon chains at every triple junction, and that 

 a hydrogen atom occupies each of the unused 

 valencies, then our theoretical formula would 

 become : 



C10H15N3O3, 



which will give the following percentage compo- 

 sition : 



Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen Oxygen 



53.4 6.7 18.6 21.3 



The percentage of carbon is still slightly high, 

 but that can be accounted for by the presence in 

 albumin of a few junctions of the beta type, the 

 existence of which is evidenced by the glutamic 



